Nintendo is reportedly planning a ‘tiny Labo announcement before sunsetting it’
The Nintendo Switch toys to life range launched in 2018
The Nintendo Labo product range for Switch could be set to be discontinued.
The toys to life range, which launched in 2018, is a line of “make, play and discover experiences” combining cardboard creations and other materials with Switch hardware and software.
As noted by Twitter user Akfamilyhome, the company’s official North American Labo site now redirects to the regular store page for the Labo VR Kit.
“Think it’s safe to say that we’re not seeing more Labo in the future,” they speculated, prompting a reply from noted Nintendo insider Emily Rogers, who has a track record of leaking accurate information about the company.
“Eh, we’ll get one more tiny announcement before Labo rides off into the sunset,” Rogers claimed.
https://twitter.com/ArcadeGirl64/status/1382808175221542913?s=20
VGC has contacted Nintendo for comment on this story.
Nintendo of America’s Labo VR Kit webpage notes that the product is still available at Target, but sold out at GameStop, the only other retailer the platform holder recommends.
While Nintendo UK’s Labo website is still fully featured, providing an overview of the wider product range, all of the Labo kits listed on its online store are currently out of stock.
Multiple Labo kits are still readily available from Amazon’s UK and US stores.
Further reading
Review: Nintendo Labo VR Kit is an excellent entry-level VR experience
Nintendo Labo kits had sold over one million units by the end of 2018. While that statistic sounds modest compared to the company’s other sales numbers, it insisted Labo should be viewed differently from traditional video games.
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said during a financial results briefing in January 2019: “Before the first kits launched last April, we expected sales and consumer reception to be different from traditional video games like Mario or Zelda.
“Nintendo Labo has been incorporated into classes at 100 elementary schools across the US, and has received awards and acknowledgements from various domestic and international media, in categories of toys and of other general consumer products experiences.
“So, as we expected, it appears that Nintendo Labo has been accepted by our consumers differently than traditional video games.”
