I just can't figure it out.

[pkmin3033]

​

Oh yes, I'm back to making bad puns for thread titles. Despair.

The market has seen a turn over the last few years towards selling figurines that interact with video games, providing something additional to the base experience; a physical sort of DLC, if you will. You'd have to had your head buried in the ground these last few years not to have heard about Amiibo - and the shortages as Nintendo vastly underestimate demand and screw up, again - and other, similar experiences such as Skylanders, Lego Dimensions, and Disney Infinity. Marketed more as a platform than a video game (at least outside of Amiibo) these toy-to-life games are generally designed to give players a customisable experience, as well as play through some familiar scenarios.

Recently, despite being obscenely lucrative for the last three years, and having plenty of opportunities for the future, Disney Infinity was announced to be discontinued, supposedly due to increased risk in keeping the franchise competitive, and the game not performing as well as expected...despite calling upon characters from Disney films, Marvel, and Star Wars.

So, in the wake of the passing of Disney Infinity, let's talk about figures and video games again. What do you think of these peripherals/accessories? Are they a good idea, or little better than glorified DLC? Do you own any figures yourself? Are there any characters you'd love to see made into figurines and, if so, what sort of functionality in the game do you think they'd have? Is the death of Disney Infinity a herald of the end of the popularity of toy-to-life games?

 

[Prairie]

I don't buy Amiibos because I have a feeling that once I give in, I won't just stop at one, haha. I see the appeal, though (and I've been tempted to get some, too). They're figurines of popular Nintendo characters, with the added bonus of being compatible with Nintendo games. The first part alone is enough for people to want them. I mean, some people just buy the figures and keep them sealed in their collections.

Personally, I don't see Amiibos going away anytime soon. They're a big hit, and I bet Nintendo already has stuff planned for the NX utilising them. c:

 

[KingCharizard]

Disney infinity is being "discontinued" because Disney's game studio is being shut down. Not because it wasn't lucrative or they couldn't compete with others.


They are shutting the studio/projects down because most of their video game projects are now outsourced to to other companies

 

[Spinosaurus]

Disney infinity is being "discontinued" because Disney's game studio is being shut down. Not because it wasn't lucrative or they couldn't compete with others.

That's not entirely true.
http://kotaku.com/sources-the-ambitious-now-cancelled-plans-for-disney-1776370484

It's a big seller but it's also not necessarily profitable.

 

[thebrawler56]

I don't buy Amiibos because I have a feeling that once I give in, I won't just stop at one, haha. I see the appeal, though (and I've been tempted to get some, too). They're figurines of popular Nintendo characters, with the added bonus of being compatible with Nintendo games. The first part alone is enough for people to want them. I mean, some people just buy the figures and keep them sealed in their collections.

Personally, I don't see Amiibos going away anytime soon. They're a big hit, and I bet Nintendo already has stuff planned for the NX utilising them. c:

As someone who owns 2 amiibo, the Captain Falcon and Lucas ones, I can say that, despite not having any actual use for them, I enjoy just having tiny figures of the characters in some of my favorite games. F-Zero GX is my favorite game of all time, and Mother 3 is another among my favorites. Recently, I've been yearning for the unlikely as hell to get Shulk amiibo just because I recently played Xenoblade... and now it's another of my favorite games of all time.

 

[KingCharizard]

That's not entirely true.
http://kotaku.com/sources-the-ambitious-now-cancelled-plans-for-disney-1776370484

It's a big seller but it's also not necessarily profitable.

you dont close down an entire studio because one game isnt making you money... unless you are greedy like disney is

 

[Sir Codin]

I stopped getting Amiibos once I stopped caring about Smash 4.

 

[Firebolt]

I'm a collector at heart. I think amiibos are a cheap alternative to actual figurines. I love the fact that I can just put them on my desk and only need to dust them every few days. I'll shamelessly admit I've got all of the LoZ and FE ones. If I didn't love those two series, I wouldn't have bought the figures. Although, I do admit their use in game is really just glorified DLC. Kinda hating Nintendo's direction lately of releasing free games but making them only mildly playable without spending money (latest Mario Minis eShop game, Pokémon side games, etc.).