Official DLC Speculation Discussion Volume II

[Michael the Spikester]

2022 is gonna be a great year for the Switch

Delta and Lambda variants: I'm about to end that year's career.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

To me the big determining factor in getting an August Direct is whether or not we get an Indie Showcase announced. If that happens, then it might be realistic to expect the general presentation next month especially when it can hit a sweet spot of reminding people of titles recently released in September or about to be (Wario Ware, Sonic Colors Ultimate) as well as games that are very close (Monkey Ball & Metroid Dread).

 

[Sucumbio]

I just read about a new animated Mario movie by Illumination coming soon which means it's prolly old news to everyone lol but I'm wondering if anyone thinks there's a good chance of fp11 being a new Mario rep tied to this movie whose director is apparently on Nintendo's payroll now...

Someone like...

#4952 Lost Mario Universe character that should be given a reignited return somehow... Foreman Spike pic.twitter.com/qeLEWhpCWJ

— Andrew D🌥️C (@AWDtwit) March 9, 2020

 

[chocolatejr9]

2022 is gonna be a great year for the Switch

BOTW2
Splatoon 3
(potentially) XC3
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

and definitely more

Kinda reminds of 2017's lineup. All that's missing is Super Mario Oddyssey 2...

 

[UltimateCyborgOverlord]

I just read about a new animated Mario movie by Illumination coming soon which means it's prolly old news to everyone lol but I'm wondering if anyone thinks there's a good chance of fp11 being a new Mario rep tied to this movie whose director is apparently on Nintendo's payroll now...

Someone like...

#4952 Lost Mario Universe character that should be given a reignited return somehow... Foreman Spike pic.twitter.com/qeLEWhpCWJ

— Andrew D🌥️C (@AWDtwit) March 9, 2020

I mean, if you told me that there was gonna be an animated Mario movie, and Foreman Spike was gonna be in it, I don't know if I'd have believed you before today.

Foreman Spike being in Smash... well, the Golden Hammer's already been there and there's a whole Wrecking Crew stage.. it's like his content came before he did.

 

[Theguy123]

Speaking of 2022 being packed with games to challenge 2017. It’s the 15th anniversary of professor Layton next year so I wonder if the rumoured level 5 game they’re currently working on is Layton 8 and I wonder if they’ll localise it for Europe.

Either that or they picked curious village back up after they shut down their Western side and it’s gonna get a localisation for the switch in 2022

 

[Shroob]

Kinda surreal this could all be over next month.


I feel pretty confident there's no Direct this month, even with the weirdness in regards to the Direct vanishing.

 

[Michael the Spikester]

Kinda surreal this could all be over next month.


I feel pretty confident there's no Direct this month, even with the weirdness in regards to the Direct vanishing.

Watch that "A little while" means until December.

 

[Shroob]

Watch that "A little while" means until December.

Didn't someone more fluent in Japanese just the other day say that wasn't actually the case.

 

[Theguy123]

Man I had a dream last night that FP11 was the penguin from club penguin and town theme 2 was playing during the trailer. Sakurai then appeared on screen and said “yes I know what you’re thinking and you’re right. This is club penguin. It hasn’t made a debut since it’s shutdown of club penguin world but here it is”

then he tells us that there is a special message from a certain someone he wants to show us before then showing us a message from Disney who apologise for how club penguin has been treated over the years and then announces that club penguin will be reopened and they look forward to the future of club penguin.

man imagine living in a world where Disney aren’t stingy and club penguin didn’t get harshly treated.

anyone else had any cool dreams for FP11 or just any character in general or news they want to hear

 

[subterrestrial]

Man I had a dream last night that FP11 was the penguin from club penguin and town theme 2 was playing during the trailer. Sakurai then appeared on screen and said “yes I know what you’re thinking and you’re right. This is club penguin. It hasn’t made a debut since it’s shutdown of club penguin world but here it is”

then he tells us that there is a special message from a certain someone he wants to show us before then showing us a message from Disney who apologise for how club penguin has been treated over the years and then announces that club penguin will be reopened and they look forward to the future of club penguin.

man imagine living in a world where Disney aren’t stingy and club penguin didn’t get harshly treated.

anyone else had any cool dreams for FP11 or just any character in general or news they want to hear

few days ago I dreamt g&w was the last dlc char, lol literally just another g&w with the same name and completely different moveset

I also had a dream ms pacman was an isabelle type echo with different fruit. Lmao & one time I dreamt that the guy from contra was the final character, and he had huge backlash in the smash community because he was the most hardcore zoner yet with parachute item drops and weapon upgrades. He even had a helicopter move lmao he got banned in competitive play

ngl that last one was wayyy too realistic

 

[chocolatejr9]

Man I had a dream last night that FP11 was the penguin from club penguin and town theme 2 was playing during the trailer. Sakurai then appeared on screen and said “yes I know what you’re thinking and you’re right. This is club penguin. It hasn’t made a debut since it’s shutdown of club penguin world but here it is”

then he tells us that there is a special message from a certain someone he wants to show us before then showing us a message from Disney who apologise for how club penguin has been treated over the years and then announces that club penguin will be reopened and they look forward to the future of club penguin.

man imagine living in a world where Disney aren’t stingy and club penguin didn’t get harshly treated.

anyone else had any cool dreams for FP11 or just any character in general or news they want to hear

After watching this, I REALLY want Disney to give Epic Mickey a second chance:

 

[warubyun]

I just read about a new animated Mario movie by Illumination coming soon which means it's prolly old news to everyone lol but I'm wondering if anyone thinks there's a good chance of fp11 being a new Mario rep tied to this movie whose director is apparently on Nintendo's payroll now...

Someone like...

#4952 Lost Mario Universe character that should be given a reignited return somehow... Foreman Spike pic.twitter.com/qeLEWhpCWJ

— Andrew D🌥️C (@AWDtwit) March 9, 2020

I don't know, they're aiming for a 2022 release, and a year later seems a bit too far off for a promotional fighter.

I was surprised that they're bringing back Foreman Spike (presumably, his VA just said "Spike, their boss" and I don't know who else it could be) for this film. If they're reaching back for such an obscure and seldomly-used character, you have to wonder what this means for other characters. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Bowser and the Toads are all obvious, but at this point characters like Bowser Jr., the Koopalings, Daisy, Wario, Waluigi, Rosalina etc. are all more major and well-known in the franchise than Spike is. Perhaps his appearance is promising for them as well?

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

As someone who was a big fan of the various Disney platformers back in the day, I'd just love for them to dive back into that with actual and spiritual sequels to those games. Something with the voice cast/scale of the Kingdom Hearts titles paired with kind of solid reinvention of the 2D and 3D platformer being done by current indie studios could make for a magical experience.

Heck a Quackshot sequel done of the in the style of a Metroidvania? That's the stuff dreams are made of.

 

[TheLamerGamer]

Man I had a dream last night that FP11 was the penguin from club penguin and town theme 2 was playing during the trailer. Sakurai then appeared on screen and said “yes I know what you’re thinking and you’re right. This is club penguin. It hasn’t made a debut since it’s shutdown of club penguin world but here it is”

then he tells us that there is a special message from a certain someone he wants to show us before then showing us a message from Disney who apologise for how club penguin has been treated over the years and then announces that club penguin will be reopened and they look forward to the future of club penguin.

man imagine living in a world where Disney aren’t stingy and club penguin didn’t get harshly treated.

anyone else had any cool dreams for FP11 or just any character in general or news they want to hear

The only Smash related dream I've ever had had Nanjo and Mark from Persona as the final character as a duo character like the ice climbers. There was also a new Persona logo, which had loads of butterflies.

I'd honestly love something like this, especially if we can get loads of classic Persona music.

 

[Sucumbio]

I don't know, they're aiming for a 2022 release, and a year later seems a bit too far off for a promotional fighter.

I was surprised that they're bringing back Foreman Spike (presumably, his VA just said "Spike, their boss" and I don't know who else it could be) for this film. If they're reaching back for such an obscure and seldomly-used character, you have to wonder what this means for other characters. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Bowser and the Toads are all obvious, but at this point characters like Bowser Jr., the Koopalings, Daisy, Wario, Waluigi, Rosalina etc. are all more major and well-known in the franchise than Spike is. Perhaps his appearance is promising for them as well?

Totally I mean just that there's an official movie at all surprised me a bit (or a lot actually)so this could be a start of an animated franchise with an origin tale etc...but yeah tbh I never played wrecking crew so this character is a mystery to me...but if the wider Mario universe gets a new rep I'd love for it to be someone unique like this.

Then again it's absolutely a far reach cause Plant, to say nothing of how many reps already exist... But if the FE rep or heck the original 64 roster says anything how many characters already rep a franchise is kinda moot.

 

[GilTheGreat19]

anyone else had any cool dreams for FP11 or just any character in general or news they want to hear

Not a dream, but while taking a break from coding a few days ago, I had a fun though because why not

CP11 reveal time: It's some Sony character. Right after the reveal, the camera cuts to Jim Ryan saying that he hoped we enjoyed the trailer, explaining that console wars were never a thing and that Nintendo and Sony were able to make the impossible possible, making this one of gaming's biggest reveals ever: he then goes "Mr. Sakurai, would you like to explain to us how ___ plays in Smash?" And right before he gets to it, Sakurai thanks Sony for working with him and Sora Ltd. and for making such a crossover possible. During this direct, we also find out that the game of origin of our fighter will be getting a Switch port.

 

[chocolatejr9]

Not a dream, but while taking a break from coding a few days ago, I had a fun though because why not

CP11 reveal time: It's some Sony character. Right after the reveal, the camera cuts to Jim Ryan saying that he hoped we enjoyed the trailer, explaining that console wars were never a thing and that Nintendo and Sony were able to make the impossible possible, making this one of gaming's biggest reveals ever: he then goes "Mr. Sakurai, would you like to explain to us how ___ plays in Smash?" And right before he gets to it, Sakurai thanks Sony for working with him and Sora Ltd. and for making such a crossover possible. During this direct, we also find out that the game of origin of our fighter will be getting a Switch port.

So basicslly, Gravity Rush finally gets some respect?

 

[warubyun]

Totally I mean just that there's an official movie at all surprised me a bit (or a lot actually)so this could be a start of an animated franchise with an origin tale etc...but yeah tbh I never played wrecking crew so this character is a mystery to me...but if the wider Mario universe gets a new rep I'd love for it to be someone unique like this.

Then again it's absolutely a far reach cause Plant, to say nothing of how many reps already exist... But if the FE rep or heck the original 64 roster says anything how many characters already rep a franchise is kinda moot.

Who knows, maybe the film will signal Spike's return to the mainstream if it does well, as Mario Odyssey has done for Pauline. Maybe he'll become playable in future spin-offs after that, and maybe appear in Smash in some form one day. I assume they'll have to create a modernised design for him for this film, so why not keep using it?

 

[DanganZilla5]

There was a problem fetching the tweet

CP11 is going to be a Xenoblade 3 character

I saw this earlier and I had to stop myself from hyperventilating. I'm stoked to hear that some characters will return. I was hoping for a full blown cast reunion and crossover between the two games but no matter what happens I'm stoked. I was afraid that with the anthology style of the Xenoverse that they wouldn't do this but it's happening folks!

Also, someone brought up the possibility of a Xenoblade Warriors game and as a huge fan of both Xenoblade and Musou games that **** would be an instant purchase.

 

[TeenGirlSquad]

Sony kind of makes sense because right now, Microsoft is represented without Sony. So it would make sense, kind of like how Sonic, Mega Man, and Pac-Man eventually all made it in. But the biggest contender is Kratos. I can't really see them doing Nathan Drake, Ratchet & Clank, and especially more dated characters like Sackboy and Sly Cooper. I'm not sure if Kratos would be as surprising as Steve etc, but I think most people would be hyped for his inclusion.

 

[Speed Weed]

and especially more dated characters like Sackboy and Sly Cooper.

....It hasn't even been a full year since Sackboy's last game

 

[Dinoman96]

Sony kind of makes sense because right now, Microsoft is represented without Sony. So it would make sense, kind of like how Sonic, Mega Man, and Pac-Man eventually all made it in. But the biggest contender is Kratos. I can't really see them doing Nathan Drake, Ratchet & Clank, and especially more dated characters like Sackboy and Sly Cooper. I'm not sure if Kratos would be as surprising as Steve etc, but I think most people would be hyped for his inclusion.

The difference is that the main reason Microsoft has characters in Smash because Minecraft is the most popular game ever and is essentially just a multi-platform franchise that appears on everything, so naturally Nintendo wanted it in the game, and Banjo & Kazooie most likely just tagged along as a bonus due to their popularity amongst older Nintendo fans (+ Phil Spencer gunning for it).

Sony doesn't really have anything to offer to Nintendo.

 

[chocolatejr9]

....It hasn't even been a full year since Sackboy's last game

Yeah, but I don't think anybody remembers it...

 

[SNEKeater]

Sony kind of makes sense because right now, Microsoft is represented without Sony. So it would make sense, kind of like how Sonic, Mega Man, and Pac-Man eventually all made it in. But the biggest contender is Kratos. I can't really see them doing Nathan Drake, Ratchet & Clank, and especially more dated characters like Sackboy and Sly Cooper. I'm not sure if Kratos would be as surprising as Steve etc, but I think most people would be hyped for his inclusion.

I'd say it's pretty much between Kratos, Ratchet and Nathan Drake.

If we were in a timeline where a Sony character is actually something that Nintendo has in their minds, I don't see why they wouldn't go for one of Sony's most popular characters.

There's no big fan support or not notable enough to make Nintendo actually consider going for a smaller but very popular character within the Smash community, so there's nothing holding back Nintendo if they wanted Kratos or Nate, for example.

The difference is that Microsoft has characters in Smash because Minecraft is the most popular game ever and is essentially just a multi-platform franchise that appears on everything, so naturally Nintendo wanted it in the game, and Banjo & Kazooie most likely just tagged along as a bonus due to their popularity amongst older Nintendo fans (+ Phil Spencer gunning for it).

Sony doesn't really have anything to offer to Nintendo.

Eh, I don't think "anything to offer" is really the best way to put it. The appeal of getting a Playstation character in Smash Bros alone would be very huge, so that alone would definitely offer mean something to Nintendo.

If they're actually interested in make it happen, that's a different story. And of course, that is assuming both sides are collaborative. People often dismiss the idea because "Sony isn't open to do collabs", which btw is pretty much false as time has proven, but never think that the first obstacle might be Nintendo themselves. Unless special circumstances arise, where a company approaches Nintendo, Nintendo are usually the ones doing the first move when it comes to Smash negotiations.

In other words: Sony can't even refuse the idea if Nintendo doesn't make the proposal in the first place.

 

[Dinoman96]

Eh, I don't think "anything to offer" is really the best way to put it. The appeal of getting a Playstation character in Smash Bros alone would be very huge, so that alone would definitely offer mean something to Nintendo.

If they're actually interested in make it happen, that's a different story. And of course, that is assuming both sides are collaborative. People often dismiss the idea because "Sony isn't open to do collabs", which btw is pretty much false as time has proven, but never think that the first obstacle might be Nintendo themselves. Unless special circumstances arise, where a company approaches Nintendo, Nintendo are usually the ones doing the first move when it comes to Smash negotiations.

In other words: Sony can't even refuse the idea if Nintendo doesn't make the proposal in the first place.

Well, yes, that's what I meant. I don't think Nintendo has any real reason to want a character from Sony outside of pure shock value.

Like with Microsoft, I honestly think that if they never purchased Minecraft to begin with, Nintendo probably wouldn't have a strong relationship with them that they do now and thus they probably wouldn't of been involved in Smash at all. It really just seems like Nintendo just wanted Steve in Smash and Banjo was a byproduct of those negotiations due to his popularity. And had he not been so heavily requested, it would of just been Steve in the game and no one else.

 

[GilTheGreat19]

I don't think this is necessarily direct evidence.

But part of me FEELS like if Sony won't happen, it could partially be because Nintendo themselves wouldn't want to make the deal.

I see that the official Playstation twitter account follows Nintendo of America... Nintendo of America doesn't follow them back.
Additionally, while the official Playstation page congratulated Nintendo on the Switch's launch, the Nintendo of America account didn't do the same for the PS5. Rather, Doug Bowser himself congratulated Sony on the launch.
Additionally, I can recall Nintendo not outright saying that they'd still partake in EVo after Sony acquired it.


:///

 

[ryuryunonoroi]

Man I had a dream last night that FP11 was the penguin from club penguin and town theme 2 was playing during the trailer. Sakurai then appeared on screen and said “yes I know what you’re thinking and you’re right. This is club penguin. It hasn’t made a debut since it’s shutdown of club penguin world but here it is”

then he tells us that there is a special message from a certain someone he wants to show us before then showing us a message from Disney who apologise for how club penguin has been treated over the years and then announces that club penguin will be reopened and they look forward to the future of club penguin.

man imagine living in a world where Disney aren’t stingy and club penguin didn’t get harshly treated.

anyone else had any cool dreams for FP11 or just any character in general or news they want to hear

I almost never have dreams, and even when I do they're always either extremely brief or take place in specific reoccurring areas.

Not a dream, but while taking a break from coding a few days ago, I had a fun though because why not

CP11 reveal time: It's some Sony character. Right after the reveal, the camera cuts to Jim Ryan saying that he hoped we enjoyed the trailer, explaining that console wars were never a thing and that Nintendo and Sony were able to make the impossible possible, making this one of gaming's biggest reveals ever: he then goes "Mr. Sakurai, would you like to explain to us how ___ plays in Smash?" And right before he gets to it, Sakurai thanks Sony for working with him and Sora Ltd. and for making such a crossover possible. During this direct, we also find out that the game of origin of our fighter will be getting a Switch port.

You don't know your console wars history very well then. If you've read into how the original Playstation was planned to be an SNES addon before it became its own separate console, and the reasons WHY negotiations between Nintendo and Sony ended up breaking down, it should be crystal clear why Nintendo is never going to enmesh themselves with Sony in such a manner ever again.

This is only compounded by their anti-competitive practices in recent years, including their censorship policies, which in many cases appear to include a contract clause with many of their partners that disallows them from publishing less censored versions of their games on other platforms. Also their financial stakes in other gaming related areas the ESRB, the ESA (gaming's main lobbying group), and most recently EVO. And that's honestly just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Sony's rap sheet as a whole.

Not sure if that DOJ anti-trust probe for trying to create a de-facto monopoly on anime distribution is still ongoing or not. But regulatory capture is a b**** so ultimately I expect nothing.

 

[SKX31]

Sony kind of makes sense because right now, Microsoft is represented without Sony. So it would make sense, kind of like how Sonic, Mega Man, and Pac-Man eventually all made it in. But the biggest contender is Kratos. I can't really see them doing Nathan Drake, Ratchet & Clank, and especially more dated characters like Sackboy and Sly Cooper. I'm not sure if Kratos would be as surprising as Steve etc, but I think most people would be hyped for his inclusion.

The main issue here is that it's very difficult to tell how cordial the Nintendo / Sony relationship is currently (or more accurately the 2018/2019 negotiations window). Microsoft has focused a lot of time and effort on the idea of people playing their games on as many platforms as possible (incl. the Switch, mind) so negotiations with them are by nature much easier than with a more mercurial Sony. Then again, they're no longer rivals exactly - and chances are that the relationship isn't as hostile as it was during the N64 / GCN days when the PS1 / 2 were king.

TBF, as SNEKeater pointed out, a Sony character in Smash would be immense positive PR for both companies on its own since it would signal the "official" end of a very tense rivalry and would make future collaborations easier by proxy.

Well, yes, that's what I meant. I don't think Nintendo has any real reason to want a character from Sony outside of pure shock value.

Like with Microsoft, I honestly think that if they never purchased Minecraft to begin with, Nintendo probably wouldn't have a strong relationship with them that they do now and thus they probably wouldn't of been involved in Smash at all. It really just seems like Nintendo just wanted Steve in Smash and Banjo was a byproduct of those negotiations due to his popularity. And had he not been heavily requested, it would of just been Steve in the game and no one else.

It's worth pointing out that corporations' priorities can and will sometimes shift. Microsoft's pivot to GamePass, xCloud and the idea of playing their games on as many platforms as possible (which is what lead to Minecraft on Switch, and what got the ball rolling) was because the Xbone was struggling out of the gate. The reason for that shift was so that Microsoft could cover a lot of bases in case the console line faltered comparatively (and get revenue out of said bases). Again, Nintendo and Sony aren't direct competitors anymore since Nintendo ceded the "power" horse race while Sony effectively ceded the handheld horse race, so things have shifted from the N64 / GCN days.

Yeah, while I'm not seeing Sony as likely, I'm not going to count them out since those kinds of changes can happen behind the scenes.

 

[SNEKeater]

I don't think this is necessarily direct evidence.

But part of me FEELS like if Sony won't happen, it could partially be because Nintendo themselves wouldn't want to make the deal.

I see that the official Playstation twitter account follows Nintendo of America... Nintendo of America doesn't follow them back.
Additionally, while the official Playstation page congratulated Nintendo on the Switch's launch, the Nintendo of America account didn't do the same for the PS5. Rather, Doug Bowser himself congratulated Sony on the launch.
Additionally, I can recall Nintendo not outright saying that they'd still partake in EVo after Sony acquired it.


:///

I don't think Twitter things matter that much when it comes to this to be honest.

About EVO, Nintendo did say something, I recall that. But their answer was a very vague one if I remember correctly. I guess they just gave a standard answer and decided to wait to see how things would unfold.

But I don't think different platforms matter a lot. EVO is currently doing preliminary qualifying matches for each region and some games are played on PC if I'm not mistaken.

 

[GilTheGreat19]

You don't know your console wars history very well then. If you've read into how the original Playstation was planned to be an SNES addon before it became its own separate console, and the reasons WHY negotiations between Nintendo and Sony ended up breaking down, it should be crystal clear why Nintendo is never going to enmesh themselves with Sony in such a manner ever again.

I am familiar with this.
They were working together to make an in-build CD Drive within the SNES. I understand how Nintendo announced out of nowhere they'd work with Dutch company Phillips and not Sony out of fear that Sony would take advantage of the deal and try to enter the console industry with too much power.
Correct me if I misinterpreted this situation

It's worth pointing out that corporations' priorities can and will sometimes shift.

This too.
Maybe they could (or already have) come to terms.
Times and philosophies change.

Sony's becoming slightly more flexible regarding crossplay and crossovers relating to crossplay.
Kratos and Aloy Fortnite skins, available on all consoles including the Switch
Kratos is in MK Armaggedan (including the Wii versions)
Aloy's coming to Genshin on all consoles, which would probably include the Switch if it released on that in time.


Heck who knows, maybe Sony wants to push Aloy or someone else form their first party batch as hard as they can. Introduce more people to their games.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Sony kind of makes sense because right now, Microsoft is represented without Sony. So it would make sense, kind of like how Sonic, Mega Man, and Pac-Man eventually all made it in. But the biggest contender is Kratos. I can't really see them doing Nathan Drake, Ratchet & Clank, and especially more dated characters like Sackboy and Sly Cooper. I'm not sure if Kratos would be as surprising as Steve etc, but I think most people would be hyped for his inclusion.

Was Steve surprising? Everyone was predicting him in Fighters Pass One.

 

[Dinoman96]

(which is what lead to Minecraft on Switch, and what got the ball rolling)

I kinda think that has a lot more to do with the fact that Minecraft was already available on non-Xbox platforms like Playstation by the time Mojang was purchased back in 2014. Obviously Microsoft didn't want to take MC away from those people so they just decided to roll with it and make Minecraft function as their big multi-platform series.

 

[chocolatejr9]

I almost never have dreams, and even when I do they're always either extremely brief or take place in specific reoccurring areas.



You don't know your console wars history very well then. If you've read into how the original Playstation was planned to be an SNES addon before it became its own separate console, and the reasons WHY negotiations between Nintendo and Sony ended up breaking down, it should be crystal clear why Nintendo is never going to enmesh themselves with Sony in such a manner ever again.

This is only compounded by their anti-competitive practices in recent years, including their censorship policies, which in many cases appear to include a contract clause with many of their partners that disallows them from publishing less censored versions of their games on other platforms. Also their financial stakes in other gaming related areas the ESRB, the ESA (gaming's main lobbying group), and most recently EVO. And that's honestly just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Sony's rap sheet as a whole.

Not sure if that DOJ anti-trust probe for trying to create a de-facto monopoly on anime distribution is still ongoing or not. But regulatory capture is a b**** so ultimately I expect nothing.

You talking about the Crunchyroll buyout? Because yeah, I expect that to go through.

But for what it's worth, a good chunk of companies that were loyal to Sony have jumped ship to Nintendo in recent years, most likely due to stuff like the censorship policies.

 

[TeenGirlSquad]

....It hasn't even been a full year since Sackboy's last game

I meant since the height of his popularity with LBP, maybe I'm just unaware of how well the new game is selling, but LBP 3 was kind of a while ago. I know he's still a popular character tho, I think he's far more in contention than others.

Was Steve surprising? Everyone was predicting him in Fighters Pass One.

I wasn't really surprised because I always thought Vergeben had legitimate information and it was a very persistent rumor, also it's the biggest game in the world and it's on Switch. But in many live reactions, people seemed surprised. Maybe because it came later than expected.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

The difference is that the main reason Microsoft has characters in Smash because Minecraft is the most popular game ever and is essentially just a multi-platform franchise that appears on everything, so naturally Nintendo wanted it in the game, and Banjo & Kazooie most likely just tagged along as a bonus due to their popularity amongst older Nintendo fans (+ Phil Spencer gunning for it).

Sony doesn't really have anything to offer to Nintendo.

I believe Banjo was picked up separately from Steve due to the Phil Spencer tweet. There is an interview Gamexplain conducted with Bill Trinen that went over this, and how Banjo was considered before in the past. Sakurai himself mentioned how easy he was to get in a Famitsu column. I think the reasons one got in had little to nothing to do with why the other got got in based off these interviews.

 

[3BitSaurus]

I believe Banjo was picked up separately from Steve due to the Phil Spencer tweet. There is an interview Gamexplain conducted with Bill Trinen that went over this, and how Banjo was considered before in the past. Sakurai himself mentioned how easy he was to get in a Famitsu column. I think the reasons one got in had little to nothing to do with why the other got got in based off these interviews.

This. People just love to forget that Sakurai straight up namedropped the bear and bird, as well as Rare, back when talking about Melee development.

Minecraft is certainly bigger, but Banjo and Kazooie are hardly "tagalongs".

 

[7NATOR]

I am familiar with this.
They were working together to make an in-build CD Drive within the SNES. I understand how Nintendo announced out of nowhere they'd work with Dutch company Phillips and not Sony out of fear that Sony would take advantage of the deal and try to enter the console industry with too much power.
Correct me if I misinterpreted this situation



This too.
Maybe they could (or already have) come to terms.
Times and philosophies change.

Sony's becoming slightly more flexible regarding crossplay and crossovers relating to crossplay.
Kratos and Aloy Fortnite skins, available on all consoles including the Switch
Kratos is in MK Armaggedan (including the Wii versions)
Aloy's coming to Genshin on all consoles, which would probably include the Switch if it released on that in time.


Heck who knows, maybe Sony wants to push Aloy or someone else form their first party batch as hard as they can. Introduce more people to their games.

Kratos wasn't in MK Armageddon, but MK9, and only the PS3 Version.

In any case, the other examples ring true and do show that Sony is at least open to the idea of Competing software having access to their characters, at least if it's beneficial enough

I think the main thing when it comes to Sony in Smash is gonna come down to how much Nintendo is gonna have to pay to include a Sony character in Smash (whether it be in actual Cost, the time and effort of Negotiations and talks, What guidelines Sony opposes on Nintendo in terms of representing their characters, Development for Sakurai and the team, etc), and the Benefit they will get from the Inclusion of the characters

Franchises like God of War, Uncharted, and Rachet and Clank are big, but the thing is that in Nintendo's eyes, There's not really a correlation with Those franchises on Nintendo, and with even though Sony did allow Kratos to have a Fortnite costume even on all Platforms, and I think Horizon Zero Dawn is on PC, I still think they largely are gonna try to keep their Franchises and characters on the Sony Systems only, or at the least, it's not gonna hit the Nintendo Systems anytime soon

So it might seem like a Huge risk to go for Nintendo, which would be compounded by the fact that I Imagine a Character like Kratos would be very expensive in Licensing, and Sony is going to be very particular about how he is represented. I think what also hurts this idea is that Nintendo already does have characters they have added, and could add that would Appeal to Sony Audiences

Snake, Cloud, Sephiroth, Joker, Kazuya are all characters that Sony fans are going to be Familiar with, and I think it's probably easier for Nintendo to work with all those Companies than it would be to Work with Sony. for the Future, Even though I don't think it would be easy, Activision is also a Viable option with Crash Bandicoot, and Crash has familiarity with Nintendo now thanks to the Remakes and Crash 4, though some could make the Debate that working with Activision might be harder than even working with Sony. If they can finally make it work with Disney, Sora is also an Option representing Kingdom Hearts

I do think a Sony and Nintendo Smash Collaboration is Possible, as Sony has good amount of Iconic characters, Relations can change, and Sony has been open to having their characters on Other Platforms as seen with Fortnite. At the moment though, I find it to be very Unlikely

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

The whole "Minecraft led to Banjo-Kazooie" seems more like Minecraft itself is the big reason why Nintendo overall teamed up with Microsoft.

Steve is not related to this factor, though obviously him being in is due to how big Minecraft is. It wasn't hard to see coming(honestly, I found it obvious without Verge's influence).

 

[Hydreigonfan01]

So if the rumours of XC3 are true, this scene in XC2 is massive foreshadowing.

Spoiler

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