Official Newcomer/DLC Speculation Discussion

[Deleted member]

It would be really stupid to have a character like Piranha Plant to test the waters for first party inclusions. Like, what, would they seriously go 'Oh people didn't buy Piranha Plant, I guess people don't want to buy Nintendo characters'? If they wanted to do that the Plant is a terrible barometer, they would have been much better off selling a character like Toad or a newer rep like Rex.

Nintendo and Sakurai sometimes don't do the best business chocies. I know it's easy to say "that's stupid!" when faced with a questionable idea, but what would you have told me if i told you PP was the first DLC character?

 

[GoodGrief741]

Nintendo and Sakurai sometimes don't do the best business chocies. I know it's easy to say "that's stupid!" when faced with a questionable idea, but what would you have told me if i told you PP was the first DLC character?

Yeah, I get where you're going. Still, Sakurai isn't the one making the business calls, and I trust that whoever is has enough business savvy to not hinge the entire concept of first party DLC on Piranha Plant without looking at anything else (like Smash 4's DLC).

Then again Nintendo let the future of the Chibi-Robo franchise rest on the success of a game that was Chibi-Robo in name only so yeah they can be pretty stupid.

 

[Scoliosis Jones]

In terms of these Fighter Passes, it’s not a fan rule to say we may not get a 2nd Fighter Pass.

Most interest in fighting games wanes after the first year anyway, and Sakurai has other things he’d probably like to work on. In addition, the development team gets smaller as time passes, which indicates that they’re preparing to close out work on the game, potentially save for future balance patches.

I don’t think anybody would be against a 2nd Fighter Pass. I know i’m not. While I personally think Namco will get another character, and Capcom will as well, I would love to see a 2nd pick with Crash, Doomslayer, Dante (if he isn’t selected in the first challenger pack), and many more.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Nintendo could announce a 2nd Fighter Pass. But it’s jot as if it’s likely as of this moment.

As I said before, i’d go in with the expectation that it isn’t happening. If it doesn’t, then no loss. If it does happen, then there’s cause to celebrate.

 

[perfectchaos83]

Nintendo and Sakurai sometimes don't do the best business chocies. I know it's easy to say "that's stupid!" when faced with a questionable idea, but what would you have told me if i told you PP was the first DLC character?

I think it's fairly obvious that Plant was cut from base game due to time. It has a Palutena's Guidance and it has victory fanfare 92, which is between Incineroar (91) and Inkling (93). It was never 'meant' to be DLC in the first place.

 

[Guynamednelson]

I have one simple reason as to why I believe there's gonna be a second pass

Money!

I also think it'll be all third parties as well, they're really the only ones who generate excitement beyond the core Smash community

I have one simple reason why it wouldn't be all third parties

It costing lots of Money!

That and most of us don't use the supposed narrow minds of the public to justify our own.

 

[Dinoman96]

Piranha Plant is also meant to be the game's "surprise character", essentially Ultimate's equivalent to Melee's Mr. Game & Watch, Brawl's R.O.B. and Smash 4's Duck Hunt.

 

[KatKit]

Getting Lloyd in would solidify ALL of the great jrpgs in smash, so I’m in favor of it.

All?

*Cries in Nihon Falcom*

 

[Dalek_Kolt]

I think Piranha Plant was supposed to be Sakurai's jab against pre-order culture.

If you got Smash early, congratulations, you got the Plant. If you didn't and don't have money to burn, you've only missed out on getting the Plant for free.

 

[StupendousMike]

Piranha Plant is also meant to be the game's "surprise character", essentially Ultimate's equivalent to Melee's Mr. Game & Watch, Brawl's R.O.B. and Smash 4's Duck Hunt.

Also, Ness in the original. No one saw that coming.

 

[Dinoman96]

Also, Ness in the original. No one saw that coming.

As far I know, Sakurai never cited Ness as being a surprise pick as he did with Piranha Plant, Duck Hunt and the like.

I do think Ness's inclusion makes sense when you consider that Earthbound was made under the same roof as Smash at HAL Labs and that Mother 3 was in development on N64 at the time.

 

[StupendousMike]

As far I know, Sakurai never cited Ness as being a surprise pick as he did with Piranha Plant, Duck Hunt and the like.

I do think Ness's inclusion makes sense when you consider that Earthbound was made under the same roof as Smash at HAL Labs and that Mother 3 was in development on N64 at the time.

True. But if Smash speculation had existed back then the way it does now, I don't think Ness (or possibly Jigglypuff) would have been on too many roster predictions.

 

[DemonQueenEtna]

People take this very seriously :0

I just assumed he'd choose based on:

Who do I think is cool?
Who do I think would make a interesting fighter?

 

[Izanagi97]

All?

*Cries in Nihon Falcom*

Yeah, I kinda want a Falcom character if only because I follow that company quite a bit (even if it's only the Legend of Heroes games). Then again, I'd imagine the choices for characters would be limited to Adol from Ys and the protagonists from the main Trails games (Estelle Bright from the Sky trilogy, Lloyd Bannings from the Zero/Ao duology, or Rean Schwarzer from the Steel tetralogy) though I'm leaning more towards Adol since he tends to be the first name I hear when thinking Falcom rep. It also kinda helps that, unlike the Legend of Heroes games (or at least the Trails games), the Ys games have appeared on Nintendo systems.

 

[ninjahmos]

Which other Rare(ware) characters would you guys like to see as playable characters for Smash, now that Banjo-Kazooie are coming to Smash? I’d like to see Jago and TJ Combo, from the Killer Instinct series, join Smash, with a stage from Killer Instinct, and music from Killer Instinct (1994/1995/Killer Cuts), Killer Instinct 2/Gold (Gold Cuts), and Killer Instinct (2013). Both originals and new remixes. I’d especially love a Smash remix of the Main Theme of Killer Instinct. I’d also love to see Conker join Smash, as well.

 

[Sari]

Which other Rare(ware) characters would you guys like to see as playable characters for Smash, now that Banjo-Kazooie are coming to Smash? I’d like to see Jago and TJ Combo, from the Killer Instinct series, join Smash, with a stage from Killer Instinct, and music from Killer Instinct (1994/1995/Killer Cuts), Killer Instinct 2/Gold (Gold Cuts), and Killer Instinct (2013). Both originals and new remixes. I’d especially love a Smash remix of the Main Theme of Killer Instinct. I’d also love to see Conker join Smash, as well.

Only other one I'd really like to see would be Conker. Never got into Killer Instinct so I can't say anything about those characters.

 

[KatKit]

Wait... We've known about Astral Chain's existence for at least 5 months and there isn't a support thread here?! This game is slept on in general (and I pray it does well, despite that), but c'mon. Heck, I'll do it some time this week. Assuming there's more DLC after this season pass, they're feasible candidates.

Based off of what was shown in trailers/gameplay videos (the game looks phenomenal, BTW, and I just found out it has local co-op), they'd probably be like a crazy combination of Bayonetta (combos)/Joker (summoning)/Ice Climbers (synchronization/duo)/Pokemon Trainer (character change). The "Legion" summonings in the game have a lot of potential for a fun moveset, as well as the fact that the character is a futuristic cop.

 

[Mastermiine]

How hard is it to custom make the Fighters pass DLC thing I see everyone making I really suck at Photo shop but would love to have one with characters.

 

[DutchPichu]

I was thinking... where on the mural are the last 2 characters going to be? It doesn't look like there's an empty spot they can fit.

 

[Korar]

I was thinking... where on the mural are the last 2 characters going to be? It doesn't look like there's an empty spot they can fit.

They make room for new characters when they add them.

 

[SKX31]

True. But if Smash speculation had existed back then the way it does now, I don't think Ness (or possibly Jigglypuff) would have been on too many roster predictions.

Luckily enough, there's this old Japanese poll from the 64 days discussing character popularity, both newcomers and "oldcomers". Hindsight being 20 / 20, particularily noteworthy stuff include:

Spoiler: Spoilered this, this goes kind of indepth into the poll and Melee's reveal at E3 2001

* James Bond being more requested than Banjo-Kazooie (and 007 tieing with Mewtwo), as well as Doraemon being present. Goldeneye was still in relatively fresh memory, so it's not surprising - but it's weird to go back to.
* Mew, Mr. Saturn and Goey being present. Toad's presence is not surprising, given that there was lingering support after Melee and fake unlock methods around him.
* Marth and other FE characters not standing out in particular.
* Meta Knight tieing with Lugia. Gold / Silver was current, so I'm not surprised by Lugia being in the Top 20. Still hilarious given what would do.
* Goomba placing higher than Geno.

Given those results, as well as the "oldcomers" poll, we can infer a couple things if Smash speculation during the 64 / Melee had been as it is now:

1. The flagship characters in 64 were mostly taken for granted. As they are now. Link and Pikachu would have had quite the hype surrounding them though, which matches up to how OoT and First Gen Pokemon were hyper popular at the time. Likewise the flagship series dominate newcomer wants - 7 of the Top 10 and 14 of the Top 20 in the poll come from the Mario, Pokemon and Zelda universes.

2. The hype would also revolve around more niche surprise characters too - Ness, Captain Falcon, you could even argue Samus since this is during her hiatus. The truly niche characters were / would be just as surprising as they are now. Ice Climbers' reveal at E3 2001 was met with one guy in the crowd recognizing them. "They really dug deep for that one" indeed. Others like Mr. G&W and Duck Hunt didn't even figure in the poll.

3. Sakurai had not publicly outlined his guidelines (he would do so with Brawl), so speculation would include 4th parties more freely until he did. Characters would be - just like now - speculated about unless they were items (Mr. Saturn), Pokeball Pokemon (Lugia) or ATs (Sukapon) in the final game. The net wasn't as reliably available back then, so even if people had the finished game there was still fertile ground for hoaxes.

4. Percieved availability would also be a factor just like now. Somewhat tellingly, no third / fourth party outside of James Bond were in the top 20, meaning that they were probably seen as much less likely until Snake. Note that Banjo-Kazooie wouldn't become officially third party until September 24 2002 - after Melee's release. Sonic's popularity with the Smash crowd began to take off with him going multi-play and the infamous EGM hoax.

 

[dezeray112]

Which other Rare(ware) characters would you guys like to see as playable characters for Smash, now that Banjo-Kazooie are coming to Smash? I’d like to see Jago and TJ Combo, from the Killer Instinct series, join Smash, with a stage from Killer Instinct, and music from Killer Instinct (1994/1995/Killer Cuts), Killer Instinct 2/Gold (Gold Cuts), and Killer Instinct (2013). Both originals and new remixes. I’d especially love a Smash remix of the Main Theme of Killer Instinct. I’d also love to see Conker join Smash, as well.

Between Jago or Fulgore (Killer Instinct), Joanna Dark (Perfect Dark) or Rash of Battletoads for me.

 

[Robertman2]

Luckily enough, there's this old Japanese poll from the 64 days discussing character popularity, both newcomers and "oldcomers". Hindsight being 20 / 20, particularily noteworthy stuff include:

Spoiler: Spoilered this, this goes kind of indepth into the poll and Melee's reveal at E3 2001

* James Bond being more requested than Banjo-Kazooie (and 007 tieing with Mewtwo), as well as Doraemon being present. Goldeneye was still in relatively fresh memory, so it's not surprising - but it's weird to go back to.
* Mew, Mr. Saturn and Goey being present. Toad's presence is not surprising, given that there was lingering support after Melee and fake unlock methods around him.
* Marth and other FE characters not standing out in particular.
* Meta Knight tieing with Lugia. Gold / Silver was current, so I'm not surprised by Lugia being in the Top 20. Still hilarious given what would do.
* Goomba placing higher than Geno.

Given those results, as well as the "oldcomers" poll, we can infer a couple things if Smash speculation during the 64 / Melee had been as it is now:

1. The flagship characters in 64 were mostly taken for granted. As they are now. Link and Pikachu would have had quite the hype surrounding them though, which matches up to how OoT and First Gen Pokemon were hyper popular at the time. Likewise the flagship series dominate newcomer wants - 7 of the Top 10 and 14 of the Top 20 in the poll come from the Mario, Pokemon and Zelda universes.

2. The hype would also revolve around more niche surprise characters too - Ness, Captain Falcon, you could even argue Samus since this is during her hiatus. The truly niche characters were / would be just as surprising as they are now. Ice Climbers' reveal at E3 2001 was met with one guy in the crowd recognizing them. "They really dug deep for that one" indeed. Others like Mr. G&W and Duck Hunt didn't even figure in the poll.

3. Sakurai had not publicly outlined his guidelines (he would do so with Brawl), so speculation would include 4th parties more freely until he did. Characters would be - just like now - speculated about unless they were items (Mr. Saturn), Pokeball Pokemon (Lugia) or ATs (Sukapon) in the final game. The net wasn't as reliably available back then, so even if people had the finished game there was still fertile ground for hoaxes.

4. Percieved availability would also be a factor just like now. Somewhat tellingly, no third / fourth party outside of James Bond were in the top 20, meaning that they were probably seen as much less likely until Snake. Note that Banjo-Kazooie wouldn't become officially third party until September 24 2002 - after Melee's release. Sonic's popularity with the Smash crowd began to take off with him going multi-play and the infamous EGM hoax.

Geno being lower than a Goomba is hilarious

 

[YoshiandToad]

Wait... We've known about Astral Chain's existence for at least 5 months and there isn't a support thread here?! This game is slept on in general (and I pray it does well, despite that), but c'mon. Heck, I'll do it some time this week. Assuming there's more DLC after this season pass, they're feasible candidates. What's not to love? It's a cyberpunk love-child of Bayonetta and Nier Automata that looks like a cell-shaded Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

Based off of what was shown in trailers/gameplay videos (the game looks phenomenal, BTW, and I just found out it has local co-op), they'd probably be like a crazy combination of Bayonetta (combos)/Joker (summoning)/Ice Climbers (synchronization/duo)/Pokemon Trainer (character change). The "Legion" summonings in the game have a lot of potential for a fun moveset, as well as the fact that the character is a futuristic cop.

I'm shocked too. This is the only new IP this year that grabbed my attention to the point I'm more excited about Astral Chain's release than Pokémon Sword and Shield or even Luigi's Mansion 3.
If it wasn't for Mario Maker 2 having four player couch co-op it'd easily have been my most anticipated game this entire year.

Make that thread, I'll support!

Luckily enough, there's this old Japanese poll from the 64 days discussing character popularity, both newcomers and "oldcomers". Hindsight being 20 / 20, particularily noteworthy stuff include:

Spoiler: Spoilered this, this goes kind of indepth into the poll and Melee's reveal at E3 2001

* James Bond being more requested than Banjo-Kazooie (and 007 tieing with Mewtwo), as well as Doraemon being present. Goldeneye was still in relatively fresh memory, so it's not surprising - but it's weird to go back to.
* Mew, Mr. Saturn and Goey being present. Toad's presence is not surprising, given that there was lingering support after Melee and fake unlock methods around him.
* Marth and other FE characters not standing out in particular.
* Meta Knight tieing with Lugia. Gold / Silver was current, so I'm not surprised by Lugia being in the Top 20. Still hilarious given what would do.
* Goomba placing higher than Geno.

Given those results, as well as the "oldcomers" poll, we can infer a couple things if Smash speculation during the 64 / Melee had been as it is now:

1. The flagship characters in 64 were mostly taken for granted. As they are now. Link and Pikachu would have had quite the hype surrounding them though, which matches up to how OoT and First Gen Pokemon were hyper popular at the time. Likewise the flagship series dominate newcomer wants - 7 of the Top 10 and 14 of the Top 20 in the poll come from the Mario, Pokemon and Zelda universes.

2. The hype would also revolve around more niche surprise characters too - Ness, Captain Falcon, you could even argue Samus since this is during her hiatus. The truly niche characters were / would be just as surprising as they are now. Ice Climbers' reveal at E3 2001 was met with one guy in the crowd recognizing them. "They really dug deep for that one" indeed. Others like Mr. G&W and Duck Hunt didn't even figure in the poll.

3. Sakurai had not publicly outlined his guidelines (he would do so with Brawl), so speculation would include 4th parties more freely until he did. Characters would be - just like now - speculated about unless they were items (Mr. Saturn), Pokeball Pokemon (Lugia) or ATs (Sukapon) in the final game. The net wasn't as reliably available back then, so even if people had the finished game there was still fertile ground for hoaxes.

4. Percieved availability would also be a factor just like now. Somewhat tellingly, no third / fourth party outside of James Bond were in the top 20, meaning that they were probably seen as much less likely until Snake. Note that Banjo-Kazooie wouldn't become officially third party until September 24 2002 - after Melee's release. Sonic's popularity with the Smash crowd began to take off with him going multi-play and the infamous EGM hoax.

This just makes me sad realising if Sakurai hadn't slapped Toad on Peach's moveset I may have gotten my most wanted since Smash 64. I remember the days he was considered very likely in the Brawl speculation scene...good times.

Also now Banjo is in....only James Bond was higher and not playable still.

Still aside from that: Bomberman and Crash being higher than Sonic and Megaman is pretty fascinating!

 

[Flyboy]

Watch James Bond be fighter pack 5.

 

[YoshiandToad]

Watch James Bond be fighter pack 5.

I demand alt actor skins in this setup.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

I demand alt actor skins in this setup.

Let's see...
Daniel Craig
Pierce Brosnan
Timothy Dalton
Roger Moore
George Lazenby
Sean Connery

That leaves two costume slots.

Low Poly Bond?

 

[Deleted member]

Hey people since Crash can’t get in because of Banjo, let’s cut Hero from the roster since we already have Chrom.
/s

 

[Zem-raj]

Let's see...
Daniel Craig
Pierce Brosnan
Timothy Dalton
Roger Moore
George Lazenby
Sean Connery

That leaves two costume slots.

Low Poly Bond?

David Niven (Casino Royale, Non-Eon film,1967)
Barry Nelson (Casino Royale, TV adaptation, 1954)

There's the other two.

 

[Nquoid]

Still aside from that: Bomberman and Crash being higher than Sonic and Megaman is pretty fascinating!

I would assume because Crash and Bomberman had far better 90s than either Sonic and MegaMan? Sonic pretty much entirely skipped the Sega Saturn, although I guess Sonic Adventure would be fresh in people's minds. And Mega Man was having a bit of an identity crisis between X and Legends.

 

[Flyboy]

Pierce has got to be the main skin, of course! This is videogame Bond we're talking about!

 

[Deleted member]

Hey people since Crash can’t get in because of Banjo, let’s cut Hero from the roster since we already have Chrom.
/s

That sounds a little out of the blue mate but anyways, I would say the only things that could really go against Crash are Nintendo going for other popular franchises or Activision asking more than Nintendo's willing to pay.

 

[Deleted member]

That sounds a little out of the blue mate but anyways, I would say the only things that could really go against Crash are Nintendo going for other popular franchises or Activision asking more than Nintendo's willing to pay.

Basically.

Although I am fine with the idea of people not wanting Crash or looking for some kind of balance doh.

My problem is mostly with the people who just express why they don’t want Crash to annoy anyone who does want him and nothing else. Those people are who annoy me and not the people who respect any character supporter regarding Smash speculation.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

IIRC, Mega Man only really got big in the speculation scene after Sonic got in, with there being hope that he'd be the third one in Brawl.

Then from there it was Pac-Man, after Namco was board and then after Cloud no-one knew what to think, followed by a short period of Simon support after Snake came back.

 

[Captain Fun]

My problem is mostly with the people who just express why they don’t want Crash to annoy anyone who does want him and nothing else. Those people are who annoy me and not the people who respect any character supporter regarding Smash speculation.

Pretty much every character develops some kind of hate-base when they’re seen as a potential “threat” to what other people want. Some fans of Geno, Sora etc trashed DQ for like, 7 months when it became prominent in rumors because it wasn’t their guy.

It’s just dumb and childish, and it makes Smash discussion kind of awful because people get more invested in who’s right or wrong than they are in the game itself.

 

[Robertman2]

Let's see...
Daniel Craig
Pierce Brosnan
Timothy Dalton
Roger Moore
George Lazenby
Sean Connery

That leaves two costume slots.

Low Poly Bond?

Low poly
Idris Elba (aka the Bond we deserve)

 

[tenworldsguy]

Pretty much every character develops some kind of hate-base when they’re seen as a potential “threat” to what other people want. Some fans of Geno, Sora etc trashed DQ for like, 7 months when it became prominent in rumors because it wasn’t their guy.

It’s just dumb and childish, and it makes Smash discussion kind of awful because people get more invested in who’s right or wrong than they are in the game itself.

Definitely, I once posted something like "Hat Kid would be a great pick for smash bros!" and immediately was attacked by vengeful Shantae, SK, and Steve fans. It seems to be a universal thing regardless of how it might relate to the other, sad as is.

 

[TCT~Phantom]

Luckily enough, there's this old Japanese poll from the 64 days discussing character popularity, both newcomers and "oldcomers". Hindsight being 20 / 20, particularily noteworthy stuff include:

Spoiler: Spoilered this, this goes kind of indepth into the poll and Melee's reveal at E3 2001

* James Bond being more requested than Banjo-Kazooie (and 007 tieing with Mewtwo), as well as Doraemon being present. Goldeneye was still in relatively fresh memory, so it's not surprising - but it's weird to go back to.
* Mew, Mr. Saturn and Goey being present. Toad's presence is not surprising, given that there was lingering support after Melee and fake unlock methods around him.
* Marth and other FE characters not standing out in particular.
* Meta Knight tieing with Lugia. Gold / Silver was current, so I'm not surprised by Lugia being in the Top 20. Still hilarious given what would do.
* Goomba placing higher than Geno.

Given those results, as well as the "oldcomers" poll, we can infer a couple things if Smash speculation during the 64 / Melee had been as it is now:

1. The flagship characters in 64 were mostly taken for granted. As they are now. Link and Pikachu would have had quite the hype surrounding them though, which matches up to how OoT and First Gen Pokemon were hyper popular at the time. Likewise the flagship series dominate newcomer wants - 7 of the Top 10 and 14 of the Top 20 in the poll come from the Mario, Pokemon and Zelda universes.

2. The hype would also revolve around more niche surprise characters too - Ness, Captain Falcon, you could even argue Samus since this is during her hiatus. The truly niche characters were / would be just as surprising as they are now. Ice Climbers' reveal at E3 2001 was met with one guy in the crowd recognizing them. "They really dug deep for that one" indeed. Others like Mr. G&W and Duck Hunt didn't even figure in the poll.

3. Sakurai had not publicly outlined his guidelines (he would do so with Brawl), so speculation would include 4th parties more freely until he did. Characters would be - just like now - speculated about unless they were items (Mr. Saturn), Pokeball Pokemon (Lugia) or ATs (Sukapon) in the final game. The net wasn't as reliably available back then, so even if people had the finished game there was still fertile ground for hoaxes.

4. Percieved availability would also be a factor just like now. Somewhat tellingly, no third / fourth party outside of James Bond were in the top 20, meaning that they were probably seen as much less likely until Snake. Note that Banjo-Kazooie wouldn't become officially third party until September 24 2002 - after Melee's release. Sonic's popularity with the Smash crowd began to take off with him going multi-play and the infamous EGM hoax.

Very Interesting old data. I remember reading something of this but it never really came to mind.

James Bond being so high is not surprising, the rules were not defined and Goldeneye was a best selling title for the time. Doraemon is basically since 4th parties were still thought of as ok. Nowadays that would never happen, same with Bond.

Crash being above Megaman and Sonic for demand back then is hilarious for me. Here's hoping thats a good sign even if this data is hella outdated.

RIP Toad, he honestly is so unlucky for Smash. If he was not in Peach's moveset he would have been playable by now.

Why must I be reminded of Lip never getting in?

In terms of useful data to take from this, I find that it helps seeing what was wanted, but I feel most of it is so outdated now. While seeing Toad was once a super popular choice and that Crash was relatively popular, it is honestly such old data that is likely affected by one key thing: competition. Most of the most wanted characters (save Bond) either are in Smash, as plenty of the Melee newcomers and onward have shown up on that poll (via chocoboBanjo all showed up in some form via that poll). It is super cool to see so much of what people wanted in the game in some form now.

Also find it ironic that essentially something akin to a goomba in got inn over Geno and Goomba scored higher on the poll.

 

[YsDisciple]

On today's episode of Newcomer/DLC Speculation Discussion Z: Maxima Dimension POP 9999%/2 Years!

Spoiler: N/D SD Z: MDPOP 99/2Y

Nintendo: Wow, the Fighter's Pass is coming along great! Now there's only...
SquareEnix: WAIT!
Nintendo: What? Square? What are you still doing here?
SquareEnix: Fufufu. You FOOL! You thought you were done with me?
Nintendo: Well... uh... we got Hero from Dragon Quest in the roster so...
SquareEnix: Fufufufufu. FWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! FOOLS! Did you truly think that was the only fighter I would be giving you?!
Nintendo: Yeah... ? The concept of the Fighters Pass is to bring characters not yet represented in the...
SquareEnix: ENOUGH! I know, I KNOW! That isn't it however. For you see, there are still TWO more fighters you must add.
Nintendo: We know. We were just about to begin...
SquareEnix: Tell me Nintendo, do you remember my origin?
Nintendo: Your what-now?
SquareEnix: I knew you would have forgotten. Let me refresh your memory. Back in the dawn of the era whence you released the N64, by what names did I go by?
Nintendo: Names? What to do you... oh... OH NO!
SquareEnix: Yes Nintendo, YES! My current identity is but an amalgamation of two separate entities!
Nintendo: But wait, what is the meaning of all this?!
SquareEnix: My true names are... SQUARESOFT, and... ENIX!!!!
Nintendo: NOOOOOOOOOO!!! *gasp* That's true... how could I have forgotten?!
SquareEnix: And tell me Nintendo, what game was it that I helped you make around the end of the SNES life cycle that is cherished to this very day? One that brought a certain toy to the knowledge of this world?
Nintendo:... wait... are you serious?!?! Will you truly...?!
SquareEnix: *grins* Mhmhmhmhmh. You seem to not understand. Yes, under my first half, I am speaking of none other than Geno.
Nintendo: Whoa... that's awesome! However... I'm afraid that it may not be possible this time...
SquareEnix: SILENCE!!! Fool; you still don't get it, do you? You WILL place Geno within the roster, alongside the candidate from my other half!
Nintendo: But wait, no... we can't do that!
SquareEnix: Oh really? We'll see about that. This other name, your precious prodigy won't resist on adding her to the roster!
Nintendo: Huh?
SquareEnix: Do you remember... Mischief Makers?
Nintendo: Mischief... MARINA?!
SquareEnix: YES!
Nintendo: But... from her source material, she doesn't seem to have that interesting of a move set.

*Door opens*

Mr. Sakurai: I am here.
Nintendo: Mr. Sakurai!
SquareEnix: Just in time. *fwoosh*
Nintendo: What?!
Mr. Sakurai: Nani?
SquareEnix: Look Mr. Sakurai!!! These are the Vouchers of Approval for both Geno and Marina to be added as fighters to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster!!!!
Nintendo: No wait!!!
SquareEnix: It is too late Nintendo! The last remaining slots will be mine!
Mr. Sakurai: *stares at both voucher files* Ah, Geno. *smiles* Hmm... Marina... Hmm...
SquareEnix: I understand Mr. Sakurai that, the roster has one wrestling type character. This being of course the Pokémon Incineroar, yes? Imagine then, including a female grappler who has great air mobility and recovery, and has the ability to grab energy projectiles and convert them into energy spheres which would act as her own projectiles?!
Mr. Sakurai: *shine stare* Oh!
Nintendo: Mr. Sakurai noooooooo!!!!!
SquareEnix: HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! It is too late Nintendo!!! Nothing will stop these two characters from entering now!!!

Narrator: It would seem that SquareEnix's plans of securing the last two Fighters Pass slots are about to be fulfilled. With it's devious goal of securing a greater share of the pie, will our other heroes; Bandai-Namco, Capcom, Tecmo-Koei, Bethesda, Activision, Konami, Level-5, Ubisoft, and Falcom make it in time to stop the occupation of the two remaining slots in the roster? Stay tuned on the next exciting episode of Newcomer/DLC Speculation Discussion Z: Maxima Dimension POP 9999%/2 Years!

 

[Deleted member]

Spoiler: Huge post

After all that's happened, I'm predicting Doomguy and Ryu Hayabusa as the next two characters, or at least someone from those companies.
Of course you have that comment of Bethesda talking to Nintendo with regards to Smash which could mean nothing, but after these last two reveals especially, I think the DLC might be from companies that have done some major collaboration with Nintendo in terms of the Switch, or at least companies Nintendo wants better relations with. Atlus is working on SMT 5, one of the major announcements from the first Nintendo Switch conference, is working on P5S, but has recently had more of an emphasis on Sony. Joker could very well be a way to maintain a strong working relation with Atlus, especially since Persona 5 was such a breakout success that it proves Atlus is a big player.
Square has shown support for the Switch from the very start with DQ11, but that support has only continued since. From porting over multiple previously exclusive Final Fantasy games, to Romancing Saga, to Seiken Densetsu, Square has been one of the biggest third party collaborators with Nintendo. They've had big sections dedicated to them in several directs. It's clear that Nintendo views Square as an important third party, and adding in Hero to Smash just maintains that relationship.
Microsoft and Nintendo's recent collaboration is well-documented, but of course with Minecraft on the Switch, that Xbox live business, Microsoft approaching Nintendo to put Cuphead on the Switch, and that rumour of Ori and the Master Chief Collection coming to Switch - yeah, it seems like Microsoft and Nintendo aren't as direct competitors anymore. Microsoft is obviously one of the biggest companies in the world witha huge influence in the gaming sphere as manufacturer, developer and publisher: having them remain collaborate rather than competitor is very valuable to Nintendo I'd imagine.
As for my predictions, Bethesda is undeniably one of the biggest third parties actively supporting the Switch, and perhaps the biggest western third party in that regard. To me it says a lot that they:
-Advertised Skyrim in the reveal of the Switch
-Had Todd Howard appear in the initial Switch conference
-Included their own IP as a part of Skyrim (albeit as of late this has become a lot more common)
-Went to the effort of porting not only Doom, but Wolfenstein
-Ported Fallout Shelter
-Are advertising the Switch as one of the primary ways to play Doom Eternal at launch
From my perspective, this signifies that Nintendo wants to keep Bethesda as a primary associate, and adding a Bethesda character to Smash would serve to only enhance that. It's not that far-fetched, especially when observing the amount of Square games on the Switch after Cloud got in. Now, why Doomguy over The Last Dragonborn? After all, Skyrim was one of the most heavily advertised titles for the Switch and is incredibly iconic and influential. Admittedly, I'm likely biased to an extent, but I feel like Doomguy would be chosen for similar reasons as Banjo over say, Steve or Master Chief. Doom's legacy is essentially universally known, but Doom itself has had a surprisingly extensive history with Nintendo. The original Doom was ported to the SNES, an entire new, original Doom game was created for the N64, both Doom and Doom II were ported to the GBA, and of course there's the rebooted Doom games. That makes Doom 3 the only mainline Doom game not on a Nintendo console, but Doom 64 is entirely exclusive and is acknowledged as a primary Doom game. Hell, before even Commander Keen and being known as ID, Carmack and the crew proposed a PC port of Super Mario Bros 3 to Nintendo before bieng turned down. That, combined iwth some interesting comments by the Doom staff such as Mick Gordon working on a Doom-related project and Bethesda saying Nintendo fans are in for a Doom-related surprise, makes me lean towards Doomguy as a potential Bethesda character. I do concede it could very well be Dragonborn or perhaps even Vault Boy instead though.
Finally on to Ryu Hayabusa. From as far back as 2014, Koei Tecmo has had some major collaborations with Nintendo. Hyrule Warriors comes to mind as one of the first times in recent memory Nintendo has lent off one of their entire first-party IPs to a different studio for a big release, Zelda at that. Hyrule Warriors seemed to be a success, because this active partnership later continued with Fire Emblem Warriors. That game was also one of the primary announcements at the first Switch press conference. From there, Koei Tecmo has only gone farther, bringing over multiple Warriors games, countless Atelier games under Gust, many smaller projects, and even Dead Or Alive Xtreme 3, not to mention their work on P5S. Koei Tecmo is clearly one of Nintendo's primary active associates alongside companies such as Ubisoft. As for Ryu himself, I see him as one of the big remaining NES icons not yet in Smash. Ninja Gaiden has a storied legacy from the NES to the modern-age reboots, with both styles having great influence over action games. One could argue the original Ninja Gaiden games essentially popularised cutscenes and in-depth story-telling in video games. Ryu has essentially become the mascot of Koei Tecmo, even becoming an important character in other franchises such as Dead or Alive and making appearances in Warrior games. This could also be Kasumi from DOA instead, as she too is one of KT's most popular characters, but her lack of general legacy on Nintendo and the fact that Ryu has essentially become one of the faces of DOA as well makes me question her.
Admittedly, I'm a bit more uncertain on a Koei Tecmo character compared to Bethesda. That's not even mentioning other potential companies, such as SNK and Terry Bogards, or Ubisoft and Ezio. Truth is these last two characters really could be anyone.
But that's just what I think.

 

[Ridrool64]

Okay if we're going to pretend Squaresoft and Enix count separately, then Atlus and Sega do, given they're more separate than those two.