The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD launches in just a few hours, marking one of the biggest releases Nintendo has planned during the franchise's anniversary. While Skyward Sword hasn't been the most popular entry in the series traditionally, there are some big changes that should make the game feel better than the original. However, those looking to complement their experience with the Zelda and Loftwing amiibo might be out of luck for a while.
According to a statement from Nintendo provided to IGN, unforeseen shipping issues have caused a delay for the bulk of the amiibos originally scheduled to land on store shelves, so only a few of them will be available tomorrow, where they were originally intended to release alongside Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD itself.
Additionally, only a small number of customers that pre-ordered the amiibo will be receiving them on time, the rest being sent out in August. The amiibo unlocks fast-travel mechanics within Skyward Sword HD, which makes the delay sting a bit for fans that were hoping to use the quality of life feature. The general consensus initially was that locking such a feature behind a physical collectible was a mistake, and this certainly furthers that argument.
Nintendo, interestingly, didn't cite a specific reason for the shipping delay, though it hasn't been uncommon to see supply shortages in recent months for game consoles and other types of consumer electronics. It's possible that the delay is linked with some of the other, more common problems causing supply chain issues lately, which is the most likely answer to what comes down to a logistical issue.
With the scarcity, it's likely that the amiibo supply that is available will be targeted by scalpers. While the bigger issue remains console scalping of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, just about every entertainment commodity under the sun has fallen victim to scalpers over the course of the past year or so. That includes smaller items like Pokemon cards, so the amiibo will be easy targets for resellers to try and turn a profit.
It's unfortunate that the amiibos have been delayed, but understandable given current global circumstances. While it's a bummer that fans will be missing out on the figures for a month, at least it isn't that massive of a wait, even though it might make Skyward Sword slightly less enjoyable for those affected.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD releases July 16 for Switch.
Source: IGN