How Would Smash Switch Affect Smash 4?

[Skwrl]

I was wondering how everyone here thinks the Smash 4 community would be changed by the release of Smash Switch (if it was a port, and if it wasn't a port)? Would Smash 4 die out, or would it remain popular (like Melee)?

(I originally posted this in the Smash for Switch Speculation board but was told it might be a better fit here)

 

[MarioManTAW]

If any of the rumors are true, it will most likely be a port, in which case Smash 4 would die instantly due to being inferior to a version on a more popular console. If it is Melee HD, I think some of the Smash 4 community and most of the Melee community will probably make the switch (pun intended). If it is a new game altogether, it's hard to say. It depends on how good it is competitively.

--WARNING-- Minor unnecessary rant that explains my last sentence.

I believe that the only reason the Smash community is so divided between Melee and Smash 4 is because Brawl was not a good competitive game. If Brawl were good, I'm sure most of the Melee community would have switched, as opposed to just some (I know some still would have stayed, like with 64, but that's irrelevant). If that were the case, then the community as a whole would have gone from Melee->Brawl->4. Instead, what happened is that Brawl was bad, some players switched because it was new, others didn't because it was bad. Those who switched carried on to 4, but those who stayed had by that point already invested too much in Melee to give it up, thus creating a divide between the people who played the newest and the people who played the "best".

 

[Lola Luftnagle]

Yeah...it's pretty hard to say at this point. I think it's popularity will subside somewhat if it was a new game altogether though I don't see the Smash 4 competitive scene being like Brawl's where the scene is all but extinct.

 

[MarioMeteor]

More likely than not Smash Switch is going to be a port, in which case Smash 4 is definitely going to lose popularity, especially if the port includes balance adjustments.

That said, though, it will definitely take some time for Smash 4 to die, considering how new the Switch is.

 

[Skwrl]

More likely than not Smash Switch is going to be a port, in which case Smash 4 is definitely going to lose popularity, especially if the port includes balance adjustments.

That said, though, it will definitely take some time for Smash 4 to die, considering how new the Switch is.

I hope you're right about it taking time to die out. I don't have any plans to buy a Switch any time soon.

 

[MarioMeteor]

I hope you're right about it taking time to die out. I don't have any plans to buy a Switch any time soon.

Neither do I. I plan on waiting till holiday season when Mario Odyssey comes out. Honestly, I can't imagine that Smash Switch will have anything that's going to entice me to buy one before that.

 

[JagerCry]

It depends on what kind of smash game it is. If it's:
-Melee HD and it has GC controller support you will probably see the melee scene switch to it. It likely wouldn't affect sm4sh bc melee and sm4sh are so different but at the same time it probably wouldn't help sm4sh to grow as a more popular console is offering a new smash game.
-Sm4sh port it would likely instantly kill sm4sh on wii u. GC controller support would likely be the only issue that could come up but say sm4sh gets ported to the switch and they add 2 new characters it would change everything and wii u smash would just die instantly. But you can think of it more like sm4sh would migrate from wii u to switch just like melee hd would cause a migration.
-Smash 5 if this happens it likely will still be down the road a couple years and would probably kill the sm4sh scene. A smash 5 game is most likely to be similar to sm4sh in play style. They could take sm4sh and make it a little more competitive, like if they increased the overall speed of the game or removed rage or untechable tumbling. They could keep the same ledge mechanics. They could add more stages which would create an overall better tournament legal stage list as sm4sh is still fairly divided with issues like lylat, BF and DL counting as the same stage etc. The biggest issue would be the roster, if they took out popular characters bc of licensing or time it could create an issue. Or the other scenario is it could be like brawl and people could just not like it then would go back to sm4sh but the sad truth is that sm4sh viewership numbers have not been great. Even if sm5sh is bad it could still cause a hiatus to sm4sh as everyone tries out the new game and it could kill sm4sh and sm5sh competitively. I do think a new game is probably the least likely scenario.

My honest guess is a sm4sh port but maybe in a similar vain as mario kart 8 deluxe where they add new characters and stages which would only make sm4sh better. It would honestly be the easiest smash game for them to make and to me makes the most fiscal sense. They could offer gamecube support on switch, and they could make new maps and characters DLC for wii u. So both consoles could be used assuming the game played the same on both. Wii U owners who don't have a switch could buy the DLC and that would satisfy them and the switch version could come with everything included. I personally think that's the best way to go, it would require another patch for wii u but if smash on wii u got a patch and it was 2 stages and 2 characters lots of people would instantly go buy it. You could get no transformation pokemon stadium or a new level or two that are tournament viable and it could restructure the tournament stages.

 

[Skwrl]

They could offer gamecube support on switch, and they could make new maps and characters DLC for wii u. So both consoles could be used assuming the game played the same on both. Wii U owners who don't have a switch could buy the DLC and that would satisfy them and the switch version could come with everything included. I personally think that's the best way to go, it would require another patch for wii u but if smash on wii u got a patch and it was 2 stages and 2 characters lots of people would instantly go buy it. You could get no transformation pokemon stadium or a new level or two that are tournament viable and it could restructure the tournament stages.

If only they would actually release any more DLC on the Wii U, but we all know that isn't going to be the case. Unfortunately if they release this same game on Switch with Gamecube support, I think Smash 4 on Wii U will die out completely and instantly, especially if they add another character or two.

 

[JagerCry]

If only they would actually release any more DLC on the Wii U, but we all know that isn't going to be the case. Unfortunately if they release this same game on Switch with Gamecube support, I think Smash 4 on Wii U will die out completely and instantly, especially if they add another character or two.

Sadly I am inclined to agree with you. As someone with a Wii U but currently don't own a switch I wouldn't be thrilled about more content not available on wii u. I imagine it's how mario kart 8 wii u owners feel. They port the game to switch and leave wii u owners in the dust. New content being availed to me on wii u is prob wishful thinking. It's all kind of another example of how wii u owners got abandoned a long time ago by Nintendo.

 

[Pillowpet]

I'm guessing the Nintendo network will be shut down unless they use the same one for switch(which I doubt)