Nintendo's Amiibo gets something Skylanders and Disney Infinity lacks: Subscription service

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Nintendo really wants you to own Amiibos.

The little figures based on famous characters such as Mario and Link can interact with Wii U games like Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. via the GamePad. It’s a similar concept to what the popular Skylanders and Disney Infinity games have practiced for a few years now. However, Nintendo has thought up a creative way to deliver figures.

Teaming up with Loot Crate, the subscription delivery service that sends boxes of geeky goodies to your home every month, Nintendo will sell 10 Amiibo figures delivered over three months. It won’t say exactly which it will send (although it does guarantee Mario, Pikachu, Donkey Kong, Fox, and Yoshi), nor does it give a price for the service.

Still, this is a pretty inventive way to get Amiibos into homes. While you can obviously still go to a store and buy them individually, just as you can with Skylanders and Disney Infinity figures, this method gives people a way to buy and receive multiple Amiibos without having to leave their homes. Skylanders and Disney Infinity don’t have a similar subscription service.

Amiibo launches Nov. 21 along with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.