Alright, so about Snake...
There's some misconceptions on his chances for this game in my honest opinion. I think most people who want him out of the game are people who have never played Metal Gear Solid and are biased against it because it's "violent and gritty". However, if you've played essentially any title in the MGS series, you would know it hardly takes itself seriously, and it is goofy quite a bit of the time.
A lot of people in the Smash speculation community (not just here) like to say that Snake doesn't fit and should be cut. That's entirely subjective. My opinion that he fit just fine is also subjective. However, Sakurai's opinion actually lines up with mine. Coincidentially, so does Satoru Iwata's. Just read the interview from an Iwata Ask's episode in which Sakurai is talked to about Snake and Sonic. Here is an except:
If you look at a few of the parts I highlighted, you will realize that:
1) Iwata looks at it as both Sonic AND Snake fit into the environment of the game, and seem as if they've always been a part of the series.
- Basically, the argument that "Snake doesn't fit!" means nothing. Subjectively, you may think he doesn't fit, but the people whose thoughts matter most believe the opposite.
2) There was indeed internal debate on "where to draw the line" on 3rd Party characters in Smash. As found in a different interview with Hideo Kojima, he mentions that the Nintendo big-wigs weren't keen on the idea of Snake because he was "too Sony". This creates a hypocritical situation. However, I believe Sakurai's work convinced Iwata that it was a good choice, and it was because of the trust in Sakurai that Snake was allowed in the game.
Moving onto a point that may not bear too much prominence, but think about this...Smash Bros. has never completely lost a series before. We've lost characters, but we've never lost an entire series. If Snake is cut, that means that that will finally actually happen. We would lose a unique stage, trophies from various games of the series, and above all else, the iconic protagonist who had one of the most unique movesets in the series. It would be rather unfortunate as a fan of both Smash and Metal Gear.
Snake's position with Nintendo hasn't really changed at all. Around the time of Brawl, he had a remake in The Twin Snakes, and had MGS4 coming out on the heels of Brawl. Sakurai has made it known that he has no ****s to give about console wars as we know, so the current situation with Ground Zeroes/The Phantom Pain is comparable and negligible.
If Sakurai really cared about Snake predominantly being on competitor consoles, he wouldn't have been in the game in the first place. Actually, if IWATA cared as much as people claim he would, then why is content from Guns of the Patriots in the game in the first place? Portable Ops? There is a fair amount of content from games not on Nintendo consoles.
So far, several of the reasons against Snake that people use have been cast aside. The fact that he "isn't Nintendo" and/or "doesn't fit" can't really be used as a solid argument against him (pun not intended) based on the fact that Sakurai and Iwata disagree based on the interview I included.
I also find that Snake being the first 3rd Party character EVER introduced to Smash Bros. is something that shouldn't go unnoticed. I feel as if it will be a strange feeling without him based on his impact on the series. Removing him now will never erase him from Smash Bros. He's been a Smash Brother, so he's ALWAYS a Smash Brother.
The only way I could see him not being in this game, is if the initial contract to have Snake in Brawl was a one-time deal. That is simply the only way I see it at this point. There is nothing significant against him. The recent interview with Kojima can't really be taken either way, as the wording was strange, and Kojima is a complete troll. So really, you never can tell. (he DID have a smirk on his face...)
Why hasn't Snake been revealed yet? Well think of it this way. Mario v Sonic v Mega Man v Pac-Man is a gamer's dream come true. It's something that has never happened before. That picture of the four of them on Miiverse is something that Sakurai milked for awhile, and it makes sense to not have had Snake in it. It would have been awkward, and I'm a huge fan of the character and what he can do.
It makes more sense to me to reveal him later than that, and take advantage of his always amazing introduction of, "Kept you waiting, huh?". A lot of people expect him to be gone, so what better way to surprise everybody than reveal him just before the end of things?
At the end of the day, I could easily be proven wrong in the next few weeks. I hope I'm not, but I accept the fact that I might be wrong, and will have to suffer the pain of having one of my favorite characters in Brawl removed. That said, I am pioneering a Snake for Smash DLC campaign just in case, so if you are interested in following that effort, you can find it on Twitter at @Snake4Smash4.
Thanks for reading. I hope I convinced at least a few people. I think Snake gets a lot of unwarranted hate, and I hope that changes.