Official DLC Speculation Discussion Volume II

[Guynamednelson]

I always thought Scrimbo Blimbo, the Loveable Scrunko was a GameFAQs thing. I don’t really follow Smash other than GameFAQs and here so I’m probably wrong.

It started from that Tweet. /v/ hates the term because of its Twitter origins.

 

[Peripuff]

The virgin Geno vs. the chad Neku

fr, of all the Square Enix reps not yet in Smash I wish we’d discuss Neku more, he’s from an SE original IP born on a Nintendo system

One thing I'm super curious about is how they would implement the partner system. I mean, given that it is such a crucial component of the gameplay and story of TWEWY, as well as the development of Neku, it would have to be there somewhere right?

Initially, I imagined Neku's specials would each be dedicated to a different partner, and some sort of fusion move mechanic would be available similar to how it works in Final Remix. However, I think it would maybe be best to focus on one partner to integrate into the moveset, and I feel like they would go with Shiki if that were the case. One thing that could be really interesting is having it something like the Ice Climbers except you control both at the same time independently with certain buttons. That may be too complicated but I'm curious to see how they would implement such a mechanic.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

One thing I'm super curious about is how they would implement the partner system. I mean, given that it is such a crucial component of the gameplay and story of TWEWY, as well as the development of Neku, it would have to be there somewhere right?

Maybe base him off Final Remix where he can occasionally summon either Shiki, Joshua or Beat?

 

[Commander_Alph]

Hey, at least it's better than being called "Cereal Mascot" which everyone think is more offensive.

 

[Peripuff]

Maybe base him off Final Remix where he can occasionally summon either Shiki, Joshua or Beat?

Ah yeah I edited my post with some ideas I had

 

[Guynamednelson]

Hey, at least it's better than being called "Cereal Mascot" which everyone think is more offensive.

Honestly I think "cereal mascot" works better just because you don't need to know about a specific Tweet.

 

[Gengar84]

One thing I'm super curious about is how they would implement the partner system. I mean, given that it is such a crucial component of the gameplay and story of TWEWY, as well as the development of Neku, it would have to be there somewhere right?

Initially, I imagined Neku's specials would each be dedicated to a different partner, and some sort of fusion move mechanic would be available similar to how it works in Final Remix. However, I think it would maybe be best to focus on one partner to integrate into the moveset, and I feel like they would go with Shiki if that were the case. One thing that could be really interesting is having it something like the Ice Climbers except you control both at the same time independently with certain buttons. That may be too complicated but I'm curious to see how they would implement such a mechanic.

How does the partner system work in TWEWY? Is it more important to Neku’s play style than it would be for Crono? I definitely think if Crono was chosen over Magus (which is the most likely outcome), he could really use the partner mechanic since it is such a core element of Chrono Trigger. I see Magus as more of a solo character but would probably still have a team attack for his final smash.

 

[Cutie Gwen]

How does the partner system work in TWEWY? Is it more important to Neku’s play style than it would be for Crono? I definitely think if Crono was chosen over Magus (which is the most likely outcome), he could really use the partner mechanic since it is such a core element of Chrono Trigger. I see Magus as more of a solo character but would probably still have a team attack for his final smash.

In the DS version you control Neku and your partner at the same time, mobile and Switch ports instead give you specific motions to summon your partner. I'd say TWEWY's partner system is more integral to the game than Chrono Trigger, but I feel Chrono Trigger's can be implemented in Smash whereas TWEWY can't. The way I see it, Crono would work like Captain Ginyu in DBFZ, he has multiple special moves that use the Ginyu Force but they go on rotation. For example. Crono, Lucca, Marle, Robo is the rotation. Your first special move will use just Crono, the next will always use Lucca, then Marle and Robo. It adds a bit of depth to the character so that you'll think "Hmmm this move is very strong but if I use it now my recovery will be worse"

 

[Gengar84]

In the DS version you control Neku and your partner at the same time, mobile and Switch ports instead give you specific motions to summon your partner. I'd say TWEWY's partner system is more integral to the game than Chrono Trigger, but I feel Chrono Trigger's can be implemented in Smash whereas TWEWY can't. The way I see it, Crono would work like Captain Ginyu in DBFZ, he has multiple special moves that use the Ginyu Force but they go on rotation. For example. Crono, Lucca, Marle, Robo is the rotation. Your first special move will use just Crono, the next will always use Lucca, then Marle and Robo. It adds a bit of depth to the character so that you'll think "Hmmm this move is very strong but if I use it now my recovery will be worse"

That’s a cool idea. I hadn’t really considered a rotation system for the partner mechanic in Smash but it makes a lot of sense. It’s a shame about Neku though. I wonder what Sakurai would come up with to represent him faithfully if the partner mechanic couldn’t work for him.

 

[Michael the Spikester]

I would buy any Warriors spin-off of a Nintendo franchise but Mario seems like a strange fit. It would probably still be a lot of fun though and would really stand out from other Warriors games with its cartoonish characters. I would love to see a Pokémon Warriors based on one of the ancient wars in the backstories such as the one with AZ in X and Y. I’d also love a Dynasty Warriors character in Smash. I think Lu Bu is a much more interesting character than Zhao Yun but I’d take either.

Yeah I think Kid Icarus would be more fitting for a Warriors-style game.

 

[SNEKeater]

The virgin Geno vs. the chad Neku

fr, of all the Square Enix reps not yet in Smash I wish we’d discuss Neku more, he’s from an SE original IP born on a Nintendo system

To be fair, we had Sephiroth, which obviously killed speculation for other Square characters. I'd like to talk about Neku but I can understand why some people would rather discuss characters that they feel are at least possible. For a lot of people 2 reps from the same company in the same pass is very unlikely. Which is what I think, to be honest.

Though I still kinda agree. I don't remember much discussion about Neku or TWEWY before Sephiroth's reveal.

As for Neku's moveset, I remember reading this one and thinking it was very cool

Dream Smasher: Neku Sakuraba (Guest Article)

In this Dream Smasher, @MarnieFanclub takes a look at Neku!

sourcegaming.info

 

[Michael the Spikester]

A Soul Calibur character. (Nightmare fans are gonna hate me for this probably) but SC is a 3D fighter much like Tekken. If Sakurai couldn’t implement Heihachi due to the complexity of the Z-axis movements surely the same would apply to a SC character?

Last I checked or heard correctly isn't Soulcalibur's gameplay mechanics easier to implement than Tekken's?

 

[Cutie Gwen]

That’s a cool idea. I hadn’t really considered a rotation system for the partner mechanic in Smash but it makes a lot of sense. It’s a shame about Neku though. I wonder what Sakurai would come up with to represent him faithfully if the partner mechanic couldn’t work for him.

Neku has so much bull**** to work with that it's not an issue at all, I'd have the partners used for the final smash because that's also a TWEWY mechanic with the screen nukes, but for everything else? I don't think many characters already im the game come close to the amount of potential moves to use

 

[PacificFun]

C'mon Namco, give us the "real" waifu. Screw Pyra and Myhtra, hello Reiko.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

C'mon Namco, give us the "real" waifu. Screw Pyra and Myhtra, hello Reiko.
View attachment 314996
View attachment 314997

Pyra and Mythra aren’t Namco tho :v

 

[Gengar84]

C'mon Namco, give us the "real" waifu. Screw Pyra and Myhtra, hello Reiko.
View attachment 314996
View attachment 314997

My most wanted female character from Namco is Velvet Crowe from Tales of Berseria.

 

[SKX31]

Iirc, the Switch lacks a certain drm that those streaming services require, making it a lot easier to potentially pirate stuff from em had they come over to Switch

Actually, something similar happened with the Chinese Switch shortly after its launch: people discovered a loophole in the ToS that lead to a HTML version of Tencent's websites - including Tencent's Video service. It's patched out now IIRC, but still.

I would buy any Warriors spin-off of a Nintendo franchise but Mario seems like a strange fit. I would love to see a Pokémon Warriors based on one of the ancient wars in the backstories such as the one with AZ in X and Y. I’d also love a Dynasty Warriors character in Smash. I think Lu Bu is a much more interesting character than Zhao Yun but I’d take either.

I mean, we already have a proof of concept:

Just give Mario the Hammer and most of his Mario & Luigi specials, and there we go, Goombas will just be ****ing blown away en masse.

Well since Someone brought Geno up, what characters do you guys personally think are unlikely to be in FP2, and why?

And before someone says it, NO this is not a hating question, and we can discuss why we feel characters are unlikely without causing a scene

Beyond the obvious (third party mobile reps - at least until one of Nintendo's own mobile characters makes it, games that have little to no presence in regions where Nintendo have themselves a strong presence etc.) I'm gonna go out of a limb and say that several corporations are in a really wonky position. I personally am not sure if Bamco or Ubisoft are frontrunners if Bamco have been seemingly content with Pac-Man from Smash 4 to at least FP1, and Ubisoft's been stuck in a similar limbo for that exact same time.

Now I could be completely off here with the last two characters, but there's not a lot of chances left for that to happen (presumably).

Are you happy with the way the Links have been implemented in this game?

Overall, I wanna say... mostly yes, but there are a couple caveats:

* I'm kinda happy that saw a bit of a renaissance in Ultimate, since his previous four iterations didn't fare that well. True, his playstyle has remained relatively consistent through the games, but he was always "one of the stereotypical projectile spammers" casually and overshadowed in more "Serious Business" contexts. The changes Ultimate gave him did a lot: Rune Bombs are a game changer for him (and I want them to stay in the future), but they also repurposed his CQC so he doesn't rely so much on range - especially his aerials. Nowadays he benefits a lot from trapping tactics, and while he's still relatively sluggish this is the first game where Link's kit truly comes together and makes him able to hold his own. Solid character, even if he's not cast away the "overshadowed" mantle completely (if only because there's like 20+ characters who are considered bonkers in one way or the other).

* is a pretty interesting case due to his clone status in Melee. Yeah, I'm leaning towards "Just give him something to further deviate him from Link in more obvious manners", but Young Link plays vastly differently from his spiritual descendants nowadays. And that's a good thing: Young Link's brand of zoning isn't super-potent since his projectiles don't have the sheer knockback Link's does. However, they're great at confirming into one of his aerials - making Young Link's playstyle a lot more aggressive than Link's by that alone. He does have issues KOing, but Young Link'sin a good spot considering the clone status - as evidenced by his strong playerbase both casually and "Serious Business"**. Yeah, he likely won't return in a future base game, but it's a good opportunity to rework him a bit into a more OoT / MM direction to make him stand out a bit more. Still, any hypotheoretical changes would tread on precarious grounds because he's a solid character as well.

* ...yeah, I've been critical about Sakurai and co. not taking the opportunity previously to give him stuff like the Pegasus Boots and other stuff, but evidently time wasn't on their side, which is understandable. Toon Link plays in a pretty interesting manner - he's much more floaty than the other two, and his particular brand of zoning is arguably the most potent - in certain situations - because his projectiles linger. We shouldn't forget his CQC though - since a lot of his sword swings are single-strike instead of multi-hits Toon Link does have a potent combo / juggling game as well. Not as potent as his Ocarina-using spiritual ancestor, but still potentially deadly to those caught unawares. Overall he's the most balanced Link, and while he has weaknesses like his throws not being that useful, he's still a solid character in his own right - meaning that any changes will be kinda precarious, just like Young Link.

**( is the 15th most used character online according to Ultimategamedata.com, 31st, and 41st. All three are also decently common in more "Serious Business" settings, at least online.)

 

[Paraster]

As for Neku's moveset, I remember reading this one and thinking it was very cool

Dream Smasher: Neku Sakuraba (Guest Article)

In this Dream Smasher, @MarnieFanclub takes a look at Neku!

sourcegaming.info

Hmm. I think incorporating pin evolution and limited usage is a bit unnecessary and overcomplicated, but this method of incorporating the partners is pretty neat. Might adopt something similar for my own Neku moveset. The Final Smash is also cool.

 

[Technomage]

View attachment 314969
Huh
EDIT: what did I just walk into?

It's an old conversation that started out as a comment claiming that Ultimate's DLC could go on for much longer than a few years; now it's come back again. On the other hand, I do find the debate interesting.

And only one person can end it.

Wrong conversation, dude. I don't think Ol' John can extend Ultimate's DLC era.

Speaking of Chief, I am kinda wanting him to Join the Battle, even though I'm not too interested in playing Halo.

Now that I think about it, what would be a good stage for Chief? I think someplace on one of the Halos themselves would work just fine.

I don't know much about Halo, but I will say that I would like a stage that's in the crossfire of two teams' gunfire. :D

What is even a hivemind?

It's a fictional concept where a group of creatures practically share one mind, or whose minds are all connected to each other and can hear each others thoughts (as well as think the exact same things and ways). For an example, look at The Borg from Star Trek.

Don't know this news is worth discussing or not but here

There was a problem fetching the tweet

Would be cool if this were real and of course increase the viability of Dynasty Warriors being repped.

That could also be a prime opportunity to add RPG-exclusive characters (like Fawful and Dimentio).

Are you happy with the way the Links have been implemented in this game?

I don't really care about the Young or Toon Links, but I think all three of them could have gotten a few more differences between each other, like Wild Link retaining Gale Boomerang (I know WL never used it, but look at LttP Zelda: She uses a Phantom despite it only being canonically used by either Toon Zelda or Spirit Tracks Zelda. Thus, I'm okay with a LITTLE bit of not-being-faithful to the source material). YL also could have used a mechanic involving masks, even if they DON't use the transformation masks (and instead used a mask system similar to the Monado Arts; such as the Giant Mask giving YL a Giant buff (which can still be combined with the Super Mushroom's effect), the Bomb Mask generating an explosion whenever YL's attacked, and the Stone Mask making him invisible to the point that homing attacks won't home in on him).

 

[Dukefire]

Honestly, for any remaining hope on character requests are another round of DLC if sakurai has a little more fuel. That is IF sakurai and Nintendo wants to stretch it.

So, all we can now is wait. Which is what people are getting restless overtime for E3 arriving soon

 

[Commander_Alph]

That could also be a prime opportunity to add RPG-exclusive characters (like Fawful and Dimentio).

Actually this could be plausible, remember how Tingle representation in Hyrule Warriors is solely based on his spin-offs appearance even down to the face itself? this could actually happened too with Peach could have her moveset based on Super Princess Peach and Luigi based one Luigi's Mansion.

 

[True Blue Warrior]

Young Link.

**( is the 15th most used character online according to Ultimategamedata.com, 31st, and 41st. All three are also decently common in more "Serious Business" settings, at least online.)

Off-topic, but it’s surreal seeing Marth be the least popular Fire Emblem character to use online based off that game data chart.

 

[SharkLord]

The virgin Geno vs. the chad Neku

fr, of all the Square Enix reps not yet in Smash I wish we’d discuss Neku more, he’s from an SE original IP born on a Nintendo system

Well, I do have a thread for getting characters more attention. Plus the fact that we've changed the nominations to your first post on a character's day, so even if you aren't familiar with a character, you can just come in there, ask about who they are, and leave your nomination.

Granted, I'm pretty sure you're familiar with this one.

This sort of shameless plugging is allowed right?

 

[Mushroomguy12]

The real hivemind is the people still believing Scrimbo Blimbo, the Lovable Scrunko has a chance.

There was a problem fetching the tweet

A Smash fan being near a large body of water? Impossible.

 

[Cutie Gwen]

A Smash fan being near a large body of water? Impossible.

Nono, pool water is infamously gross so it's ok

 

[Ivander]

That could also be a prime opportunity to add RPG-exclusive characters (like Fawful and Dimentio).

At this point, you just know they'll make up a few original characters that they will never use again and different variations of Mario and the other main characters rather than take from their list of existing characters......

 

[Rie Sonomura]

What’s this about Mario + Rabbids leaks that say Rayman in Smash? Can someone fill me in?

I don’t think anyone answered my question here...

 

[Dukefire]

I miss Alphadream with all of the Mario RPG series they created. Bowser's Inside Story and Superstar Saga was my favorite games while growing up.

 

[SharkLord]

I don’t think anyone answered my question here...

I think there was a report or something? I'm not quite sure where it came from myself, actually.

 

[Hydreigonfan01]

I don’t think anyone answered my question here...

Two 4chan leaks written at a similar time says that a new Mario + Rabbids is coming out, using the same title. Both are also suggesting an Ubisoft rep coming in Smash, one of them saying Rayman.

Of course it could just be the same guy who wrote both leaks, and I think it's likely fake.
PapaGenos discusses it here.

 

[cashregister9]

I don’t think anyone answered my question here...

As Far as I Know it was just a 4chan post, E3 Season tends to bring out some Spicy 4chan fakes.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Two 4chan leaks written at a similar time says that a new Mario + Rabbids is coming out, using the same title. Both are also suggesting an Ubisoft rep coming in Smash, one of them saying Rayman.

Of course it could just be the same guy who wrote both leaks, and I think it's likely fake.
PapaGenos discusses it here.

Yeah I think it’s fake too, especially since they were posted around the same time, or at least within a short interval of each other. I too think it’s the same dude

didn’t one say you’d wait till September for CP10? Yeah no

 

[Guynamednelson]

didn’t one say you’d wait till September for CP10? Yeah no

There's leaks that can be considered disappointing enough to be true, and then there's something so unreasonably disappointing that no one should believe it.

 

[Lionfranky]

Not counting blatantly deconfirmed characters like Rex & Hayabusa:

• Elma. It’ll be a miracle if she happens after Pythra, and trust me I’d be celebrating. After all Elma is from a different installment than Pythra, but I feel she’d need some kind of “caveat” like having the X symbol for her series instead of the Monado. Idk. Unless she’s the rumored bonus individual DLC.
• Lloyd. Me feeling his Mii Costume is certain to return aside, Symphonia hasn’t been ported to Switch yet (and if it is it’ll likely be the (ew) Steam version).
• Neku. I mean sure, he could be an easy double dip after negotiations for Sephiroth wrapped up, but how would Sakurai handle the mechanics? Would he just give Neku random pin psychs and call it a day, or would a partner mechanic be used?
• A Soul Calibur character. (Nightmare fans are gonna hate me for this probably) but SC is a 3D fighter much like Tekken. If Sakurai couldn’t implement Heihachi due to the complexity of the Z-axis movements surely the same would apply to a SC character?
• Frick it ANY Namco rep in general. They seem to think it’d be nepotism to include another character after and I say this as someone who WANTS both KOS-MOS and T-elos.
• Dante. With how much of a show stealer he is you’d think he’d have been revealed much earlier, even for base.
• Sol Badguy. Idk I’m just,,, not feeling him for some reason
• Master Chief. Sure, Halo’s a BIT more popular in Japan than Doom but... not by much. Surprisingly, Apex Legends is the most popular western FPS in Japan, so if we get a FPS rep I have a feeling it’ll be an Apex champion.
• Rayman. Idk what else to say here but I also am not confident in him
• Arle. Yeah she dodged the Spirit Event bullet for PPT2 but I also think she’d have happened by now
• Another Pokémon, Gen 8 or no. They always felt like base roster picks to me

And the kicker? I actually WANT some of these characters. Not all. But some.

Ayumi Tachibana should give good insight on this. From what I was told, Japanese speculation actually brings up Chief time to time, not Doom or Apex. And I don't think Apex got big in Japan by the time FP2 was decided.

 

[ForsakenM]

All I gotta say is that if you don't like it here, don't come. The people here a free to discuss whatever they want, and if you disagree with a lot of it, save yourself the stress. Don't mean to sound condescending don't get that impression I'm just trying to help you out and mediate things.

I've been away from SmashBoards for a long time, and seeing the after effects of the "geno thread vs general discussion war" still happening is just dumb.

You're completely good my friend. I remember when I had to take breaks from the Geno thread because the same crap was being spewed every week for a month and no matter how I interjected to freshen it up, it stayed the same, which was usually a pessimistic outlook. This isn't about taking breaks as much as trying to insert discussion that makes this thread more open-minded.

I will disagree with you that people are free to discuss what they want here because I've seen what happens and how people get shutdown even if they aren't as assertive as I am if what they are saying doesn't match up with what is commonly accepted here. This thread really only accepts those points of view once they end up happening, but not during the build up of people pointing to the signs. However, I will admit that it SEEMS to be a bit better here, but I can't be sure entirely. I will say it's better than GameFAQs or Twitter, but that really isn't saying all that much.

I will say though that it does get a bit tiring arguing with people who think Hayabusa is deconfirmed or that somehow Mii Costumes still deconfirm but only for third party now because they still need a way to hold onto their old beliefs until they are absolutely shattered like with Spirits, and the amount of people who refuse to acknowledge more content can happen just because Sakurai said something in June when things could have easily changed before or after that and he can't leak that **** ahead of it's reveal is actually kind of weirdly depressing. It's like Smash fans at large believe there is no way we can get more content and half of those believe we don't deserve it or some ****, and when I offer up things that clash with that and debunk their responses they can't possibly embrace something more positive is possible.

I do think some folks here have at least budged a bit and think an Ultimate Deluxe is possible, so I suppose that's progress.

To quickly address some things so I cna go about my day, Shroob for future reference, if I mention I've heard anything, I can assure you 90% of the time it didn't come from The Janinator, and the other 10% is that it came from somewhere else before he said it and I probably knew about it already. I would love to just barf up some of that ****, but it's not my place and frankly none of you would believe me anyway, so I just stick around and hope that what I hear happens since it tends to clash with what is said here and I find that to be a good thing.

NonSpecificGuy So I won't say that this is a direct quote, but apparently in one of the investors meetings, Furakawa mentioned that we are technically now in the middle of the Switch's lifecycle due to the delays of stuff from COVID. Regardless of the accuracy of that, I find it incredibly liekly that with the massive delays on content and product across the globe, I feel like assuming the Switch has somewhere between one and two years of support left is wise. Edit: Excuse me, I mean added onto whatever we would have normally, since they are backed up. Also rumors are about that they actually aren't thinking about a system successor right now due to the massive success they've been having, but they are just rumors and I'm sure they do have something in the works even if it's farther off than some of us may think.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

You're completely good my friend. I remember when I had to take breaks from the Geno thread because the same crap was being spewed every week for a month and no matter how I interjected to freshen it up, it stayed the same, which was usually a pessimistic outlook. This isn't about taking breaks as much as trying to insert discussion that makes this thread more open-minded.

I will disagree with you that people are free to discuss what they want here because I've seen what happens and how people get shutdown even if they aren't as assertive as I am if what they are saying doesn't match up with what is commonly accepted here. This thread really only accepts those points of view once they end up happening, but not during the build up of people pointing to the signs. However, I will admit that it SEEMS to be a bit better here, but I can't be sure entirely. I will say it's better than GameFAQs or Twitter, but that really isn't saying all that much.

I will say though that it does get a bit tiring arguing with people who think Hayabusa is deconfirmed or that somehow Mii Costumes still deconfirm but only for third party now because they still need a way to hold onto their old beliefs until they are absolutely shattered like with Spirits, and the amount of people who refuse to acknowledge more content can happen just because Sakurai said something in June when things could have easily changed before or after that and he can't leak that ** ahead of it's reveal is actually kind of weirdly depressing. It's like Smash fans at large believe there is no way we can get more content and half of those believe we don't deserve it or some **, and when I offer up things that clash with that and debunk their responses they can't possibly embrace something more positive is possible.

I do think some folks here have at least budged a bit and think an Ultimate Deluxe is possible, so I suppose that's progress.

To quickly address some things so I cna go about my day, Shroob for future reference, if I mention I've heard anything, I can assure you 90% of the time it didn't come from The Janinator, and the other 10% is that it came from somewhere else before he said it and I probably knew about it already. I would love to just barf up some of that ****, but it's not my place and frankly none of you would believe me anyway, so I just stick around and hope that what I hear happens since it tends to clash with what is said here and I find that to be a good thing.

NonSpecificGuy So I won't say that this is a direct quote, but apparently in one of the investors meetings, Furakawa mentioned that we are technically now in the middle of the Switch's lifecycle due to the delays of stuff from COVID. Regardless of the accuracy of that, I find it incredibly liekly that with the massive delays on content and product across the globe, I feel like assuming the Switch has somewhere between one and two years of support left is wise. Edit: Excuse me, I mean added onto whatever we would have normally, since they are backed up. Also rumors are about that they actually aren't thinking about a system successor right now due to the massive success they've been having, but they are just rumors and I'm sure they do have something in the works even if it's farther off than some of us may think.

Regarding the last paragraph, I thought some R&D went into a successor already?

 

[Mushroomguy12]

I miss Alphadream with all of the Mario RPG series they created. Bowser's Inside Story and Superstar Saga was my favorite games while growing up.

• Paper Mario drastically scales back character design variation and is never going to go back to the original RPG system again.
• AlphaDream's bankrupt, so Mario & Luigi is dead too.
• Super Mario RPG sequel - happening never ever.

 

[N3ON]

Regarding the last paragraph, I thought some R&D went into a successor already?

R&D on the successor to the current system begins right after the system launches, so whatever is to follow the Switch has been worked on for a while now.

Doesn’t mean it’s imminent, though. The Switch is so wildly successful that it just being halfway now is believable. Nintendo is in absolutely no rush to get an entirely new system on the market.

 

[SKX31]

Off-topic, but it’s surreal seeing Marth be the least popular Fire Emblem character to use online based off that game data chart.

Oof, yeah, I feel bad for the guy. There are several reasons for that:

• He's reliant on spacing: and the removal of mechanics that finetune spacing hurt him especially hard since there's a sharp dividing line between "tipper" and "sourspot". The universal speed increase helps him, yeah, but it helps everyone else and makes it more difficult to land tippers as a result.
• His grab game and front-facing attacks were weakened - the grab game no longer lead into kill confirms as easily, the front-facing attacks generally had sourspots weakened. Which in turn makes him more reliant on tippers... that is very difficult to consistently hit regardless of skill level.
• Loud voices proclaimed Lucina as the "better and easier Marth" as a result of the above. While it mostly affected the "Serious Business" side, I wouldn't be surprised if some casual players followed along. FTR, Lucina's just below Link and just above on that chart; she's at 16th and the most popular FE character to use online.

Regarding the last paragraph, I thought some R&D went into a successor already?

R&D on the successor to the current system begins right after the system launches, so whatever is to follow the Switch has been worked on for a while now.

Doesn’t mean it’s imminent, though. The Switch is so wildly successful that it just being halfway now is believable. Nintendo is in absolutely no rush to get an entirely new system on the market.

Yup (emphasis mine):

In recent years, research and development (R&D) expenses have been on the rise. What's the context for that? You're anticipating R&D expenses of nearly 100 billion yen this fiscal year, but could you give a general idea of what kind of development that is for?

Furukawa: Our software development costs, which include outsourcing, are increasing as we work to maintain a continuous stream of new titles for Nintendo Switch as it enters the middle of its lifecycle. Because per-title development costs are higher now than they were on past platforms, we anticipate that R&D expenses will continue to rise as we work to maintain a sizeable lineup of titles. We are also conducting a variety of studies, which include investigating ways to enhance our digital business, and future services that will help maintain long-term relationships with our consumers, as was touched on in the Corporate Management Policy Briefing last September. In addition, the development of the next generation of hardware needs to begin years before launch, so R&D expenses for that are gradually rising. We are aiming to grow by continuing our integrated hardware-software entertainment business, and that means conducting all sorts of research and development in various areas including both hardware and software.

 

[Guynamednelson]

Oof, yeah, I feel bad for the guy. There are several reasons for that:

• He's reliant on spacing: and the removal of mechanics that finetune spacing hurt him especially hard since there's a sharp dividing line between "tipper" and "sourspot". The universal speed increase helps him, yeah, but it helps everyone else and makes it more difficult to land tippers as a result.
• His grab game and front-facing attacks were weakened - the grab game no longer lead into kill confirms as easily, the front-facing attacks generally had sourspots weakened. Which in turn makes him more reliant on tippers... that is very difficult to consistently hit regardless of skill level.
• Loud voices proclaimed Lucina as the "better and easier Marth" as a result of the above. While it mostly affected the "Serious Business" side, I wouldn't be surprised if some casual players followed along. FTR, Lucina's just below Link and just above on that chart; she's at 16th and the most popular FE character to use online.

It also seems like they've reduced the length of his sword hitboxes to help newer characters meant to have long-range melee attacks stick out.