Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[RileyXY1]

BC won't stop Ult Deluxe from happening,
BC plus relicensing a buttload of third-party content plus Sakurai definitely being smart enough to avoid a situation like this

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey Is One Of The Worst-Selling Mario Games To Date

No 3DS love?

www.nintendolife.com

would likely stop Ult Deluxe from happening

Plus we already know Sakurai is not a big fan of ports. Nintendo notably told him that if he wasn't going to make a new Smash for the Wii they would just port Melee with the only new addition being online play, and that was what led him to greenlight Brawl.

 

[BuckleyTim]

There's no chance at all of the next smash being a port but BIS remake failed because it was on the 3DS in the second half of 2019, not because the consumer could jump through a few more hoops to get the original DS game used. Sony has proven twice now that the right IP can get a full graphical remake of a game on a system that can play the original and still sell big.

Horizon was already brought up but I just needed to say it for myself because again I'm confused why people still think that being on the previous console two and a half years into the switch's lifespan wasn't the bigger death sentence. Granted, backwards compatibility didn't help things but the kids that buy Mario in bulk aren't looking at like, eBay listings when a thing with Mario in it is advertised to them. What they were looking at was the new shiny, and by then the switch didn't need the 3ds to be a contingency plan.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

So in an effort to try and take my mind off of... Everything.

I'm nearly done with the returning franchises for my third party poll. Only Tekken and Kingdom Hearts are left.

 

[Gengar84]

So in an effort to try and take my mind off of... Everything.

I'm nearly done with the returning franchises for my third party poll. Only Tekken and Kingdom Hearts are left.

Cool, I need a distraction myself. I’ve been spiraling pretty bad today. Xemnas is still one of my most wanted characters and I always thought Jin Kazama was pretty cool.

 

[Gorgonzales]

So in an effort to try and take my mind off of... Everything.

I'm nearly done with the returning franchises for my third party poll. Only Tekken and Kingdom Hearts are left.

Very excited to see the completed poll. When you finish, you should share a draft of it to us so we can verify if there are any big omissions or not before you make the poll public for everyone.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

Cool, I need a distraction myself.

Hey look I found one!

Spoiler

 

[chocolatejr9]

Hey look I found one!

Spoiler

Somehow, I knew what you were gonna post before even clicking the spoiler.

 

[Royaru]

Nintendo has had its shareholders meeting these days, and there have been sales updates for various games. Something that has particularly caught my attention is this graph where they point out the clear growth of some franchises:

Spoiler

Interestingly, all four franchises have clearly possible characters that we've been talking about here; Bandana Dee, Oatchi, Raven Beak and Noah/Mio/Elma.
It's becoming increasingly clear to me that in the next generation these four franchises will have clear support from Nintendo in many aspects and Smash will not be left behind. And I would also include Splatoon, which is already a monster in terms of popularity and sales.

 

[CommanderZaktan]

Nintendo has had its shareholders meeting these days, and there have been sales updates for various games. Something that has particularly caught my attention is this graph where they point out the clear growth of some franchises:

Spoiler

View attachment 395922

Interestingly, all four franchises have clearly possible characters that we've been talking about here; Bandana Dee, Oatchi, Raven Beak and Noah/Mio/Elma.
It's becoming increasingly clear to me that in the next generation these four franchises will have clear support from Nintendo in many aspects and Smash will not be left behind. And I would also include Splatoon, which is already a monster in terms of popularity and sales.

and Malgolor and Sylux

 

[DarthEnderX]

So in an effort to try and take my mind off of... Everything.

I feel that...

 

[BritishGuy54]

I don’t really want to see an Ultimate port.

I think it’s more likely that a new game is built somewhat off from Ultimate, albeit with a bunch of cuts and a bunch of newcomers.

I don’t think Ultimate Deluxe would even sell as well as Ultimate did anyway.

Nintendo has had its shareholders meeting these days, and there have been sales updates for various games. Something that has particularly caught my attention is this graph where they point out the clear growth of some franchises:

Spoiler

View attachment 395922

Interestingly, all four franchises have clearly possible characters that we've been talking about here; Bandana Dee, Oatchi, Raven Beak and Noah/Mio/Elma.
It's becoming increasingly clear to me that in the next generation these four franchises will have clear support from Nintendo in many aspects and Smash will not be left behind. And I would also include Splatoon, which is already a monster in terms of popularity and sales.

I think this graph is pretty interesting.

Kirby is one of those franchises that feels ripe for a new addition in a new game. Metroid I could see getting delayed to DLC if timing’s an issue. Pikmin could do with growing beyond one character, and Xenoblade has a versatile lineup of obvious newcomers and less obvious clones.

Couple that with the obvious series doing well with the Switch, namely the series that joined post-64, bring Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing, and Splatoon, we might be in for a roster shakeup and changing priorities of who would represent Nintendo best in 2024 and beyond.

I have a feeling that a ‘nostalgia shift’ is coming, or is already in effect. We’re past the NES, SNES, and even N64 now. It looks like the GC, DS, and Wii are or will be big draws for people looking back at the years gone by.

 

[Noipoi]

Nintendo has had its shareholders meeting these days, and there have been sales updates for various games. Something that has particularly caught my attention is this graph where they point out the clear growth of some franchises:

Spoiler

View attachment 395922

Interestingly, all four franchises have clearly possible characters that we've been talking about here; Bandana Dee, Oatchi, Raven Beak and Noah/Mio/Elma.
It's becoming increasingly clear to me that in the next generation these four franchises will have clear support from Nintendo in many aspects and Smash will not be left behind. And I would also include Splatoon, which is already a monster in terms of popularity and sales.

Kirby’s long overdue for another character, I feel.

 

[Ivander]

Nintendo has had its shareholders meeting these days, and there have been sales updates for various games. Something that has particularly caught my attention is this graph where they point out the clear growth of some franchises:

Spoiler

View attachment 395922

Still happy for Metroid, Pikmin, Kirby and Xenoblade. But man, I still wonder how much some of the other franchises could've benefited had they got a new game on the Switch.

 

[Noipoi]

View attachment 395925

Still happy for Metroid, Pikmin, Kirby and Xenoblade. But man, I still wonder how much some of the other franchises could've benefited had they got a new game on the Switch.

But they will get a game on the Switch

2

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Very excited to see the completed poll. When you finish, you should share a draft of it to us so we can verify if there are any big omissions or not before you make the poll public for everyone.

Of course, that's part of beta testing.

But the document is like 50 pages right now. I'd be shocked if I had notable omissions.

Like, here's an example of how thorough I'm being.

This is the Fatal Fury heading for returning franchises.

"Fatal Fury + King of Fighters + Art of Fighting + Ikari Warriors + Psycho Soldier + Samurai Shodown

All of these franchises frequently crossover with each other. King of Fighters is actually one big SNK crossover franchise. If a franchise has made multiple appearances in King of Fighters, it will be on this list. SNK IPs that only appeared once or not at all will be in another section. "

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

But they will get a game on the Switch

2

I hope that's true for Rhythm Heaven SO badly lol

No Tsunku vocals are a huge loss but I really hope it's not the only thing that's been holding them back for a decade. I don't think it's the only thing obviously (sales were rough enough to make Megamix digital-only in the US so you can't even buy it now if you haven't already) but if Megamix is Rhythm Heaven's WarioWare Gold, then I'd appreciate if it could get a new game to hit at least over a million like Get It Together.

 

[Ivander]

But they will get a game on the Switch

2

It'd be cool if they did, but unless Switch 2 gets anywhere near half of the numbers Switch has, I doubt they will get anywhere near the boost they would've gotten on Switch.

 

[Kirby Dragons]

Of course, that's part of beta testing.

But the document is like 50 pages right now. I'd be shocked if I had notable omissions.

Like, here's an example of how thorough I'm being.

This is the Fatal Fury heading for returning franchises.

"Fatal Fury + King of Fighters + Art of Fighting + Ikari Warriors + Psycho Soldier + Samurai Shodown

All of these franchises frequently crossover with each other. King of Fighters is actually one big SNK crossover franchise. If a franchise has made multiple appearances in King of Fighters, it will be on this list. SNK IPs that only appeared once or not at all will be in another section. "

Will any series that are represented in Smash, but not with a playable character, get their own sections? Resident Evil, Undertale, etc.?

Also, for characters from series that aren't in Smash at all, how lenient will you be? Will these characters need to have appeared on a Nintendo console, or will you put absolutely any game character in the survey?

 

[Noipoi]

It'd be cool if they did, but unless Switch 2 gets anywhere near half of the numbers Switch has, I doubt they will get anywhere near the boost they would've gotten on Switch.

Fair enough

Though in regards to new console sales, I’ll be satisfied as long as it does decently. Just don’t be another Wii U level flop.

 

[Guynamednelson]

It'd be cool if they did, but unless Switch 2 gets anywhere near half of the numbers Switch has, I doubt they will get anywhere near the boost they would've gotten on Switch.

I don't believe in that flop/success/flop/success pattern, just that judging by the sales of systems such as the SNES, GBA and 3DS, the Switch 2 will be a hit, just not on the level of the OG Switch.

 

[smashkirby]

Weird thing I wanted to say

You know who I think is being slept on? View attachment 395871
Fitness Boxing!

I know it would probably make people really angry but it makes a lot of sense. Imagineer has been supportive of Nintendo for years now! (Reminder they made an RPG for Nintendo 64 when no one else would). Not to mention it’s sold 1m copies, had a television anime, and crossovers with Hatsune Miku and Fist of the North Star.

Heck, even Sakurai talked about it in a Famitsu column.
View attachment 395872
so what are ya waiting for? FITNESS BOXING SWEEEEEEP!

I see that someone finally sees the vision as well! Personally, I was actually expecting Fitness Boxing to get a Spirit in Smash Ultimate, ngl. With that said, if F.B. got a playable character? Maybe Karen or Rin could happen?

All in all, I feel like F.B. is in a similar position to Bayonetta, where the series is mostly associated with Nintendo, but it's a third-party IP.

 

[Ivander]

I don't believe in that flop/success/flop/success pattern, just that judging by the sales of systems such as the SNES, GBA and 3DS, the Switch 2 will be a hit, just not on the level of the OG Switch.

Oh, I don't think the Switch 2 will be anywhere near a flop. I just don't expect the Switch 2 to get anywhere near the numbers of Switch. Maybe around 3/4 of the Switch numbers, but I absolutely don't believe the Switch 2 will be a flop if everything continues to sail decently.

 

[Noipoi]

So when do we see the Switch 2 being announced? At this point it probably won’t be this year.

Maybe January?

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

So when do we see the Switch 2 being announced? At this point it probably won’t be this year.

Maybe January?

Depends on if they're doing a final Switch 1 only Direct. Could be something like that in February to close out the system and give some last minute hype to XBX before maybe doing a Switch 2 reveal in March for release either in Summer or early Fall.

 

[Perkilator]

So when do we see the Switch 2 being announced? At this point it probably won’t be this year.

Maybe January?

Maybe at the Game Awards if they do plan on announcing it in 2024? Because we know they plan to announce it before the end of the fiscal year.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Will any series that are represented in Smash, but not with a playable character, get their own sections? Resident Evil, Undertale, etc.?

It's currently undecided but I'm leaning yes due to the sheer amount of eligible characters some franchises have.

Some like Resident Evil, will get it's own section, while some like Viewtiful Joe could probably be lumped in other smaller Capcom franchises.

Also, for characters from series that aren't in Smash at all, how lenient will you be? Will these characters need to have appeared on a Nintendo console, or will you put absolutely any game character in the survey?

I can't possibly get every character. But I'm going to try and get most major requests and characters from most major third party studios.

Upon recommendation I've settled upon zero no game characters so even stuff like King Mickey from Kingdom Hearts will not be on the list.

 

[Noipoi]

Depends on if they're doing a final Switch 1 only Direct. Could be something like that in February to close out the system and give some last minute hype to XBX before maybe doing a Switch 2 reveal in March for release either in Summer or early Fall.

I hadn’t considered a “Switch finale” direct, I figured the one in June would be the last. It’s an interesting idea.

Maybe at the Game Awards if they do plan on announcing it in 2024? Because we know they plan to announce it before the end of the fiscal year.

The fiscal year ends in March though, so we still have a few months.

 

[HyperSomari64]

I hadn’t considered a “Switch finale” direct, I figured the one in June would be the last. It’s an interesting idea.

I can imagine that at the end of the Driect, there will be an AMV-style montage in black and white with everything the Switch has done through the years, while a slow, moody cover of Sabrina Carpenter 'Espresso' plays in the background. just sayin' :v

 

[Guynamednelson]

So when do we see the Switch 2 being announced? At this point it probably won’t be this year.

Maybe January?

When you least expect it.

Unless it's on a weekend or holiday.

Or maybe it is? Who the hell knows with Nintendo?

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

I hadn’t considered a “Switch finale” direct, I figured the one in June would be the last. It’s an interesting idea.

Could be something like a Partner Showcase/mini-direct too; something to basically close out the final prominent games from Nintendo and third parties before the Switch 2 announcement. There will be titles for the original after the successor comes out, but I'd imagine its likely loads of modest ports to basically please the base that won't immediately leap onto the next console, perhaps with even the unspoken assumption that the better performance with them will come on the latter.

Edit: I'd also imagine a final Direct would be a good time to announce Prime 4's release date as well.

 

[Noipoi]

I can imagine that at the end of the Driect, there will be an AMV-style montage in black and white with everything the Switch has done through the years, while a slow, moody cover of Sabrina Carpenter 'Espresso' plays in the background. just sayin' :v

I always knew Sabrina was a DK fan

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

I can imagine that at the end of the Driect, there will be an AMV-style montage in black and white with everything the Switch has done through the years, while a slow, moody cover of Sabrina Carpenter 'Espresso' plays in the background. just sayin' :v

With tasteful montages about a Nintendo console, there's always options:

 

[BritishGuy54]

I suspect the Switch 2 could be announced this month (November), with a release coming in April-May 2025.

 

[dream1ng]

If the thing is coming in H1 of next year I still think it could get announced at any point, just due to how long they'll presumably want the hype cycle to be pre-release. Even though we're firmly in the holiday season and a reveal now would be weird, making me think it's not destined for some March or April release.

But if it's H2, we probably won't see it until maybe February or March. Maybe January.

 

[Noipoi]

It’s sad, but at this point the promise of releases like the Switch 2 and Legends ZA are keeping me going.

Gives me a little bit of something to look forward to

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

A lot of its going to come down what Nintendo feels would hurt the least amount of sales. I could see the logic in letting this Christmas season pass with a Swich 1 focus, announce (late Spring?) release dates for MP4/the next Pokemon in February, do a 2017 esque reveal for the Switch 2 in March, and then conclude with a blowout of all the heavy hitters for Switch 2 come June (with the system coming out proper in the early/mid Fall.

 

[Noipoi]

I suspect the Switch 2 could be announced this month (November), with a release coming in April-May 2025.

I feel like they’d want one last holiday season with the og Switch, so they wouldn’t announce anything that may cut into those sales.

That wasn’t a factor in 2016 because the Wii U was already dead in the water.

 

[Garteam]

I really don't think backwards compatibility is going to much of a factor in how the next Smash shapes up. The next Smash is competing against Ultimate in a slightly more direct way, but this game is and was also always going to be defined by what it did different from Ultimate.

 

[dream1ng]

I still think MP4 is going to be cross-release, and I wonder how much more of it we'll see pre-reveal of Switch 2. Because that's going to be the more impressive looking version, and the one they'll probably end up pushing harder.

I mean, if it's purely a Switch game, it's not going to be present during any Switch-2 only shows, and it's going to take a backseat in post-reveal Directs, given Nintendo is sunsetting that system. I don't think that's how they're going to play a game of that status and history.

And it doesn't seem super likely we get like a normal Direct this year, and by early-ish next year we could just get the system reveal. So I could see not seeing more from it until it's the other version.

Pokemon, conversely, will probably get another direct with Legends ZA and some high budget commercial for some forgettable spinoff in the interim. Especially if they truly are planning on having their next main game holiday 2025.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

I still think MP4 is going to be cross-release

I seriously doubt it solely because of backwards compatibility.

BotW had a valid argument for having both a Wii U version and a Switch version (Wii U was the promised console for years and Switch lacked BC), but it would feel a bit weird for Prime 4 to be given the same treatment.

The only reason I could see two versions co-existing is if there is stuff that is simply unfeasible on the original Switch hardware.

Besides, Prime 4 can absolutely be used to market the Switch 2's backwards compatibility.