????任天堂公司已經(jīng)連續(xù)三個(gè)財(cái)務(wù)年度宣告虧損，它的Wii U也被喻為自NES以來(lái)最失敗的一款游戲機(jī)。但任天堂的Amiibo游戲手辦，有望為該公司扭轉(zhuǎn)頹勢(shì)發(fā)揮關(guān)鍵作用。

????這些游戲手辦內(nèi)置近場(chǎng)通訊技術(shù)，能夠解鎖多款Wii U和3DS XL游戲的特殊游戲角色和技能，2014年11月一經(jīng)上市就被搶購(gòu)一空。僅在去年最后的兩個(gè)月，任天堂就在全球范圍內(nèi)售出570多萬(wàn)個(gè)手辦，單單是美國(guó)的銷(xiāo)售量就達(dá)到350萬(wàn)個(gè)。

????從2012年發(fā)布至2015年1月，任天堂共售出920萬(wàn)臺(tái)Wii U游戲機(jī)。不過(guò)相比索尼PlayStation 4（2100萬(wàn)）和微軟Xbox One（1300萬(wàn)）的銷(xiāo)量，Wii U這個(gè)季軍顯然差了不是一點(diǎn)半點(diǎn)。要知道，任天堂的上一款游戲機(jī)Wii在2006至2014年間創(chuàng)下了1.01億臺(tái)的銷(xiāo)售數(shù)據(jù)，是上一代游戲機(jī)當(dāng)之無(wú)愧的機(jī)皇。

????不過(guò)，根據(jù)NPD集團(tuán)提供的數(shù)據(jù)，自從去年11月Amiibo手辦發(fā)布以來(lái)，任天堂Wii U游戲機(jī)在美國(guó)的銷(xiāo)量已經(jīng)開(kāi)始上漲，去年11月增加10個(gè)百分點(diǎn)，全年銷(xiāo)量較2013年增加29%。這一勢(shì)頭在2015年得以持續(xù)，Wii U的銷(xiāo)量在今年第一季度增長(zhǎng)20%。

????韋德布什證券公司分析師邁克爾?帕徹認(rèn)為，Amiibo手辦的熱賣(mài)每年可能會(huì)為任天堂帶來(lái)2到3億美元的收入。目前這些手辦要比硬件本身更有收藏價(jià)值。不過(guò)帕徹也表示，隨著越來(lái)越多的游戲開(kāi)始包含近場(chǎng)通訊技術(shù)，這些手辦的吸引力還會(huì)進(jìn)一步上升。特別是很多年輕玩家原本就是迪士尼的“迪士尼無(wú)限”（Disney Infinity）和美國(guó)動(dòng)視的Skylander等手辦的愛(ài)好者。

????任天堂的北美銷(xiāo)售與營(yíng)銷(xiāo)執(zhí)行副總裁斯科特?莫菲特表示：“大家已經(jīng)非常喜歡我們的角色了，他們也喜歡看到這些角色以不同的方式活靈活現(xiàn)地出現(xiàn)在不同的任天堂游戲中。父母?jìng)兎浅Ｐ蕾p的一點(diǎn)是，Amiibo手辦可以以不同的方式應(yīng)用到多款游戲中，有很強(qiáng)的持續(xù)價(jià)值。”

????目前，任天堂已經(jīng)推出了三批Amiibo手辦，其中包括《超級(jí)瑪麗》、《大金剛》和《刺猬索尼克》等游戲中的29個(gè)經(jīng)典游戲角色。它們的零售價(jià)為13美元。由于Amiibo手辦供不應(yīng)求，有些玩家甚至愿意花數(shù)百美元購(gòu)入這些手辦進(jìn)行收藏。

????任天堂也向開(kāi)發(fā)者開(kāi)放了這項(xiàng)技術(shù)。莫菲特認(rèn)為，和動(dòng)作控制、Off-TV play和3D視效一樣，Amiibo手辦也是另一個(gè)非常有創(chuàng)新性的開(kāi)發(fā)工具。

????任天堂已經(jīng)宣布下一代游戲機(jī)NX即將發(fā)布，EEDAR公司的視頻游戲分析師凱爾?雷蒙認(rèn)為，這相當(dāng)于任天堂已經(jīng)默認(rèn)了Wii U持續(xù)表現(xiàn)疲軟的事實(shí)，因此Wii U將無(wú)法享受像前任Wii一樣長(zhǎng)的銷(xiāo)售壽命。不過(guò)今年年內(nèi)，任天堂還將繼續(xù)推出幾批Amiibo手辦，就目前來(lái)說(shuō)，這個(gè)消息足以讓玩家們興奮一陣子了。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：樸成奎

????審校：任文科

????Nintendo has reported operating losses for three consecutive fiscal years, and the Wii U is considered the least successful Nintendo console ever, going all the way back to the original NES. But Nintendo’s toys-to-life amiibo figures could be the key to revitalizing the company.

????The toy figurines, which contain near field communication (NFC) technology that unlocks special characters and abilities across multiple Wii U and new Nintendo 3DS XL games, have been selling out since launching in November 2014. Nintendo sold over 5.7 million amiibo worldwide in just two months last year. And the company has sold over 3.5 million of the video game figurines in the U.S. Alone.

????Nintendo has sold just over 9.2 million Wii Us globally since its launch in 2012 through January 2015, and the console still lags a distant third to Sony’s 21 million PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s 13 million Xbox One sales. Nintendo’s previous console, the Wii, sold over 101 million units between 2006 and 2014, which earned the company first place during that console cycle.

????But since releasing the amiibo figures last November, Nintendo has seen an uptick in Wii U console sales in the U.S., including a 10 percent rise in Wii U hardware sales last November and a 29 percent increase for 2014 as a whole, compared to 2013. That trend has continued into 2015 with a 20 percent increase through the first quarter, according to the NPD Group.

????Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter believes sales of amiibo toys could add $200 to $300 million in annual revenue to Nintendo’s bottom line. Right now, the toys are more collectible than a hardware driver. But Pachter says that as more games incorporate the technology, the appeal will grow, especially with the younger gamers who have driven sales of the similar toys toys-to-life franchises of Disney’s Disney Infinity and Activision’s Skylanders.

????“People already have an affinity for our characters, and they love seeing them come to life in different ways in different Nintendo games,” Scott Moffitt, EVP of Sales and Marketing for Nintendo of America, says. “And parents like that amiibo can be used in different ways across multiple games, so they get strong enduring value for their investment.”

????Nintendo has rolled out three waves of amiibo figures so far, a total of 29 characters from Mario to Donkey Kong to Sonic the Hedgehog. A shortage of amiibo figures has resulted in some fans paying hundreds of dollars for the hard-to-find collectibles, which retail for $13.

????Nintendo has also opened up this technology to developers. Moffitt sees amiibo figures as another creative option in the development toolbox, just like motion controls, off-TV play, or 3D visuals.

????Nintendo has already announced its next console, the Nintendo NX device, which EEDAR video game analyst Kyle Lemmon believes is a tacit admission that the Wii U continues to underperform and won’t have the long shelf life that the Wii had last generation. But Nintendo does have new waves of amiibo figures coming out throughout this year, and for now, that’s enough to keep fans excited about the company once again.