DLC Finalized; Sakurai Makes Official Statement About Requests

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s DLC line-up is now complete. This time the selection was made entirely by Nintendo. I decide if we can create a fighter based on their selection, then come up with the plan.

— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) November 6, 2018

Masahiro Sakurai has announced on Twitter yesterday that the DLC lineup for the five Fighter Pack DLC characters has been finalized. Interestingly, the entire line-up has been selected by Nintendo this time around, with Sakurai accepting the selection if it is realizable.

It’s great to dream about your favorite character joining the battle and I appreciate your passion, but please try to stay on topic when replying to tweets and refrain from flooding us, and other users, with requests when we're not specifically asking for feedback. Thank you!

— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) November 7, 2018

Sakurai sent out another Tweet shortly afterwards to politely ask fans to not repeatedly flood him and Nintendo with requests for characters.


Author’s Note: Given this new information, who do you all think are the five DLC fighters? Let us know, but try not to flood Sakurai with your ideas.

 

Understandable statement, but kind of useless. The Smash community if too blind to reason to actually abide by Sakurai's request, and people will still think their character religions will somehow make a difference.

 

Probably characters they wish to promote, which honestly? Not always a bad thing.

Rex could still happen, and it renews hope for the Toad fanbase due to the sheer amount they use the most forgotten all star.

Alternatively Toadette due to the traction Peachette caused and to advertise New Super Mario Bros. Deluxe Spirit Mode be damned.

 

Alternatively Toadette due to the traction Peachette caused and to advertise New Super Mario Bros. Deluxe Spirit Mode be damned.

Inb4 Toadette turns into Peachette and uses the same final smash as Peach

 

Inb4 Toadette turns into Peachette and uses the same final smash as Peach

More of a possibility than I'd like to admit.

 

I dodged the Grinch and Vergeben's leaks, and I'll dodge them again. These leaks can set expectations way too high for an already impressive game despite what the official word from Sakurai is. Sakurai may be a troll, but he knows what he's doing.

And I agree with YoshiandToad in that it's not a bad thing for Nintendo to pick out the fighters. At this point, no additional fighter is "stealing a spot," especially because they won't be echo fighters. Sakurai being the one to OK Nintendo's selection of fighters also means he sees a way for them to have a unique moveset fitting for Ultimate. Oh, and Nintendo can promote ANYTHING, even if it's not out yet (like how they did with some alternate skins and stages in Sm4sh), so don't think it'll be just 5 Fire Emblem characters or something. I still like speculating about characters, and I'm not saying it's a bad thing. Just please keep your expectations and hype in check.

 

I think everyone sort of figured there'd be at least a couple promo characters even if Sakurai himself decided them all. My guess is the same as yesterday; at least 2 promo characters, at least 2 third party characters,and 1 from prior ballot results. There could definitely be overlap.

I still haven't given up on Banjo as he could fall into the above category if an N64 Classic is in the future and they've worked something out with Rare. If the last decade has taught me anything though, I shouldn't get my hopes up.

I've loved Smash since the very first and I'll be happy whoever is added, but we're bound to get at least one character that's a blatant advertisement. Just hoping it's not a sword wielding FE character.

 

I heard about this yesterday. Good on Sakurai. He's been good to this community, and just because our desires or expectations aren't always met doesn't mean he doesn't care. Nintendo is first and foremost a business. There's likely a lot of negotiating with other companies to try to see if certain characters can make it in. There's also money involved, which is required for acquiring resources. If people could place themselves in Sakurai's shoes for a moment and think about what he has to do in order for a massive cross-over game that is Super Smash Bros. to work, I think people would be a little more appreciative.

 

Can't say I have a shred of optimism left in me regarding the decision to let Nintendo decide the DLC characters. It's almost a guarantee that it's going to be promotional characters. Does that leave us? Cappy? Xenoblade? Fire Emblem? Pokemon? Great for their fans but I really don't care about any of those things. Seems extra dodgy to me that they're asking us to buy the fighter pass without revealing what's in it.

As for Sakurai, I recognize that this is going to be an unpopular opinion that won't win me any friends, but I think asking the fans to pipe down during development of a fanservice Centric game is poor form. I get a he can be overwhelmed sometimes, and at the fans can be abrasive, but honestly if there is any Series where the fans should be loud and demanding, it is this one.

 

Phil Spencer is willing to have BK in Smash. Phil Spencer has lunch with Nintendo (not Sakurai) at E3. Nintendo picking DLC characters.

I'd say Banjo-Kazooie's chances are as good as they'll ever get, so if they aren't DLC this time around, probably time to move on.

 

Inb4 Toadette turns into Peachette and uses the same final smash as Peach

And then there's the Bowsette phenomenon. Oh boy.

 

Phil Spencer is willing to have BK in Smash. Phil Spencer has lunch with Nintendo (not Sakurai) at E3. Nintendo picking DLC characters.

I'd say Banjo-Kazooie's chances are as good as they'll ever get, so if they aren't DLC this time around, probably time to move on.

I don't want to admit you're right about this, but you're right about this. Only thing that could ever possibly change it is if another Ballot came out and they no questions asked took the top 5 *and* BK made it. Which wouldn't happen. They have a history of legal kerfuffle and have fallen into obscurity from today's generation of gamers, and unless they have a resurgence or reboot, now is the best time.

 

RIP Shantae. Wayforward really wanted her in.

 

maybe it wont be 5 daft 3rd party choices

 

It was really kind of bad*ss of Sakurai to come out with the statement he made, basically telling fans that while the compassion is nice, they really have no real power in saying who's getting in. Definitely a testament to his status as a director.

Also, keep in mind, if Spirits really deconfirm characters, then there'd be basically nobody left for Nintendo to pick for the DLC. It's a basic principle of logic.

 

First of all, I actually like that Sakurai came out and stated that the DLC was finished and that we shouldn't flood or harass him or Nintendo for requests because this keeps expectations in check. Making an official statement instead of just keeping quite and keeping people guessing has helped a lot especially since the silence that was mostly kept during he Ultimate hype is what drove the leak scene to get out of control.

Then there's the fact that this time NINTENDO chose the characters themselves then asked Sakurai if they could be turned into characters. This fact fascinates me a lot. I don't know how was the process for selecting the DLC characters in Smash 4 (save for Bayonetta "winning" the ballot), but this to me says that Nintendo really wants to focus on their own IPS for the DLC since the DLC for Smash was so third party heavy they want more of their own characters in, or they want to choose themselves what characters they want, third parties included.

After all the leak madness, I am out of the speculation for DLC because that legit drive my anxiety up the wall since the leaks got way too out of hand. But I suspect that these characters have to be either really big or third parties in order for them to justify being DLC. Like Pirahna Plant is NOT worth the 5.99 since he is a gimmick character. They have to be unique since Sakurai did state that the character comes with music and a stage, so they can't force another Fire Emblem since that series already has more than enough.

The ONLY two I can see making it in are Geno as the Square rep and Banjo, and not because all the leaks say so, but because them being third party with unique stages and music, it would justify the price of admission, but again not gonna rise my hopes up.

 

If a character is a sprit they ain't deconfirmed. I saw a wii fit fox and kirby spirit. Meaning they have a chance. ALSO YES BECAUSE NO MORE ANNOYING PEOPLE BOTHERING FOR A CHARATER IN SMASH.

 

It was really kind of bad*ss of Sakurai to come out with the statement he made, basically telling fans that while the compassion is nice, they really have no real power in saying who's getting in. Definitely a testament to his status as a director.

Also, keep in mind, if Spirits really deconfirm characters, then there'd be basically nobody left for Nintendo to pick for the DLC. It's a basic principle of logic.

Well, there may be a few characters left that hadn't even been referenced by the game.

 

It's almost a guarantee that it's going to be promotional characters.

This assertion lacks evidence.

Seems extra dodgy to me that they're asking us to buy the fighter pass without revealing what's in it.

No one is asking you to buy a fighter pass. "Only those who are confident in its value should purchase it." (Nintendo Direct 11.1.18)

As for Sakurai, I recognize that this is going to be an unpopular opinion that won't win me any friends, but I think asking the fans to pipe down during development of a fanservice Centric game is poor form. I get a he can be overwhelmed sometimes, and at the fans can be abrasive, but honestly if there is any Series where the fans should be loud and demanding, it is this one.

Nah.

 

"Never ask me for anything, ever again"

 

Hahaha **** Sakurai; you should be honored to have a game people care about. What else is he expecting from Twitter? He's pretty much confirming the "don't ask me for anything ever again" meme is real: "Do not flood Sakurai with your ideas. Please understand."

The Smash community if too blind to reason to actually abide by Sakurai's request, and people will still think their character religions will somehow make a difference.

They will; the only reason K. Rool and Ridley got into the game was cause of fans begging. Sakurai wrote a column describing how Ridley wouldn't work in Smash and I feel like he has a personal vendetta against K. Rool for some reason.

I dodged the Grinch and Vergeben's leaks, and I'll dodge them again. These leaks can set expectations way too high for an already impressive game despite what the official word from Sakurai is. Sakurai may be a troll, but he knows what he's doing.

I just wanna say that no one had high expectations for the Direct; it was just that far below the bar for anyone who actually cared about newcomers: a boring Echo, a kinda cool Pokémon and a joke/troll character left a lot of people who cared most with a sour taste in their mouth.

I heard about this yesterday. Good on Sakurai. He's been good to this community, and just because our desires or expectations aren't always met doesn't mean he doesn't care. Nintendo is first and foremost a business. There's likely a lot of negotiating with other companies to try to see if certain characters can make it in. There's also money involved, which is required for acquiring resources. If people could place themselves in Sakurai's shoes for a moment and think about what he has to do in order for a massive cross-over game that is Super Smash Bros. to work, I think people would be a little more appreciative.

Piranha Plant is pushing units... actually, with all the drama it's caused, maybe it is.

Can't say I have a shred of optimism left in me regarding the decision to let Nintendo decide the DLC characters. It's almost a guarantee that it's going to be promotional characters. Does that leave us? Cappy? Xenoblade? Fire Emblem? Pokemon? Great for their fans but I really don't care about any of those things. Seems extra dodgy to me that they're asking us to buy the fighter pass without revealing what's in it.

As for Sakurai, I recognize that this is going to be an unpopular opinion that won't win me any friends, but I think asking the fans to pipe down during development of a fanservice Centric game is poor form. I get a he can be overwhelmed sometimes, and at the fans can be abrasive, but honestly if there is any Series where the fans should be loud and demanding, it is this one.

idk about Cappy; Odyssey has essentially came and went, and though they made Piranha work, a cap might be pushing the boundaries. Your second paragraph is on the money though.

 

I think Nintendo is feeling the heat after the last Direct which wasn't that popular. I remember Brawl and Wii U ending on a high note but this one ended on a thud. The Spirits mode is kind of lame and all of the characters since the August direct were not big fan pleasers. Nintendo would have been better off showing Incenoroar and Isabella in August and saving KRool and Belmont for the end.

 

Sakurai: "This is the Ultimate game for the fans, so please stop asking me for anything"

I think Nintendo is feeling the heat after the last Direct which wasn't that popular. I remember Brawl and Wii U ending on a high note but this one ended on a thud. The Spirits mode is kind of lame and all of the characters since the August direct were not big fan pleasers. Nintendo would have been better off showing Incenoroar and Isabella in August and saving KRool and Belmont for the end.

Corrin/Bayo was controversial (walking advertisement from overrepresented franchise and not the ballot winner) but yeah, it wasn't even close to this; I don't think anyone would've been complaining if they at least said who the DLC characters are.

 

I'm scared for the chances of 3rd Party characters but at the same time i'm happy for the chances of Nintendo characters like Bandana Dee.

 

I think Nintendo is feeling the heat after the last Direct which wasn't that popular. I remember Brawl and Wii U ending on a high note but this one ended on a thud. The Spirits mode is kind of lame and all of the characters since the August direct were not big fan pleasers. Nintendo would have been better off showing Incenoroar and Isabella in August and saving KRool and Belmont for the end.

The Nintendo Direct before 11.1.18 was probably the weakest for SSB. I think the high note would have been Ridley and King K. Rool's reveal. Fans really wanted these characters for a long time.

 

I feel bad for Sakurai. He devotes all of this time and work into a game, listens to his fans and accepts most of their requests yet he is still bombarded with messages about how he should add Geno or Waluigi or something. Cut him some god damn slack!

 

Good for you Sakurai. There's a time and place for those character requests. The game is WAY too far into it for our demands to matter anymore. He knows what people are wanting to see in the game by now. Like he said though, Nintendo is picking the DLC now. If Nintendo thinks Waluigi needs a spot in the game then chances just rose but the decisions made now will be based on what Nintendo expects will help the whole company most. Now's time to wait and see what that looks like. I don't use twitter, so maybe I'm biased there, but I just don't see the need for spamming requests when the topic is something not newcomer related...

 

No matter what happens, I am really hoping we can get at least 3 new unrepresented franchises into the fighter roster in some way, shape, or form. I don't have a complete preference on who, but I have some ideas.

For one, I figured I would mention first parties. I hate to break it to everybody, but I am pretty confident that being a spirit at this point practically dec-es the character from becoming DLC. At Exhibit A, we have Bandana Dee. I am highly confident that Bandana Dee will finally be included as a DLC character with him being both highly requested AND not appearing as a spirit from what we have seen. Unless we see a screenshot of him as a Spirit, I think he's a good bet. At this point, I also would have included a Rhythm Heaven rep, but because Chorus Kids AND Karate Joe being showed off as spirits, I think that department is no longer safe for viewing. Instead, I personally would love to see either a new Legend of Zelda rep, or a new Xenoblade Chronicles rep (but not both). If this were to be true, I would predict Impa and Elma respectively. Either of those characters + Bandana Dee are my personal choices to take the two 1st party selections.

From here we move on to the unrepresented series/third party choices. Now, a couple of these choices that I originally had, such as Crono from Chrono Trigger, Saki Amamiya from Sin & Punishment, Amaterasu from Okami, and Neku Sakuraba from The World Ends With You, were once very high on my list back during the base game, but began to quickly die down after E3 of this year. I figured I would mention those characters because they have very active fanbases, and I used to wholeheartedly support them, but I realized that the relevancy was not there from Nintendo consumers, and if we are talking DLC speculation, would not get the people talking or have the majority Smash Ultimate buyers excited to purchase them (even if they would all be incredible fighters in the roster and would fit into the roster very well.)

The final names that I still think very much deserve a spot are Rayman from the Rayman series, Banjo & Kazooie from the Banjo Kazooie series, and Crash Bandicoot from the Crash Bandicoot series, with runner-ups going to Spyro, Professor Layton, and Heihachi Mishima. Rayman, Banjo, and Crash are my personal final three picks for DLC and who I want the most, because these are some of the biggest/most wanted characters who have yet to be added, and these would be the types of characters that would generate the most hype, and are rather recognizable names to say the least. Out of these though, I think Banjo is the least likely, but I included him due to the amount of support he has for his inclusion.

My only problem with my DLC list (and it's a picky thing) is that all but one of the characters are very... cartoony. If we recall Sm4sh's DLC, we had Lucas, Ryu, Roy, Cloud, Corrin, and Bayonetta ALL being very much human(oid), which is 6/7. The reason I mention this is that the picks I put forth really aren't, except for Impa/Elma, making 1/5 being human(oid). I just have a feeling that in the DLC, we will be more likely to get human(oid) characters than cartoony ones. I am at an inner conflict as I'm writing this, because I still really want to see Lloyd Irving be more than just a fighter in Super Smash Flash or a Mii Costume. Same goes to Heihachi Mishima. Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright would be very cool to see in Smash, and these are the characters that I feel Nintendo is looking for. Dragon Quest definitely needs a rep, would Erdrick work? It could also be Slime, but that would go against the human(oid) argument. As long as it doesn't replace Elma/Impa.

So basically, I'm indecisive.

 

Can't say I have a shred of optimism left in me regarding the decision to let Nintendo decide the DLC characters. It's almost a guarantee that it's going to be promotional characters. Does that leave us? Cappy? Xenoblade? Fire Emblem? Pokemon? Great for their fans but I really don't care about any of those things. Seems extra dodgy to me that they're asking us to buy the fighter pass without revealing what's in it.

As for Sakurai, I recognize that this is going to be an unpopular opinion that won't win me any friends, but I think asking the fans to pipe down during development of a fanservice Centric game is poor form. I get a he can be overwhelmed sometimes, and at the fans can be abrasive, but honestly if there is any Series where the fans should be loud and demanding, it is this one.

You're absolutely right it's a shame Sakurai fanboys will call you entitled and tell you to not want anything though.

 

I feel bad for Sakurai. He devotes all of this time and work into a game, listens to his fans and accepts most of their requests yet he is still bombarded with messages about how he should add Geno or Waluigi or something. Cut him some god damn slack!

Yeah, people requesting characters is so brutal!

 

Can I say that not only has Sakurai earned a break after Ultimate is released and it's DLC is finished, he earned his retirement.

 

I feel bad for Sakurai. He devotes all of this time and work into a game, listens to his fans and accepts most of their requests yet he is still bombarded with messages about how he should add Geno or Waluigi or something. Cut him some god damn slack!

I feel so bad for him working his dream job instead of slaving away in a factory job or Corporate America. As stated, his job is easy compared to average Joe.

 

People reaction to the tweet : PLZ WALUIGI

 

Meh, I think the roster is awesome and there are a lot of characters.
It's pretty cool that they aren't looking for feedback on what characters bring to Smash, will be cool to have some unexpected characters instead the predictable ones like Geno, Shadow, Banjo Kazooie, etc. I would love to have those characters... But there are way more interesting options beyond those and like I said, the game has a lot of them already these are just the cherry on top!

 

Can't say I have a shred of optimism left in me regarding the decision to let Nintendo decide the DLC characters. It's almost a guarantee that it's going to be promotional characters. Does that leave us? Cappy? Xenoblade? Fire Emblem? Pokemon? Great for their fans but I really don't care about any of those things. Seems extra dodgy to me that they're asking us to buy the fighter pass without revealing what's in it.

As for Sakurai, I recognize that this is going to be an unpopular opinion that won't win me any friends, but I think asking the fans to pipe down during development of a fanservice Centric game is poor form. I get a he can be overwhelmed sometimes, and at the fans can be abrasive, but honestly if there is any Series where the fans should be loud and demanding, it is this one.

Last time we got seven characters and one of them was promotional. There's no guarantee of anything. Sakurai himself said don't buy it if you don't want to.

Asking fans to pipe down is more than okay, because they are spamming requests even though characters are decided and it's stupid. Being loud and demanding won't get you everything you want in life.

They will; the only reason K. Rool and Ridley got into the game was cause of fans begging. Sakurai wrote a column describing how Ridley wouldn't work in Smash and I feel like he has a personal vendetta against K. Rool for some reason.

"Sakurai hates K.Rool" is a baseless claim made up by some K.Rool fans who feel the need to victimize themselves. If Sakurai hated K.Rool, his moveset wouldn't reflect so much personality and references. There's no reason for a grown man to have a personal vendetta with a bunch of pixels, btw.

I feel so bad for him working his dream job instead of slaving away in a factory job or Corporate America. As stated, his job is easy compared to average Joe.

So, programming, designing and directing are easy jobs? Flash news: You can work hard without doing manual labor.

You're absolutely right it's a shame Sakurai fanboys will call you entitled and tell you to not want anything though.

You can want everything you want. But if you think you are going to get it just because this desire, I don't think you know how life works. No creative work is going to include content purely on fan demand. It kills creativity and wastes time on vocal fans.

 

Hm, interesting...
For me, that implies two things:
1. They will focus much more on still relevant franchises and games in development, scheduled for the next years.
2. There will be no obscure/wtf choices anymore.

Spoiler: Long chance assessment

If I have to guess now, which characters they chose, let's first take a look at upcoming big games for the Switch in 2019 and beyond:
Animal Crossing - we already have Isabelle, I don't think, there will be more
Final Fantasy VII,IX,X/X-2,XII, Crystal Chronicles - there is definetly potential for characters, but I guess Square Enix would rather support something else right now
Luigis Mansion 3 - they changed Luigis grab and there is not much potential character wise imo
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Triology - that could be interesting, but it is third party and I don't know if this moves that much units in and especially outside of Japan
Pokemon - let's face it, we'll probably get an Gen 8 Pokemon, I see no way around this sadly
Fire Emblem: Three Houses - same here, let's just hope it's no sword fighter and not the Avatar again, Edelgard with an axe could be an interesting choice at least...
Yokai Watch 4 - not impossible, but the series wasn't that successfull outside of Japan if I remember correctly
Yoshis Crafted World - already got the alt. costume, don't see potential for more
Metroid Prime 4 - if they had kept Dark Samus for this, my money would be on it, still could be Sylux, but Metroid isn't the biggest seller in the world

Other big franchises that could get a game in the near future:
Donkey Kong - I definetly see something about a game coming end of next year, at least an announcement, so chances for Dixie aren't that bad
Kirby - the next game will surely come, so Bandana Dee has a good chance
Zelda - there has to be something new in the near future, especially with the success of Breath of the Wild, it's just hard to find an iconic character, I really don't see Impa and Tingle as paid DLC

Third parties:
Kingdom Hearts - it depends on the inclusion of a Kingdom Hearts game on the Switch, if they actually get Kingdom Hearts 3, Sora is in, also possible are some remastered versions of 1 and 2 or the DS games, especially after the load of Final Fantasy games
Dragon Quest - it's big in Japan, but not really that big outside of it, as far as I know, still a possibility
Sonic - Tails is still missing as an assist trophy, while Knuckles and Shadow are there, Sonic Mania was released this year and Team Sonic Racing is planned for next year, so not impossible
Minecraft - was heavily promoted with the Switch, is still very big and Vergeben, so, yeah, I think we'll get Steve
Crash - eh, there was the Triology this year, but I don't think he moves the needle that much

Others:
Geno - I'm feeling for his fans, but he won't be in, there is sadly not much money to make and no game to promote
Banjo - his chances are definetly hurt by Sakurais statement, still, there is a chance, if they plan something new for the next years with him, that could land on the switch, like a remastered version of the old games, the N64 classic or even a new game

In conclusion, that would be my predictions now:
1. Square Enix rep (probably Sora)
2. Minecraft
3. Pokemon Gen 8
4. Fire Emblem
5. Kirby, DK or Zelda rep

Not really ideal for me, but if you want to sell your DLC, that seems like a surefire way...

 

For maximum meme, internet breaking value, or cross promotion:

Waluigi
Bowsette
Goku
Master Chief
Gen. 8 pokemon

 

I appreciate that he has been beyond busy, and that certain corners of the smash fanbase can be overwhelming and obnoxious, but at the same time..... this is his job. Feedback and requests from your customers is surely something you want to take into consideration, even after the first five characters for DLC have been locked. Surely you would want that information for the next DLC pass (if there is one) or for the eventual sequel?

 

Are people missing the "I decide if we can create a fighter based on their selection" part? Sakurai still has a say in the end. I also don't get why people are assuming if Nintendo chooses it'll all be promotional characters, but more importantly the underlying assumption that Sakurai doesn't do that kinda stuff, Corrin and pretty much every current-gen Pokemon character making it to Smash disproves that readily. I think people should give Nintendo (or rather the top level people presumably who are gonna decide this) more credit.

Also, I really love that 2nd tweet. It's very annoying when Nintendo/Sakurai posts anything related to Smash. They could be posting about how you should pre-order Smash or about a new character, and the replies are flooded with "PLS ADD [insert character here]" or memes about them, which is completely irrelevant and to me just looks childish and annoying, and somewhat ungrateful that people can't appreciate the game for what it is and just continually ask for more, more, and more. I wonder if the fact Sakurai tweeted this in English means Japanese fans aren't as relentless about it...though it could just be that majority of the fans speak in English so those are the ones worth addressing.

 

When people cry so hard that they want Waluigi in then I always think: "Then why didn't you vote on him in the Smash Ballot?!" Oh right, because they voted on Ridley, King K. Rool and Simon Belmont!

Ungrateful, greedy ********. You have already gotten what you wanted. There are still many of us who haven't.

I think that Paper Mario, Bandana Waddle Dee and Elma "deserves" to be in, but the only one I really care about is Paper Mario. I hope he was one of the chosen ones.