Smashboards

oh yeah, something I was wondering: Is "celebration of gaming" something that the playerbase, Nintendo, or both started calling Smash/SSBU?

Nah a bit of both. Also Im pretty confident Nintendo has never directly said so.

It was Nintendo first. (edit: probably, anyway; it was first used in an official smash presentation with the byleth reveal)

(also to play devil's advocate for a moment, i do genuinely believe that smash ultimate is the closest we're gonna get to a proper "celebration of gaming" for a few reasons which kinda sucks since it doesn't even do a very good job at that)

IMO the closest we've gotten to a true "celebration of gaming" is the original Wreck-It Ralph. A fun story with plenty of easter eggs for both modern and retro gamers, with a plot that hinges on gaming terminology while introducing it; a vague element of gaming history; and multiple classic titles to non-gamers or younger players. Maybe not the megacrossover it was marketed as, but certainly a sincere love letter to gaming history.

Shoot, forgot about Wreck-It Ralph. Yeah, I'd say that's the closest we've gotten overall, but within the realm of actual video games, Smash Ultimate is probably the closest we can get (and ironically enough, I tie a lot of my reasons why we can't get closer to Nintendo being super strict about their IPs).

The fact that it was officially stated in a Byleth reveal should raise more eyebrows about whether or not Smash succeeds as a "celebration of gaming". Would such a thing really prioritize adding another FE character? One who was only added because their game was new and not because fans believe it is much better than Fates?

To be fair, the “celebration of gaming” comment was made regarding Smash Ultimate as a whole at the very end of the presentation, not in regards to Byleth’s inclusion.

Even when you consider SSBU "as a whole"...that sure is a whole lotta Nintendo. It's not just the fighter's passes.

Yeah, I totally agree with you there. I'm just saying the claim's not really invalidated by Byleth specifically as it is... well, everything else.