Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[Perkilator]

This is gonna sound weird but I’d like to see Midair Stadium come back as its own stage (mainly with the α, β, & Δ stage forms in mind).

 

[Þe 1 → Way]

Kinda weird how many of the most popular characters requests from Ultimate came to later be owned by Microsoft. I hope at least Minecraft returns, as I think it stands the most to benefit from base game additions like items and assists (the creeper and enderpearl concepts I've seen around here are great ideas), though I think a Nether or End stage would also make a great addition. Doom Guy and Master Chief are pretty even in my eyes as likely DLC additions; though it might be my bias saying this, I can't really see a base game slot for Microsoft apart from returning fighters. Aside from perhaps Capcom, Xbox has the most variance for likely additions in my eyes.

New vs Returning Stages for me entirely depends on how many resources it takes to bring back a stage compared to a new one. It already seems like Ultimate managed to get such a high number by relying on structure and coding from previous games, albeit updating the assets. If the next game isn't a huge step up graphically (which I could go either way on), it stands to reason it'd be easier to copy paste a ton of stages than build new ones from the ground up, in which case I'm totally down with 60 or so returning stages.

 

[RileyXY1]

Kinda weird how many of the most popular characters requests from Ultimate came to later be owned by Microsoft. I hope at least Minecraft returns, as I think it stands the most to benefit from base game additions like items and assists (the creeper and enderpearl concepts I've seen around here are great ideas), though I think a Nether or End stage would also make a great addition. Doom Guy and Master Chief are pretty even in my eyes as likely DLC additions; though it might be my bias saying this, I can't really see a base game slot for Microsoft apart from returning fighters. Aside from perhaps Capcom, Xbox has the most variance for likely additions in my eyes.

New vs Returning Stages for me entirely depends on how many resources it takes to bring back a stage compared to a new one. It already seems like Ultimate managed to get such a high number by relying on structure and coding from previous games, albeit updating the assets. If the next game isn't a huge step up graphically (which I could go either way on), it stands to reason it'd be easier to copy paste a ton of stages than build new ones from the ground up, in which case I'm totally down with 60 or so returning stages.

That's mostly due to their acquisitions of both Bethesda and Activision.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

New vs Returning Stages for me entirely depends on how many resources it takes to bring back a stage compared to a new one. It already seems like Ultimate managed to get such a high number by relying on structure and coding from previous games, albeit updating the assets. If the next game isn't a huge step up graphically (which I could go either way on), it stands to reason it'd be easier to copy paste a ton of stages than build new ones from the ground up, in which case I'm totally down with 60 or so returning stages.

Honestly, I don't even need the sheer number of stages Ultimate had.

Brawl had 41 (10 returning), 3DS had 42 (12 returning), and Wii U had 55 (21 returning), while Ultimate had 115 (with 96 being returning stages). I would be more than okay with like 40-50 stages as long as most of them are new like in Brawl or 3DS. It probably does depend on resource allocation and the power of the next console, but I'm hitting a very Mario Kart 8 style fatigue with the older stages minus the ones introduced in Ultimate and I think it's an easy way to give the next Smash a unique identity compared to Ultimate, contributing to making the game feel new.

 

[Thegameandwatch]

Xbox has the most variance for likely additions in my eyes.

It being multiple studios also means that they presumably don’t necessarily need to ask Microsoft directly.

Banjo is the weird exception because Microsoft is listed as the copyright holder in Smash. Rare is just mentioned as trademarks of Microsoft.

This is unlike Steve where it’s Mojang as the copyright holder. Microsoft is listed afterwards as owning the trademark.

Doom Guy’s copyright information in Smash when he was a costume doesn’t mention Microsoft at all. Maybe it’s because it’s recent?

 

[Kirby Dragons]

Dovahkiin is my personal most wanted Microsoft character. Granted, I only just bought Skyrim and I've barely played it at all yet. But I always liked the design and I know there's a lot you could do with them.

 

[fogbadge]

Dovahkiin is my personal most wanted Microsoft character. Granted, I only just bought Skyrim and I've barely played it at all yet. But I always liked the design and I know there's a lot you could do with them.

I used to wonder if he was a likely candidate for ultimate

 

[Dukefire]

Simple.

The information was given by the source in sets.

Initially only were mentioned.

It wasn't until after AFTER that we got "Pokémon from X/Y" which would be as well as Chrom (who was initially considered before was picked instead) and the Chorus Kids in the second set.

Rosalina was likely in the second set that would have been leaked but had already been revealed by then.
With probably being saved until one final leak until the source got ****ed over by Robin showing up instead of Chrom, alongside who was unaccounted for due to being a later separate addition. They probably knew by that point their 15 minutes of fame were up, especially when they tried to claim Shulk was about to be revealed that day. So a double whammy.

Leaks always end either the excitment or a big crash due to being a false truth.
After Smash 4 DLC ended, I learned to avoid leaks in general despite appearing true at times.

 

[Gengar84]

Dovahkiin is my personal most wanted Microsoft character. Granted, I only just bought Skyrim and I've barely played it at all yet. But I always liked the design and I know there's a lot you could do with them.

My most wanted Microsoft characters are the Battletoads because they’re my brother’s all time favorite video game characters since we were kids. They just have really expressive designs and movesets and the music from their games are awesome. After the Battletoads, I’d also really love to see Fulgore, Illidan Stormrage, Sarah Kerrigan, Joanna Dark, and Diablo. I’m not sure whether any will make it but I think they all have solid arguments since they all either have strong Nintendo history or are very influential in gaming at large. There is a ton of competition within Microsoft though so we’ll see.

 

[PlasmaDam]

If we are getting a another dk rep I think cranky Kong would be fun imo

 

[Among Waddle Dees]

Dovahkiin is my personal most wanted Microsoft character. Granted, I only just bought Skyrim and I've barely played it at all yet. But I always liked the design and I know there's a lot you could do with them.

Skyrim's been a hobby of mine for over a decade, but I don't know how much I'd want Dovakiin assuming he's just armored Nord builds. The costume made me very disappointed due to it being just that.

 

[Kirby Dragons]

I used to wonder if he was a likely candidate for ultimate

Probably not; simply overprioritized. There's a possibility for 6, but he'll probably be overprioritized once again.

 

[Þe 1 → Way]

Brawl had 41 (10 returning), 3DS had 42 (12 returning), and Wii U had 55 (21 returning), while Ultimate had 115 (with 96 being returning stages). I would be more than okay with like 40-50 stages as long as most of them are new like in Brawl or 3DS. It probably does depend on resource allocation and the power of the next console, but I'm hitting a very Mario Kart 8 style fatigue with the older stages minus the ones introduced in Ultimate and I think it's an easy way to give the next Smash a unique identity compared to Ultimate, contributing to making the game feel new.

I might have an opposing opinion, but I also pretty solidly agree with this sentiment. It is a bit tiring to play on the same stages that largely have been recycled from previous games, and I hope at least 20 or so slots for new stages are kept reserved for a new entry. A lot of Ultimate's returning battlegrounds didn't really do a lot for me, and I think there are a fair amount of stages that haven't really stuck amongst the fanbase, perhaps even moreso than fighters, that could be let go without much backlash.

I think I just want to avoid the situation where I wanna play an old staple stage in Smash 6 and either have to settle for something else or boot up Ultimate. With so much time and effort spent remastering classics, and with so much debate amongst people being what those classics are, I think I'd still want a high amount of returning stages just because I love so many of Ultimate's stages.

 

[Lionfranky]

So how does this means that Crash can't be one of those characters?

I am not saying Crash can't be one. It's just that he isn't that much guaranteed.

There's really no reason to be pushing back that idea. Crash is an iconic character, he has a fanbase, and they want him in Smash. So Nintendo can decide to develop and devote their time for him, as they can do for those "heavy hitters" that you mentioned.

The same can be said about all those heavy hitters. Heck, Genshin will be just as old as Minecraft by the time next Smash is announced when Steve was negotiated for Smash. The real issue is development time, not licensing fee. But with how many copies Ultimate sold, Nintendo hopefully expands next Smash development team and hire more people.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

I think I just want to avoid the situation where I wanna play an old staple stage in Smash 6 and either have to settle for something else or boot up Ultimate. With so much time and effort spent remastering classics, and with so much debate amongst people being what those classics are, I think I'd still want a high amount of returning stages just because I love so many of Ultimate's stages.

I can see where you're coming from with this but like outside of Ultimate (and Smash 4 Wii U to a lesser extent, since it's still majority new) almost completely changing the stagelist used to happen every game, and I feel like it should. Like it may be a hot take but I don't think Smash should really have "staple stages". We've been playing on the Smash 4 stages for like a decade already, let alone stages like Temple that has somehow been around in every game for the last 24 years.

Like do I like some of these older stages a ton, sure, I love stages like Magicant and Fountain of Dreams, but it feels like people recently look more forward to old favorites coming back now instead of finding new favorites in the stagelist like we used to have to do just because of Ultimate nearly bringing them all back and updating them.

IMO, bringing back a ton of old stages would just make the stagelist feel boring and played out since they've kinda been doing it that way since Smash Wii U a decade ago.

 

[BrawlX10]

Honestly, I don't even need the sheer number of stages Ultimate had.

Brawl had 41 (10 returning), 3DS had 42 (12 returning), and Wii U had 55 (21 returning), while Ultimate had 115 (with 96 being returning stages). I would be more than okay with like 40-50 stages as long as most of them are new like in Brawl or 3DS. It probably does depend on resource allocation and the power of the next console, but I'm hitting a very Mario Kart 8 style fatigue with the older stages minus the ones introduced in Ultimate and I think it's an easy way to give the next Smash a unique identity compared to Ultimate, contributing to making the game feel new.

Doesn't help that Ult is turning 7 this year, i've been playing this game since launch. Don't get me wrong, i think Ult is an amazing game....but i'm honestly a bit fatigated by it bc of how much i've played it, Ult is becoming an old game at this point.

 

[Lionfranky]

Skyrim's been a hobby of mine for over a decade, but I don't know how much I'd want Dovakiin assuming he's just armored Nord builds. The costume made me very disappointed due to it being just that.

Mii costume is based on Dovakiin's most iconic look which is featured in various Skyrim promo and ads. So it can't be helped.
I wanted him to wield an axe, not sword. But since he is seen wielding the sword, that's his default weapon.

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

Leaks always end either the excitment or a big crash due to being a false truth.
After Smash 4 DLC ended, I learned to avoid leaks in general despite appearing true at times.
View attachment 399924

I like to keep track of them since they often make me think of characters I wouldn't have considered before even if they end up not being real like the "Google Leak" making me think of Knight Artorias as an option or a fake leak for Paladin's Androxus.


Personally I don't care about being spoiled for Smash. Yeah, getting reveals I wasn't expecting since they weren't leaked ahead of time like K. Rool in Ultimate are nice, but I will take any chance to know things early.

 

[SharkLord]

I think it'd be nice if every fighter had a designated home stage, at the very least. On that note, I also think it would be cool if everyone had their own specific theme. Maybe have a toggle where if you're winning with the character, their theme kicks in full force and overrides whatever else was playing.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

Personally I don't care about being spoiled for Smash. Yeah, getting reveals I wasn't expecting since they weren't leaked ahead of time like K. Rool in Ultimate are nice, but I will take any chance to know things early.

Also helps that sometimes they're really easy to find because they accidentally come from official sources lol

I still remember when Ganondorf accidentally showed up in the magnifying glass in that one Smash 3DS presentation, when the Galaga Medley was accidentally named Bloody Tears/Monster Dance, and when SNK randomly showed up in the copyright info for the first Fighters Pass lol

 

[Wonder Smash]

I am not saying Crash can't be one. It's just that he isn't that much guaranteed.

Nobody ever said a character was guaranteed in the first place. That doesn't mean we can't have a good idea what their chances are. In this case, there's nothing to suggest that his chances just suddenly decreased somehow.

The same can be said about all those heavy hitters. Heck, Genshin will be just as old as Minecraft by the time next Smash is announced when Steve was negotiated for Smash. The real issue is development time, not licensing fee. But with how many copies Ultimate sold, Nintendo hopefully expands next Smash development team and hire more people.

Well if Crash is no different from those other characters, then why do you doubt his chances? If anything, that just means that he's one of many characters that Nintendo would most likely go for. Of course, we don't know for sure if Nintendo will add Crash to the roster but that's the same for any character, so that's nothing new.

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

Also helps that sometimes they're really easy to find because they accidentally come from official sources lol

I still remember when Ganondorf accidentally showed up in the magnifying glass in that one Smash 3DS presentation, when the Galaga Medley was accidentally named Bloody Tears/Monster Dance, and when SNK randomly showed up in the copyright info for the first Fighters Pass lol

Or how Nintendo themselves leaked that Lucario was a newcomer for Brawl and Jigglypuff was returning.....but not Mewtwo.

 

[Perkilator]

I think it'd be nice if every fighter had a designated home stage, at the very least. On that note, I also think it would be cool if everyone had their own specific theme. Maybe have a toggle where if you're winning with the character, their theme kicks in full force and overrides whatever else was playing.

So kinda like fighting games back in the early 90’s…sick! I think I’d like to build a stage roster around that idea.

 

[Undella2]

I think it'd be nice if every fighter had a designated home stage, at the very least. On that note, I also think it would be cool if everyone had their own specific theme. Maybe have a toggle where if you're winning with the character, their theme kicks in full force and overrides whatever else was playing.

The stage thing is definitely something I'd agree with. Ike, for instance, could have that tower final dungeon at the end of his duology as his stage, and King K. Rool could get his ship as his stage? Maybe, I dunno. Depends on how specific you'd want home stages to be. Mewtwo, for instance, could have a Cerulean Cave or Pokemon Mansion stage, but that also might not be necessary if you could just use the Pokemon Stadium stage as a catch-all home stage for all gen 1 pokemon.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

If they get in, it will be very interesting to see how Sakurai will handle the Dragonborn because they run into the problem of being able to fulfil too many different archetypes without ever placing a preference on any of them. They're generally depicted with a sword and a viking aesthetic, so maybe they'd just give them a regular swordie moveset bolstered with dragon shouts? It would work, but it sounds like a missed opportunity, at least on paper.

As far as builds go, to my understanding, most player go for stealth archer because it's stupid easy, stupid broken, and some otherwise more appealing builds are kinda bad in practice. However, the Dragonborn is never advertized with this build, so it's not a good option to take him in solely. There's also the idea of you getting better at skills as you use them, so perhaps they can give him a little of everything and buff the properties of whichever moves you're using to allow you to lean harder into your playstyle, but that comes with the issue of them getting a kitchen sink moveset, so that might not be super viable either.

The only thing I'm fairly confident in saying is that fus roh dah will make the character a menace because g i a n t w i n d b o x.

 

[Lionfranky]

Nobody ever said a character was guaranteed in the first place. That doesn't mean we can't have a good idea what their chances are. In this case, there's nothing to suggest that his chances just suddenly decreased somehow.

Well if Crash is no different from those other characters, then why do you doubt his chances? If anything, that just means that he's one of many characters that Nintendo would most likely go for. Of course, we don't know for sure if Nintendo will add Crash to the roster but that's the same for any character, so that's nothing new.

My point is Crash's chance has been overblown, not that he is unlikely. Let's leave it at that.

BTW, I am not just talking about this place but other sites like Reddit and Youtube.

 

[Thegameandwatch]

Also helps that sometimes they're really easy to find because they accidentally come from official sources lol

I still remember when Ganondorf accidentally showed up in the magnifying glass in that one Smash 3DS presentation, when the Galaga Medley was accidentally named Bloody Tears/Monster Dance, and when SNK randomly showed up in the copyright info for the first Fighters Pass lol

Also Brawl when a trailer showcasing the sticker album that accidentally revealed Jigglypuff, Ness, and Lucario two weeks early.

That same trailer mistake also confirmed that Mewtwo will be cut simply because it wasn’t shown.

 

[DarthEnderX]

I’m just gonna list the female characters I’d like to see as newcomers.

Fighters:
Jill Valentine [Resident Evil]
Morrigan [Darkstalkers]
Nakoruru [Samurai Shodown]
Amaterasu [Okami]
Estelle Bright [Legend of Heroes]
Toadette/Captain Toad [Treasure Tracker]

Echoes:
Impa [Sheik]
Dixie Kong [Diddy Kong]
Jeanne [Bayonetta]
Octolings [Inklings]

Bosses:
Mother Brain [Metroid]
Medusa [Kid Icarus]

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

Also, Nintendo Music update a bit early, just like when Golden Sun did it, but we got Mario 3 sometime on March 9th (I'm EST, so it's the 10th now where I live lol).

Expected a Mario OST for Mario Day when I realized Mario Day was a Monday but I guess they accidentally uploaded it too early so now it no longer matches Mario Day lol

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Also, Nintendo Music update a bit early, just like when Golden Sun did it, but we got Mario 3 sometime on March 9th (I'm EST, so it's the 10th now where I live lol).

Expected a Mario OST for Mario Day when I realized Mario Day was a Monday but I guess they accidentally uploaded it too early so now it no longer matches Mario Day lol

We getting Mario on Miku Day instead

Clearly a hint that the next game will have Hatsune Miku as a character

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

We getting Mario on Miku Day instead

Clearly a hint that the next game will have Hatsune Miku as a character

Tbh since this year is 40 years since Super Mario Bros. came out, I was kinda hoping for like Mario Party for the system thing I mentioned a while back leading up to the Switch 2 Direct and also to be like a meta thing, like "this Mario Day we're throwing Mario a Party" lol

 

[Lukingordex]

My point is Crash's chance has been overblown, not that he is unlikely. Let's leave it at that.

BTW, I am not just talking about this place but other sites like Reddit and Youtube.

It is hard to say whether or not a character's chance is "overblown" or not considering we don't have any objective metric to know that, but what I can say is that Crash does have a similar appeal to what Sonic had before brawl of being a past "Mario Rival" and on top of that also holds decent popularity in Japan, both things which no other Microsoft candidate has. So, it is not really that surprising that many people think he's likely since his revival with the N. Sane Trilogy. He would be the next "videogame icon" 3rd party to be added, in the same boat as characters like Sonic, Pac Man and Megaman, and we know Nintendo sees him that way because they called him exactly that in the March 2018 direct when the N. Sane Trilogy was announced for the Switch.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Tbh since this year is 40 years since Super Mario Bros. came out, I was kinda hoping for like Mario Party for the system thing I mentioned a while back leading up to the Switch 2 Direct and also to be like a meta thing, like "this Mario Day we're throwing Mario a Party" lol

We just got a new Mario Party lmao

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

We just got a new Mario Party lmao

Well yeah but I mean like Mario Party 1 on the music app, not a new game lmao

 

[Lionfranky]

It is hard to say whether or not a character's chance is "overblown" or not considering we don't have any objective metric to know that, but what I can say is that Crash does have a similar appeal to what Sonic had before brawl of being a past "Mario Rival" and on top of that also holds decent popularity in Japan, both things which no other Microsoft candidate has. So, it is not really that surprising that many people think he's likely since his revival with the N. Sane Trilogy. He would be the next "videogame icon" 3rd party to be added, in the same boat as characters like Sonic, Pac Man and Megaman, and we know Nintendo sees him that way because they called him exactly that in the March 2018 direct when the N. Sane Trilogy was announced for the Switch.

Isn't Overwatch more popular than Crash in Japan?

 

[Lukingordex]

Isn't Overwatch more popular than Crash in Japan?

Again, no idea since we don't have an objective metric (nor do I know anything about Overwatch to judge) but Crash has been popular there for a much longer period of time. Also, mind that Crash combines that popularity with the "videogame icon" factor.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Isn't Overwatch more popular than Crash in Japan?

In modern years? It's possible. Crash has had nearly two decades of mediocre to bad games after the PS1 so it's possible his popularity fizzled out by the time Overwatch came out.

But I would argue Crash at his peak in Japan was probably bigger than Overwatch at its peak in Japan.