3rd party character longevity in the Smash series

[helloiamhere]

Hello smashboards, what do you think about the longevity status of certain 3rd party characters? We all know that Sonic is back, and barring an off the wall miracle, Snake is probably toast. Do you think that Sonic is now a lock for the future of the series, and do you think that Pacman and Megaman will be back for Smash 5? The third party characters have great and interesting movesets (Sonic less so mostly due to the fact he was rushed into Brawl... hopefully customizable movesets alleviates that somewhat) and it's a shame that they are most likely to be put on the chopping block. Personally, I think that Sonic is a lock barring something crazy like Sony or Microsoft purchasing Sega, but I'm somewhat ambivalent on Megaman and especially Pacman returning.

I know it's pretty crazy to be talking about Smash 5 a few weeks from release of Smash 3DS, but I'm curious about your thoughts.

 

[mini paincakes]

I think Sonic and Mega Man are locks unless something happens that prevents them from being used legally.

Pac-Man is a lock as long as Namco-Bandai has influence on the Smash development process.

I'm still not convinced Snake is cut because we saw the MGS4 music conductor on the Smash 3ds page. Assuming he's not cut from this game, he remains a likely vet for future Smash games, but not a shoe-in until Metal Gear becomes more important to Nintendo. He also has a decent chance of being cut if Sakurai's relationship with Kojima falters or the Metal Gear continues to not come to Nintendo platforms.

 

[Gooper Blooper]

I figure Megaman will stay cause Capcom doesn't want to use him for anything themselves

 

[LEGOfan12]

Hello smashboards, what do you think about the longevity status of certain 3rd party characters? We all know that Sonic is back, and barring an off the wall miracle, Snake is probably toast. Do you think that Sonic is now a lock for the future of the series, and do you think that Pacman and Megaman will be back for Smash 5? The third party characters have great and interesting movesets (Sonic less so mostly due to the fact he was rushed into Brawl... hopefully customizable movesets alleviates that somewhat) and it's a shame that they are most likely to be put on the chopping block. Personally, I think that Sonic is a lock barring something crazy like Sony or Microsoft purchasing Sega, but I'm somewhat ambivalent on Megaman and especially Pacman returning.

I know it's pretty crazy to be talking about Smash 5 a few weeks from release of Smash 3DS, but I'm curious about your thoughts.

I think Sonic is safe forever. Pac-Man will most likely be safe if Namco wants to help make future Smash games. Mega Man I can't see getting cut.

 

[Aureola]

Sonic will most likely stick around for the foreseeable future. Mega Man I'm not sure of, but I can also see him staying. I have no idea what to think about Pac Man. Snake will probably stay gone if he doesn't come back for this game, which is likely at this point.

 

[GunGunW]

The only lock I see is Sonic for the part, but the three in right now are pretty much locked as well.

 

[Booster]

Snake/The best 3rd Party Character of them all won't come back, Konami and Nintendo aren't on good terms right now and Hideo Kojima doesn't give a **** about Solid Snake anymore. If Snake were to return it wouldn't be the same Snake it would be Big Boss/Sin Snake.

 

[~Krystal~]

Sonic's enormous fanbase will endure until the end of time, so I think he's a good bet to be in every upcoming Smash game. Solid Snake is a strange case. There's a lot of indicators that he's going to be out for this one, but the fat lady hasn't sang yet. Regardless, I don't think he'll be a long term third party fixture, even if he does come back in this one.

Pac-Man I predict will be a one time guest. The novelty of having Mario, Sonic, Mega Man and Pac-Man in the same game will wear off and people will go back to requesting Klonoa, Shrek, Elsa, Rapunzel, Sora, Gordon Freeman, etc. Really insane **** in other words.

 

[smashingDoug]

i know namco bandi is helping with smash 5 because they where asking for help or something so pac man (or hopefully someone else is picked see my avatar) mega man could go either way. i think sonic only came back because of the deal.