Please also note that no amiibo have been discontinued at this time. We plan to have different amiibo available throughout the year, and characters which seem to disappear at one time will suddenly reappear in the future. This means that amiibo which are hard to find now will be back in stores.
This statement backs up comments Nintendo has made in the past. Very early on, they've stated they just need to get everything out first, and then worry about restocking.
However, it's important to note that the rep refers to
characters reappearing, not specific amiibos. Also up in the air is packaging - we have no idea if what's been released now is a one-time, "first edition" collectible or if a Little Mac printed two years from now will be exactly identical to the ones we already have or missed. Still, it sounds like they intend to catch up to stock eventually, and that pile of amiibos I have sitting on my shelf won't be as valuable a year from now as it is right now (good thing I'm just trying to collect them all for a display!)
At the very least, this casts doubt on the rumor that Meta Knight has been discontinued from Best Buy. Maybe future reprints won't be retailer exclusive?
Now I'm wondering whether the exclusives aren't actually a deal with Nintendo, but rather a deal with their NA distributor... The big thing to look into is how the Nintendo World Store in New York is faring - anyone know what their stock situation is like? I know they have the exclusives, but how much easier is it to come by rare figures there?
Lastly, I really wish the writer of this article hadn't tried to verify the support ticket... this is the kind of thing someone might get fired or even sued for leaking, and now they could track it to the support rep who leaked it.