The only thing that really makes me doubt a character like Octoling being the last character is that they're somewhat similar to the Inklings who are base characters. Won't Nintendo be like "People will believe they're buying an Inkling skin" or something like that? I know that's stupid because we, as Smash fans can tell the difference between an Inkling and an Octoling but put yourself in the shoes of a casual gamer who has no idea what Splatoon is, what is the Octoling going to do to sell to the casual gamer that they're any different from the Inkling? What if the casual gamer looks at them both and goes "What's different about this character? It looks just like Inkling?" That's a lost sale right there.
I don't know, I just see Octoling being the equivalent of Akuma being the last fighter. Sure they could do something different but would buying a character that looks similar to a character you can find in the base game really justify the price?
But hey, that's just what I think.
Then again, we haven't seen any non-protagonist first parties (that's a mouthful) released as DLC outside of Mewtwo. And it had the "veteran" caveat and thus the expenses paid to rework it from its Melee incarnation*. Nintendo's primary hang up may be something as simple as "Well, we could release this established guy as DLC... but this other guy is the star of his / her own game, and we get to advertise that game as a bonus! Also, we only have so many slots, so lets maximize this".
The scenario you propose, of a casual trying to tell the Octolings apart from the Inklings, is a complicated one. There are - TBF - some ways to make it easier:
- Model changes: Emphasize perhaps the Octo Expansion style and / or bring in other choiches of clothes to make the visual distinction clear.
- Gameplay changes. excel at quick damage racking and versatile movement / burst options, while their main weaknesses are the lack of a consistent / safe KO option and limited out of shield options. Octoling could instead specialize at more traditional zoning or something else thanks to different weaponry (in return having different weaknesses) - this in turn can be combined with the model changes to create a distinct look and feel.
It's not impossible for say the Octolings, Waluigi or someone else to be released as DLC, but I'm a "I believe it when I see it" kind of guy - especially when it comes to a project as secretive as this.
*(Which TBF it needed since Melee Mewtwo had alot of jank like a lack of reliable KO options and a Side B that didn't work as a reflector, but that's another topic.)
Yep.
And sadly, Activision's plan is already working...
I feel bad for Crash and Spyro, since the franchises are entirely innocent, but
Yeah, kinda hard to look at Activision with anything but disgust.
A good time to put this reminder:
a group of A-B investors are suing A-B partly due to the fact that the investors were not told about the investigation. And to hammer home that it is having very real effects: several of
Overwatch League's / CoD League's sponsors pulled out.
Chances are that this is not going to be forgotten even if A-B does wind up settling and actually reforms its organizational culture.
Also, in miscellaneous news:
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