Earlier this year, we reported on rumors of a substantial amiibo restock, featuring over 30 legacy Super Smash Bros. characters set to be available between August and November. In the past month, we’ve witnessed firsthand that these rumors have turned out to be entirely accurate, as retailers across Asia and Europe have gradually begun selling these newly-released amiibo to the public.
As a devoted amiibo enthusiast, it was only natural for me to import as many of these new amiibo from Asia as possible to investigate any potential changes that may have occurred since their initial production runs. While the physical figures themselves have remained unchanged, it was quite surprising to discover that the back of the packaging has undergone a transformation. To my disappointment, instead of the familiar character bios I’ve grown fond of, it now features a generic design filled with safety warnings and legal mumbo jumbo.
The back of the boxes have no mention of EU or NA trademarks or webpages. These releases appear to be exclusively for Japan, China, and Taiwan according to the fine print…. pic.twitter.com/G76CDdtRKf
— Amiibo News (@AmiiboNews) August 16, 2023
The decision to adopt a more generic back box art could be attributed to a couple of factors. First, it might be a cost-saving measure in terms of printing expenses. However, a more apparent reason could be the desire to ensure future compatibility. In the original amiibo boxes, we often found compatibility options that included references to the Wii U, 3DS, and Nintendo Switch. These references have now been omitted. Is this Nintendo’s way of future-proofing these reprinted amiibo for potential use on new consoles? It’s certainly a possibility!
One final interesting tidbit I found was that you can easily scan these amiibo through the box. In box collectors, rejoice!
Oh yeah! You can totally scan them through the box with no issues. Didn’t even have to press down. https://t.co/9ICtbvZ7YH pic.twitter.com/eElc3T9iHn
— Amiibo News (@AmiiboNews) August 16, 2023
Shortly after I received my package from Asia, a Reddit user shared a discovery they made locally in Europe, featuring the same generic back box. Once again, the packaging only includes safety information, website links, and a general explanation of what an amiibo is.
Looks like Europe, Australia, and New Zealand are getting the new generic amiibo boxes as well. This is from a Rosalina re-print posted by u/ironicdummy on r/amiibo.
The text on the back does not feature a US or Canadian website, for what it’s worth.https://t.co/cJzdIFtYtt pic.twitter.com/STKok8bogh
— Amiibo News (@AmiiboNews) August 18, 2023
On the back of the European box, there is no mention of a US website, suggesting that this specific variant may not be expected to appear in the US in the future. However, this raises the question: Will we see a restock hitting the US anytime soon? Hopefully an upcoming Nintendo Direct will provide the answers we are looking for. Stay tuned for more updates!
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Written by Jason Ganos
Nintendo super fan since birth, Jason is the creator of Amiibo News and editor-in-chief at Nintendo Wire. One of his life goals is to provide the latest Nintendo news to fellow gamers with his natural know-how.
