Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[ninjahmos]

If Sakurai's next project isn't Smash, I think it'd be pretty cool if he tried his hand at reviving another old Nintendo IP the way he did Kid Icarus.

Probably isn't very likely, but still...

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

I also think it's perfectly reasonable to assume his project could be a normal sized game even if it's not Smash and Smash started in 2024, since depending on time that's still 2 years or so.

2024 was last year though? If it started then, we aren't seeing the game until 2027*. To be fair, there's nothing saying this can't happen, though there's also nothing saying Smash can't go through 4 years of development either soooo...

~shrugs~


*I'm pretty sure I had bad math somewhere when I said this earlier.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

2024 was last year though? If it started then, we aren't seeing the game until 2027*. To be fair, there's nothing saying this can't happen, though there's also nothing saying Smash can't go through 4 years of development either soooo...

~shrugs~


*I'm pretty sure I had bad math somewhere when I said this earlier.

I mean I've been saying it's not that crazy imo to see Smash revealed next year and ride its marketing cycle into 2027 since the earliest I see the Switch 2 coming out is like July (possibly even later), so like that works for me lol

 

[cashregister9]

If Sakurai's next project isn't smash, I still think there is a high chance we end up getting a Smash 4 style "Yes Smash is still coming to the console, please shut up" style announcement.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

If Sakurai's next project isn't smash, I still think there is a high chance we end up getting a Smash 4 style "Yes Smash is still coming to the console, please shut up" style announcement.

Honestly, if the 2022 project ends up not being Smash, I still like to imagine they could have Sakurai talk about it in the April Direct, and then they might let him be like "By the way, now that this game is ready for release, we will now be hard at work full-time on the next Super Smash Bros.!"

 

[SPEN18]

3 years is a normal development schedule for a AAA video game. In fact, it's on the lower end, and IIRC, it's about how long most Smash games are developed in.

If his new project isn't Smash, we likely won't see next Smash until 2027 at the earliest, and that's assuming that his new project is something small that only takes about a year to develop.

Ult was an early 16 plan for a late 18 release. Smash 4 was an early 12 plan for a late 14 release.
Sakurai's next project was a late 21 plan and def won't be coming out until at least holiday 25 if it's Smash. Even if you go from the start of dev in first half 22 instead of the 21 plan, that's still at least 3 1/2 yrs since start of dev, significantly more than the other Smash games. And if the game isn't releasing until 26 (which seems pretty likely because a 25 release would probably necessitate Smash getting at least a teaser in the April Direct or soon after), or if you count from the plan, then that's 4+ yrs which would be a hefty increase.
It's not impossible but would break the usual timeframe established by 4 and Ult.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

Ult was an early 16 plan for a late 18 release. Smash 4 was an early 12 plan for a late 14 release.
Sakurai's next project was a late 21 plan and def won't be coming out until at least holiday 25 if it's Smash. Even if you go from the start of dev in first half 22 instead of the 21 plan, that's still at least 3 1/2 yrs since start of dev, significantly more than the other Smash games. And if the game isn't releasing until 26 (which seems pretty likely because a 25 release would probably necessitate Smash getting at least a teaser in the April Direct or soon after), or if you count from the plan, then that's 4+ yrs which would be a hefty increase.
It's not impossible but would break the usual timeframe established by 4 and Ult.

Not to mention if Smash is the 2022 project and does release this year, imagine that marketing cycle. An Ultimate sized marketing time-frame for a game that presumably would have like double the unique newcomers that all have trailers, and probably veteran reveals since presumably it won't be Everyone Is Here again? Assuming it releases in like November or early December as a holiday release like 4 Wii U and Ultimate did, you have to get through all of that in like 8 months?

If it does actually have a more normal newcomer count, you'd be showing off like 2 trailers every month or something.

 

[Lionfranky]

Alright, let's do some fun analysis to shake things up.
It's been awhile since I brought this in the old speculation thread.
Write pro-con for your most wanted. You can put iffy part in the middle

Master Chief

Pro

• Microsoft and Nintendo are in good term as Banjo and Steve are in Smash. MS also published games on Nintendo platform even before Minecraft. On top of that, Microsoft is expected to be the biggest publisher for Switch 2.
• There has been a rumor of Switch 2 port of Master Chief Collection. Of course, ports don't mean Smash promotion, but this is still a big boon.
• Halo is one of the most influential series as it paved ways for modern FPS.
• Lots of moveset potential with new gimmick. Possibly the most diverse moveset potential among FPS rep.
• FPS genre definitely can use rep in Smash.
• Sakurai played and praised Halo 2 along with Half Life 2. So, he is definitely acquainted with Halo series.

Iffy

• There is firearm issue, but Bayonetta and Joker proved this point moot. Even then, UNSC firearm look less realistic than Joker's gun.
• It may be difficult to balance him out due to nature of zoner. But, there are many ways to balance out. And, he has plenty of melee options from his source materials.
• Recently, Microsoft denied map collaboration between Halo and Call of Duty despite owning both franchises. I put this part iffy because this is Microsoft's most recent stance regarding collaboration between Halo and other franchise. Did leadership change their mind? Change of plan?

Con

• Halo's popularity in Japan may be roadblock. But, About 4 million out of 20 millions of Ultimate sales came from Japan. While it's impressive number, but it's not as damning as people make it out to be. Halo anime was sold decently in Japan. Japanese anime studio wouldn't simply accept check if Halo was totally obscure in Japan. There are still Halo merchandise made by Japanese coming in.
• Lack of games on Nintendo platform hurts, but Chief made appearance on Nintendo platform via Minecraft and Fortnite. Though this factor has a very high chance of being null in the future thanks to potential Switch 2 port of MCC.
• Current declining trajectory of Xbox and Halo brand may deter Nintendo from choosing Chief.

I ported and edited my last write-up.

 

[Dukefire]

If Sakurai's next project isn't smash, I still think there is a high chance we end up getting a Smash 4 style "Yes Smash is still coming to the console, please shut up" style announcement.

The last Smash Bros Teaser was after all Splatoon 2 content was revealed.

I don't think doing that again will be an easy feat to pull off.

 

[BrawlX10]

Peraphs this is what's happening rn:
. Sakurai started working in his not-Smash project in April 2022, for a 2025 release.
. Sakurai also started working in Smash 6 by like March 2024, nearly 2 years after, for a late 2026 release.

 

[cashregister9]

The last Smash Bros Teaser was after all Splatoon 2 content was revealed.

I don't think doing that again will be an easy feat to pull off.

No I'm saying something as simple as what Iwata did at E3 2011

 

[Diddy Kong]

I wasn't referring to what these series have in Smash already but to the fact the characters in each game are different. In the case of Zelda, Link is always there, and Zelda is almost always there with Ganon's total appearances being close behind, but everyone else isn't. That's why with each new release the one-shot characters people keep asking for just continues to grow.

Before it was mostly Skull Kid, Midna and Ghirahim that people asked for, with Impa's support steadily growing and overtaking them over the years. But now, BotW alone added the four Champions as popular requests and after that we have TotK with varying degrees of requests for the Sages, Rauru and Kohga (steadily growing after being featured in both, ironically, I could see his slow and steady support mirroring Impa's over time.)

All that aside, it was only a joke suggestion anyway.

I mean, I would like for it to be the case, but it simply isn't feasible.

Skull Kid, Midna and Impa have strong lasting popularity. My stance here is quite outspoken, Impa was always around and always be. Easily the best choice here in this regard. She also boasts strong move set potential based on both her appearances in the Hyrule Warriors games.

The Champions and Sages indeed are a strong possibility. I always thought it was probable we might have gotten one in Ultimate if the newcomer selection was like Smash 4, but since they got strong importance there's a chance? I still think Impa is a better choice overall.

However Kohga indeed has grown on me. He's a villain so much easier move set inspiration, and he's a weirdo. That will be quite well received.

I just hope whatever happens, and Impa isn't selected as a unique newcomer, they can make her a sort of semi clone or at the very least Echo Fighter of Sheik at least. Zelda does deserve 2 newcomers at this point.

 

[ninjahmos]

Alright, let's do some fun analysis to shake things up.
It's been awhile since I brought this in the old speculation thread.
Write pro-con for your most wanted. You can put iffy part in the middle

Alright, I'll give it a shot.

Lu Bu

Pros

• Koei Tecmo and Nintendo are on good terms with each other. Many of KT's games have been released and/or ported for Nintendo consoles. They've even developed several games with Nintendo.
• Dynasty Warriors and its sister series Samurai Warriors are two of the most well-known hack and slash series out there, and they've had multiple spin-offs including ones from Nintendo IPs (Hyrule Warriors and Fire Emblem Warriors).
• Both the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series have incredible soundtracks. DW mixes traditional Chinese music with rock music while SW mixes traditional Japanese music with techno music.
• Lots of moveset potential with a new gimmick (Musou Gauge).
• The Hack and Slash genre could definitely use some representation in Smash.

Iffy

• The fact that he's based on a historical figure from the Three Kingdoms era of China might be an issue.
• It may be difficult to balance him out due to the fact that he's a Musou character, and possibly one of the strongest Musou characters. But there could be ways to balance him out, including his normal attacks.

Cons

• Dynasty Warriors is based on the Three Kingdoms era of China, while its sister series Samurai Warriors is based on the Sengoku period of Japan, meaning most of the characters in both series are based on actual historical figures. So getting someone like Lu Bu into Smash may be difficult.
• Dynasty Warriors itself had very few releases on Nintendo consoles, and they apparently weren't very good, so that may not help Lu Bu's chances either.

 

[Þe 1 → Way]

If Sakurai's next project isn't smash, I still think there is a high chance we end up getting a Smash 4 style "Yes Smash is still coming to the console, please shut up" style announcement.

Even that would satiate me. Years long wait or not, confirmation it's coming would be enough.

 

[DarthEnderX]

How would you guys feel if Koopa Troopa became a Fighter for the next Smash game, especially after Piranha Plant got into Ultimate?

Angry.

 

[SharkLord]

The fact that he's based on a historical figure from the Three Kingdoms era of China might be an issue

To be fair we have a public domain character in Count Dracula and a real living person in Dr. Kawashima. I'd imagine a highly-dramatized historical figure from almost two milleniums ago wouldn't be too much of an issue.

 

[ninjahmos]

Alright, I'll give it a shot.

Lu Bu

I added a Pro to my Lu Bu write-up.

 

[Captain Shwampy]

How would you guys feel if Koopa Troopa became a Fighter for the next Smash game, especially after Piranha Plant got into Ultimate?

id prefer an octorok or a motobug

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

How would you guys feel if Koopa Troopa became a Fighter for the next Smash game, especially after Piranha Plant got into Ultimate?

To be completely honest? I'd be underwhelmed, especially as a follow up to Piranha Plant.

 

[WeirdChillFever]

How would you guys feel if Koopa Troopa became a Fighter for the next Smash game, especially after Piranha Plant got into Ultimate?

This is almost the worst possible optiom for a generic enemy. Same series as Plant, same build and general appeal as Squirtle, loses out on versatility compared to Goomba, almost the only generic enemy to not have a gimmicky body shape.

 

[RouffWestie]

How would you guys feel if Koopa Troopa became a Fighter for the next Smash game, especially after Piranha Plant got into Ultimate?

Can I get uhhhh but with no sauce please.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

As far as I know, this means we will not be receiving a character due to the release of:

• Xenoblade Chronicles 3
• Pikmin 4
• Emio-The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club
• Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp
• Metroid Prime 4 (Though that's kinda obvious)
• Kirby and the Forgotten Land
• Splatoon 3
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• Super Mario RPG (Normally remakes don't help anyway, but it is commonly viewed that it's performance could help show Geno's popularity. Unfortunately, it doesn't help him get into base at all.)

So what you're saying is Echoes of Wisdom somehow has a chance

 

[Kirby Dragons]

Again, BoTW and ToTK were too big to pass up. If these games aren't enough to bring Legend of Zelda a whole new fighter Idk what will be.

It's quite possible they already see Link as the BotW/TotK rep. They could've updated his moveset more, but regardless, the games might already be covered in their eyes.

 

[Diddy Kong]

If Sakurai's next project isn't Smash, I think it'd be pretty cool if he tried his hand at reviving another old Nintendo IP the way he did Kid Icarus.

Probably isn't very likely, but still...

Doubtful. It's probably gonna be Kid Icarus again. And I don't think he'd do a remake. A remake would probably be handled by another studio. Nintendo seems to do this a lot as of late. I could see them opting for Grezzo for example.

I honestly still think it's Smash though. 99,999999% sure.

 

[PersonAngelo53]

I mean I've been saying it's not that crazy imo to see Smash revealed next year and ride its marketing cycle into 2027 since the earliest I see the Switch 2 coming out is like July (possibly even later), so like that works for me lol

Call me crazy but I personally have a feeling smash it’s gonna be teased on the upcoming April switch 2 direct.

I could definitely be wrong tho lol. But I still think it could happen.

 

[Perkilator]

Considering once again that Sakurai played an early version of Three Houses for Byleth’s moveset, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility for other characters whose games came out after the project plan got drafted, assuming it’s Smash.

 

[Gengar84]

On the very slim chance that Earthworm Jim ever gets into Smash, one of his taunts should be "Groovy!" and they should give him Smash remixes of New Junk City and Anything But Tangerines.

Earthworm Jim is one of those characters whose games were memorable and enjoyable but its legacy is hurt by his creator being a prejudiced and hateful person. It’s hard to know where to draw the line between separating art from artist. Like, I love a ton of Blizzard characters but it is hard to fully support them knowing everything that went on at the company. On the character’s own merits, separate from his creator, I think Jim would be a really fun and unique Smash fighter. It sucks because so many of my cherished gaming memories are tarnished after I find out things about the creators. Another example I just found out recently is that my favorite gaming composer ever was sharing and liking hateful messages on social media. I still love his music but now I think about that whenever I listen to it.

 

[Slartibartfast]

I've been thinking, if the next Smash game is in fact Ultimate Deluxe ™, it'd be cool if they added exactly 11 newcomers to the base roster, making it 100. (There are 89 fighters in Ultimate if you count and separately.) It seems reasonably possible and it'd make for a good marketing gimmick. "Duke it out with all 100 fighters!" or something like that. That being said I've been doing this mental excercise where I try to think of the most likely roster of newcomers for these hypothetical 11 slots. Maybe this could be a prompt for you guys to brainstorm too, idk. Here's what I came up with:

Spoiler: 11 Newcomers

Waluigi:
The "Ridley" of the next Smash Bros. People have begged and Sakurai is usually pretty good with adding highly requested characters into the following entry, and boy have people been vocal about wanting Waluigi.

Marx:
People have been clamoring for a new Kirby character and Sakurai might heed their cries, but I could see him going an unexpected route. He loves putting content from the Kirby games he directed into Smash, and Marx is arguably the next most remarkable character from those games. There's evidence he has a soft spot for him considering Marx is both a boss and a Mii Fighter hat in Ultimate...

Noah:
Xenoblade is one of Nintendo's highest growing franchises, so adding the protagonist from the latest entry is practically a shoe-in. Not to mention the post launch Xenoblade 3 spirit shows credence to the idea of him in Smash.

Mallow and Geno:
One of those 2-in-1 characters like Pyra/Mythra and Zelda/Sheik in Brawl and Melee. I do think it's high time we get more substantial SMRPG content in Smash in light of the remake, but it would feel kinda weird to have Geno playable without Mallow. Think about it, every single party member would be playable except Mallow! Both are equally important parts of that game and picking one ove the other just wouldn't sit right with me.

A New Pokemon:
Kinda obvious right? I don't think it will be from gen 9 though. I'm pretty sure Sakurai was given early design documents for both Greninja and Incineroar, so it could be the same with this mysterious gen 10 Pokemon. (Let's be honest, it's probably a starter.)

Ring Fit Trainee:
Ring Fit Adventure is Nintendo's most successful new IP of the Switch generation, with at least 15 million sales. Nintendo clearly sees it as a valuable IP, going as far to add Ring Fit as one of the five games represented in Nintendo Alarmo at it's launch, along with heavy hitters like Mario Oddysey, Breath of the Wild and Splatoon 3. They'd fit right at home with other oddball picks like Ice Climbers, Villager, and (obviously) Wii Fit Trainer.

Ayumi Tachibana:
Speaking of oddball picks... Famicom Detective Club saw a surprising revitalization in the past few years, with the remakes of the original two games that actually got localized in the West and the completely new third entry that Nintendo was keen on advertising. Ayumi's the face of that franchise, being it's only representative with the trophy in Melee and spirit in Ultimate. As for how she'd fight.. This is Sakurai we're dealing with here so there's no doubt he'd come up with a moveset that incorporates elements from her series. (Maybe she'll find clues/evidence like Pheonix Wright in UMVC3?)

Bomberman:
Yup. It's him. Bomberman is one of the few third party franchises to be represented as an assist trophy with no playable representative, the others being Monster Hunter, Shovel Knight, and Virtua Fighter. I feel like he's the biggest Japanese gaming mascot to not be playable in Smash yet, being the face of the (now defunct) Hudson Soft. A historically important and legendary franchise in the same vein as Mega Man and Castlevania, he seems like prime base roster material to me.

Kunio:
The hot-headed highschooler from the River City series, known in Japan as Nekketsu High School. This one's more for the Japanese audience, though Kunio does have his fans here in the West, namely for the awesome NES brawler River City Ransom. He's a Famicom icon over there, with dozens of games ranging from sports to beat-em-ups with new games being made to this day. I don't really see him being DLC due to his sorta niche status over in the West, so if he's gonna get in, getting in the base roster is the best shot he's got.

A "Surprise" Character:
It's tradition at this point. We got Mr. Game & Watch, R.O.B., Duck Hunt, Piranha Plant, you know the drill. I always look forward to seeing what unlikely/obscure facet of Nintendo's history Sakurai can conjure up into being a fighter. What will it be this time? Will it be Diskun, the mascot of the Famicom Disk System? A throwback to Nintendo's hanafuda card days? A playable Ultra Hand? The Reckless Wii Remote Safety Guy? Anything's possible with this series.

 

[Laniv]

How would you guys feel if Koopa Troopa became a Fighter for the next Smash game, especially after Piranha Plant got into Ultimate?

Not Lakitu or Hammer Bros 4/10

 

[SubspaceJigglypuff]

Late thoughts on Melee stages

Spoiler: Melee Stage thoughts

WANT

• Princess Peach's Castle: It should be a mainstay. Perfect home stage for our fair Peach.
• Mushroom Kingdom (Melee): I prefer 64's Mushroom Kingdom, but we already got it. Give this one an HD remake for one game.
• Kongo Jungle: DK needs more non-jungle stages, but out of the existing ones, this one feels like it gets the point across best. I'd like it to be DK's main stage.
• Temple: The essential giant stage.
• Fountain Of Dreams:
• Mute City Melee: I love this stage, and I wanted to see it in HD. Sadly I doubt it'll happen this time, with F-Zero 99, they'll prolly just port Smash 4's NES Mute City stage again.

INDIFFERENT

• Green Greens: Kirby should probably have a grass stage of some sort. I'd prefer Green Greens to Dream Land 64 since we see it less and it has a more unique layout, but I think I'd rather just get something new, especially with the other Melee Kirby stage already returning.
• Venom: I truly don't care. If it returns, great. If it doesn't, eh.
• Pokemon Stadium: I can't decide between this one or Stadium 2. I don't want both to return though, and I wouldn't mind neither returning.
• Onett/Fourside: Both are perfectly serviceable as a Ness/Mother 1 home stage. Onett is more directly tied to Ness, but we also see it plenty and it'd be nice to give Fourside another spin. It would be even more cool to see something new, but that's prolly asking for too much given Earthbound doesn't get games anymore.

DON'T WANT

• Rainbow Cruise: It's one of few auto-scrollers I don't totally hate, but there's many Mario stages I'd much rather see, old and new, and two returning Melee Mario stages is plenty.
• Mushroom Kingdom II: See Rainbow Road.
• Great Bay: If Young Link somehow returns, then maybe bring this one back for him, but even then I also feel like it'd be nice to see a different Majora's Mask stage.
• Jungle Japes: It's fine for what it is, but honestly I'd rather see something new. I think I'm bored of it.
• Brinstar: It's nice but it doesn't need to be in every game; I'd rather Planet Zebes get HD remastered for one game.
• Yoshi's Story: It's an awesome stage, but it probably wouldn't be good for so many returning stages to be Battlefield-esqe, and there's a few stages with the Battlefield layout I want to return more.
• Brinstar Depths: I wouldn't complain if it returned, but I'd rather get new Metroid stage(s) instead.
• Yoshi's Island: See Jungle Japes. I never cared much for it tho.
• Corneria: See above; give Sector Z an HD glow up instead.
• Big Blue: Give Melee's Mute City a chance instead.
• Flat Zone: When Flat Zone X exists, wtf is the point. If anything, just let us choose this form exclusively as a Stage Alt.

WANT THROUGH ALTERNATIVE MEANS

• Icicle Mountain: I don't want this as a VS stage, god no. But bring it back and expand it for a Melee Adventure Mode/some other platforming side mode, and it'd be fuego.

If I forgot any, please tell me.

How would you guys feel if Koopa Troopa became a Fighter for the next Smash game, especially after Piranha Plant got into Ultimate?

-New mook in Smash
-It's not Primid

Spoiler: Language Warning

 

[Gengar84]

Alright, let's do some fun analysis to shake things up.
It's been awhile since I brought this in the old speculation thread.
Write pro-con for your most wanted. You can put iffy part in the middle

Master Chief

Pro

• Microsoft and Nintendo are in good term as Banjo and Steve are in Smash. MS also published games on Nintendo platform even before Minecraft. On top of that, Microsoft is expected to be the biggest publisher for Switch 2.
• There has been a rumor of Switch 2 port of Master Chief Collection. Of course, ports don't mean Smash promotion, but this is still a big boon.
• Halo is one of the most influential series as it paved ways for modern FPS.
• Lots of moveset potential with new gimmick. Possibly the most diverse moveset potential among FPS rep.
• FPS genre definitely can use rep in Smash.
• Sakurai played and praised Halo 2 along with Half Life 2. So, he is definitely acquainted with Halo series.

Iffy

• There is firearm issue, but Bayonetta and Joker proved this point moot. Even then, UNSC firearm look less realistic than Joker's gun.
• It may be difficult to balance him out due to nature of zoner. But, there are many ways to balance out. And, he has plenty of melee options from his source materials.
• Recently, Microsoft denied map collaboration between Halo and Call of Duty despite owning both franchises. I put this part iffy because this is Microsoft's most recent stance regarding collaboration between Halo and other franchise. Did leadership change their mind? Change of plan?

Con

• Halo's popularity in Japan may be roadblock. But, About 4 million out of 20 millions of Ultimate sales came from Japan. While it's impressive number, but it's not as damning as people make it out to be. Halo anime was sold decently in Japan. Japanese anime studio wouldn't simply accept check if Halo was totally obscure in Japan. There are still Halo merchandise made by Japanese coming in.
• Lack of games on Nintendo platform hurts, but Chief made appearance on Nintendo platform via Minecraft and Fortnite. Though this factor has a very high chance of being null in the future thanks to potential Switch 2 port of MCC.
• Current declining trajectory of Xbox and Halo brand may deter Nintendo from choosing Chief.

I ported and edited my last write-up.

Alright I’ll give this a shot too:

Rash/Zitz/Pimple (Battletoads)

Pro:

• RARE had a very strong history with Nintendo as was among the most prominent third party developers for their consoles from the NES through N64 to the point that Nintendo actually owned 49% of the company.
• The Battletoads have really expressive designs and abilities that would translate perfectly to a game like Smash. They’ve got that classic 90’s attitude and can transform their limbs for attacks.
• There are currently no Beat ‘em Up characters in Smash so they’d bring in a new genre.
• While they’re nowhere near as prominent as they once were, they’ve been able to remain somewhat relevant over the years through Twitch retro gaming streams, Their guest appearances in Killer Instinct 2013 and Shovel Knight and the 2020 reboot.
• They were RARE’s first big breakout characters and among the few that are still used today in any way.
• RARE’s games, including Battlemaniacs and Battletoads & Double Dragon were brought to Switch Online and can finally be played by modern Nintendo fans. This is a pretty big deal to finally see RARE back on Nintendo consoles tee 20 years.
• The games have awesome music and, in my opinion, some of the best songs on the SNES.

Con:

• Despite not being truly dead, they’ve been relatively dormant since the SNES era and are pretty niche these days.
• RARE has been owned by Microsoft for over 20 years now so many younger fans might t have any memories of their history with Nintendo
• There’s a ton of competition within Microsoft and the company has much more mainstream characters like Crash, Master Chief, and Doomslayer. Battletoads’ only chance is to make it in as a surprise retro character.
• Their games were brutally difficult and Battlemaniacs was really short, which could be a turnoff for new fans trying out the games on Switch online for the first time.
• Beyond Microsoft competition, they also face a lot of competition within the Beat ‘em Up genre with River City, Double Dragon, Final Fight, and Streets of Rage.
• The 2020 reboot’s divisive art style and humor may have hurt their modern perception. Some fans liked it, but others felt it strayed too far from what made them cool.

 

[Perkilator]

How would you guys feel if Koopa Troopa became a Fighter for the next Smash game, especially after Piranha Plant got into Ultimate?

If it ain’t the Koopa General then why bother

 

[RileyXY1]

Late thoughts on Melee stages

Spoiler: Melee Stage thoughts

WANT

• Princess Peach's Castle: It should be a mainstay. Perfect home stage for our fair Peach.
• Mushroom Kingdom (Melee): I prefer 64's Mushroom Kingdom, but we already got it. Give this one an HD remake for one game.
• Kongo Jungle: DK needs more non-jungle stages, but out of the existing ones, this one feels like it gets the point across best. I'd like it to be DK's main stage.
• Temple: The essential giant stage.
• Fountain Of Dreams:
• Yoshi's Story (64); Really cute stage and I love the cloud. Hard choice between this and Melee's Yoshi stage (which is also peak), but this one has the more unique layout and it probably wouldn't be great for so many stages to look like Battlefield.
• Mute City Melee: I love this stage, and I wanted to see it in HD. Sadly I doubt it'll happen this time, with F-Zero 99, they'll prolly just port Smash 4's NES Mute City stage again.

DON'T WANT

• Yoshi's Story: It's an awesome stage, but it probably wouldn't be good for so many returning stages to be Battlefield-esqe, and there's a few stages with the Battlefield layout I want to return more.
• Great Bay: If Young Link somehow returns, then maybe bring this one back for him, but even then I also feel like it'd be nice to see a different Majora's Mask stage.
• Brinstar: It's nice but it doesn't need to be in every game; I'd rather Planet Zebes get HD remastered for one game.
• Corneria: See above; give Sector Z an HD glow up instead.
• Big Blue: Give Melee's Mute City a chance instead.

INDIFFERENT

• Green Greens: Kirby should probably have a grass stage of some sort. I'd prefer Green Greens to Dream Land 64 since we see it less and it has a more unique layout, but I think I'd rather just get something new, especially with the other Melee Kirby stage already returning.
• Venom: I truly don't care. If it returns, great. If it doesn't, eh.
• Pokemon Stadium: I can't decide between this one or Stadium 2. I don't want both to return though, and I wouldn't mind neither returning.
• Onett/Fourside: Both are perfectly serviceable as a Ness/Mother 1 home stage. Onett is more directly tied to Ness, but we also see it plenty and it'd be nice to give Fourside another spin. It would be even more cool to see something new, but that's prolly asking for too much given Earthbound doesn't get games anymore.

DON'T WANT

• Jungle Japes: It's fine for what it is, but honestly I'd rather see something new. I think I'm bored of it.
• Yoshi's Story: It's an awesome stage, but it probably wouldn't be good for so many returning stages to be Battlefield-esqe, and there's a few stages with the Battlefield layout I want to return more.
• Yoshi's Island: See Jungle Japes. I never cared much for it tho.
• Rainbow Road: It's one of few auto-scrollers I don't totally hate, but there's many Mario stages I'd much rather see, old and new, and two returning Melee Mario stages is plenty.
• Mushroom Kingdom II: See Rainbow Road.
• Flat Zone: When Flat Zone X exists, wtf is the point. If anything, just let us choose this form exclusively as a Stage Alt.
• Brinstar Depths: I wouldn't complain if it returned, but I'd rather get new Metroid stage(s) instead.

WANT THROUGH ALTERNATIVE MEANS

• Icicle Mountain: I don't want this as a VS stage, god no. But bring it back and expand it for a Melee Adventure Mode/some other platforming side mode, and it'd be fuego.

If I forgot any, please tell me.

-New mook in Smash
-It's not Primid

View attachment 399328

(ok, but for a more serious answer, NO. To hell with that nonsense. One Mario mook is already one more than we need. These guys should be obstacles you beat up in a Smash Run type mode, not taking up roster slots.)

You forgot Poke Floats.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Again, BoTW and ToTK were too big to pass up. If these games aren't enough to bring Legend of Zelda a whole new fighter Idk what will be.

A revamped Ganondorf and Zelda maybe. Ganondorf being more likely. And reworking Link even more (which makes a secondary Link all the more necessary, I would even opt for Hero of Time as a straight up Echo Fighter to preserve the old Link).

Impa would work regardless of another newcomer for the series. I think therefore and her slew of appearances makes her a prime candidate. If Sheik remains, semi clone or Echo coupled with a newcomer. If Sheik leaves? Impa as a Sheikah based warrior with unique moveset for sure. With or without another newcomer, she makes the most sense. And again, Zelda is likely to have 2 newcomers I feel after being neglected so long.

 

[SubspaceJigglypuff]

You forgot Poke Floats.

Thanks.

I'd bring Poke Floats back, but not for myself. I hate that ****, but I know fans love it so **** it, give it an HD remake just to sate them.

 

[Among Waddle Dees]

If it ain’t the Koopa General then why bother
View attachment 399329

I hate knowing the extreme extent of how iconic his Final Smash would be if he got in, even though he's technically a fourth-party.

 

[PersonAngelo53]

I wonder if characters like Pit and King Dedede in the next smash are gonna get updated final smashes again. Just seems like a pattern that they always get a new final smash each game.

For pit I could see him using the from close to the end of Kid Icarus uprising. Seems like the last final smash potential thing he has available.



Also first time using the spoiler feature here you guys tell me if I used well or if nothing showed up.

edit: I shared a video and after saying using the it should say something but I can’t see it when is posted not sure about you guys.

 

[DarthEnderX]

Can I get uhhhh but with no sauce please.

How about now?

I've been thinking, if the next Smash game is in fact Ultimate Deluxe ™, it'd be cool if they added exactly 11 newcomers to the base roster, making it 100. (There are 89 fighters in Ultimate if you count and separately.)

11 newcomers counting Unique Fighters and Echoes? Easily doable.

As long as we have 100 Unique Fighters by the end of the DLC, so that we reach Fighter #100.

 

[BrawlX10]

Doubtful. It's probably gonna be Kid Icarus again. And I don't think he'd do a remake. A remake would probably be handled by another studio. Nintendo seems to do this a lot as of late. I could see them opting for Grezzo for example.

I honestly still think it's Smash though. 99,999999% sure.

Why are you so sure it's Smash? Just curious, because there's plenty aganist it.

 

[Watuna4343]

It's quite possible they already see Link as the BotW/TotK rep. They could've updated his moveset more, but regardless, the games might already be covered in their eyes.

Even if it's not impossible, I doubt it. Because again, BOTW didn't have many opportunities to really feel repped properly in Smash Ultimate and games with this much impact don't get relegated to a style change and some spirits. Seeing Ocarina of Time, it got into Melee with 3/4 newcomers and that was a game that was also highly acclaimed - way more than just 'best selling game'. I do think that this is basically the most ideal time to get a Zelda newcomer and from the new era since it was such a phenomenon