Welp, it seems the floodgates have opened. Verge has backed up on Banjo now.
Even though I have been spoiled, I am still glad because I can write about my thoughts on Western third-parties getting in before I leave for good.
I stuck firmly with the mindset that Sakurai would add only Japanese gaming icons. I thought if a Western gaming icon would get added, it would be one of higher calibur Steve or Crash. I thought about how other Western third-parties of lower calibur like Rayman and Shovel Knight were given non-character treatment and how that made me feel certain of Banjo. But man, my expectations were subverted. If the Banjo stuff is true, then Sakurai even outplayed me, haha! I should have thought about Microsoft's relationship with Nintendo more and that one Smash 64 interview bit of Banjo, those were the primary things that made me see Banjo having a shot, though I never saw those factors as ones that give him a decent chance. The wall that did not make me think beyond that was ironically Verge himself with his Minecraft statement bit, because I thought that non-character content would be the max extent for Sakurai. It was not easy for me to believe Banjo as easily as other speculators because of how many factors I was considering. That and the wall of Western third-parties being a uncertainty because of Sakurai's previous statements on wanting to represent Japanese gaming prevented me from predicting him.
So now the floodgates have opened for Western third-parties. What was once a decent pool of Japanese gaming icon candidates to predict I thought has now becoming an unpredictable hellhole now. And if there were a second Fighters Pass, it would only get more unpredictable. Western third-parties I feel people should keep in mind now is:
-Doomguy
-UNDERTALE character
-Crash Bandicoot
That is it. Steve is pretty much out now and Master Chief has already been disconfirmed by some Microsoft director I believe.
I am personally neutral to Banjo, and I think Steve would have been a more unique choice (Steve was kind of the spiritual successor of my idea of Isabelle having a Works Project playstyle, with the building mechanics and such). But it is alright.
I cannot tell which is more surreal, Joker or Banjo being in. Both are definitely more surprising than Cloud for sure.
Congrats to the fans of Banjo if this is true. If it is not, then it is gonna be far more anti-climatic than Isaac back when I thought sprout item and the screenshot was suspicious, haha!