I wouldn’t think joker is a gaming icon and all dlc characters have some sort of gimmick, Joker has arsene, Hero has MP, Banjo has wondering, terry have GO! So that means Sakurai put more work into these characters then most other characters. You don’t need to be a gaming icon to make it into smash if we have characters like pit, ice climbers, Wii fit trainer,etc. Conker is a gaming icon, his game pushed the limits of the n64 and I’m sure he inspired some games. How come Microsoft put conker in project spark and that vr game instead of banjo?
(Sigh) I get the feeling that your not "Clearly" reading some of my previous post before as you didn't really have an answer or response for "Most" of my counter responses to your reasons and I am getting tired of repeating myself so this is probably the last time I'm going to say it.
- I already told you in a previous post that the bar is much lower for 1st/2nd Party Nintendo Characters and that they have a much easier time making it the roster despite their "Status" It's an easy, legal and cost efficeient way for Nintendo to add more characters to the roster while promoting or keeping their smaller/dormant series relevant, It's a win/win situation.
- I don't know much about Persona, But I imagine it was pretty popular and succesful in Japan and as I've stated before more times than not Japanese characters take priority, Joker is also had the benefit of being a "Sakurai Pick" because he is a big fan of the series, Not to mention Persona has ties and was spun off from another series called Shin Megami Tensei that is a long running series that I imagine had some sort of significant impact in Japan.
- You mentioned Wii Fit trainer and even though I don't give a damn about her, One could argue that she represents the "Wii" era and everyone knows that the Wii was huge in it's prime and was a phenomenon.
- I like Conker and Bad Fur Day was a fun and interesting game, But calling him an "Gaming Icon" is definitely pushing it when at most he's somewhat a significant name, Even Banjo-Kazooie in the grand scheme of things isn't that big of an icon especially compared to the likes of Sonic and Pac Man, Conker definitely is one of Rare's biggest names and Smash worthy, But you seem to constantly think he's bigger than Halo and Master Chief at times, Even Banjo-Kazooie can't compare.
- I always see Project Spark and that VR demo brought up as reason by some Conker fans and treat them as the "AAA" games or view them as achievements in comparison to Banjo-Kazooie's legacy, No one is gonna remember Conker over a DLC expansion for Project Spark when Microsoft prematurely canned that game's support and that VR demo took Conker and turned him into an abomination that looked and played nothing like him and Conker fans viewed it as a hot garbage.
-I feel like Microsoft at times see's Conker as a guinea pig or an expendable character/series and just test him on weird side projects that don't require a lot of resources or commitment.
-Conker's legacy isn't too much to write about compared Banjo-Kazooie, Conker's Pocket Tales is a small GBC game that fly's under the radar and even though Bad Fur Day is a great game that fans of Rare should give a try, It came and the end of the N64's lifespan and even though it's Conker's biggest accomplishment it's still flopped sales wise and still isn't as widely known as some think it is and Live & Reloaded didn't fair much better either. At least Banjo-Kazooie was more succesful enough to get 2 more sequels in it's series and even though Nut's & Bolts is controversial it still managed to outsell Bad Fur Day or possibly even the entire Conker franchise.
Banjo-Kazooie is still for the most part a dead IP, But it definitely has a way better chance of making a comeback whether it's a remaster, reboot or sequel and thanks to Smash and high demand for the franchise it's bound to happen sometime in the near future.
Unfortunately I wish I can say the same thing for Conker, But I don't see it happening. Like I said many times before I'm fan of Conker and would like him in Smash, But I feel like some fans truly get blinded by how really big he actually is.