Over the past few weeks the mystery of the golden Amiibo has grown, starting with rumors of the accessory’s existence followed by speculation it might be a Walmart exclusive. Now, we know that the golden Amiibo is, in fact, real, and we have full details on where gamers can get one.
As previously rumored, the golden Amiibo will be a Walmart exclusive offering, sold in 3,000 stores within the U.S. Also, since the golden Amiibo is a Walmart item it will carry a price tag of $12.96 instead of the normal $12.99, so gamers can save themselves a few pennies.
The golden Amiibo will release, as expected, alongside Mario Party 10 on March 20th. Nintendo has yet to detail how limited quantities for the figure might be, but if past experiences with rare or limited run Amiibo are any indication gamers may want to act fast. It’s also worth mentioning that some copies of Mario Party 10 come bundled with a new “wave Mario” Amiibo that launches on March 20th as well. But while that figure is tied to Mario Party 10, in that it can't be sold separately, this golden Amiibo is up for grabs.
Outside of the golden appearance, the gold Mario Amiibo is no different from the average Nintendo figure. He can operate with Super Smash Bros. on both Wii U and new 3DS, as well as any other Amiibo compatible games including Mario Party 10. However, chances are plenty of Nintendo fans will want to keep the golden Mario in the retail packaging in case he becomes a major collector’s item.
And odds are the golden Mario Amiibo will, provided Nintendo doesn’t continue to manufacture the figure after launch. Rare Amiibos have become the hot ticket item amongst video game collectors, with many going for sizeable sums on aftermarket services like eBay.
Granted, Nintendo could easily help meet demand by manufacturing more figures, but they apparently wanted some Amiibos to be limited in availability. Shelf space is prime real estate, and with more Amiibo figures on the way they want to ensure maximum sales. We doubt they will have to worry about that with gold Mario, though.
Do you plan on picking up a golden Mario Amiibo? Should Nintendo make more of these special Amiibo?