Good news, collectors: The Skylanders amiibo are going to be sold separately

$24.99

[Update: It looks like the pair are going to be sold on 1/9 at GameStop — there’s no current word on what the stock looks like, but since they’re being distributed by Activision, there’s no doubt that it will be more plentiful than Nintendo’s efforts. Note that this is technically both an amiibo and a Skylanders toy, and thus will work with both publisher’s games (though for Nintendo, they’ll be a standard Bowser or Donkey Kong figure).

For months, the only way amiibo collectors have been able to get their hands on the Skylanders figures (Bowser and Donkey Kong) have been by way of the Starter Packs for SuperChargers. They’ve since come down in price to roughly $40 (or less) from $75 at launch, but that’s still far too much if you’re just looking for the amiibo and not the game.

Thankfully, Skylanders Inquirer has discovered that they will be released separately, and will retail for $24.99. Why is it so high? Because it comes with a vehicle (even though most people just want the figure), and because….money.

But there is a catch — the Dark variants are still reportedly exclusive to the Starter Packs. Luckily I was able to acquire them by way of a friend and an awesome reader.

Confirmed: Nintendo amiibo [Skylanders Inquirer]