Yes, well, tragedies do happen as well.
I will (try to) improve my dad jokes!
Well, they've had their release order presumably planned for a while. Min Min being first doesn't preclude a headliner being next. I mean, you could theorize that they may want all the complicated characters out of the way at the beginning, but you could also theorize that they may want to alternate between complicated and simpler to keep a somewhat steady release schedule.
It really depends on who the characters are, I think. Because I do think marketing is something that dictates order with the DLC. Perhaps complexity is another factor. But so far, between the DLC this time and last, the more complex characters appeared in no fixed order. I mean, last time I would consider Bayo the most complex character, and she was last. Following that, probably Ryu, and he was in the middle. Last pass I would think Hero was the most complex, and he was towards the beginning. Now Min Min was first.
Nope, it doesn't neccessarily preclude. I'm being hypotheoretical partly for the "it makes sense" angle. Yes, I'm personally aware that that way of thinking does lead to some wrong concl-...
...Oh criminy. Bayo was last in Smash 4's DLC, right. Somehow I missed that.
As for marketing impacting (even directing) the DLC release schedule, yes largely agreed. The initial ARMS reveal in March was accompanied by ARMS getting a free-play period and an ARMS Online Open being scheduled around that free-play period - the first official ARMS tournament in ca. 1 1/2 years. While that's marketing as a tie-in to a Smash announcement (and not "Big character revealed at big event" like E3's reveals) it's still marketing.
Putting in a character to appeal to China isn't implausible, but entering a new market partway through a pass is an extraordinary, atypical circumstance, not something that should be used as standard precedent (unless they later enter another new market).
Also, if a character is added for a new market when they debut in that market, it's still starting with a bang in that market.
Indeed they are atypical - the entire history behind the Switch's release there is kind of strange. That said, it's a question that is relevant since Nintendo's looking beyond the standard JP / NA / EU. One could also make the argument that atypical scenarios also help extend a game's lifespan.
There is quite a bit of overlap beyond MOBAs having a massive presence in China* - Minecraft is huge there, and characters like Reimu, Dante and even characters like Phoenix have noticeable Chinese fanbases. I say even Phoenix because Ace Attorney doesn't have any official release there... but AA still has a Mother 3-esque fanbase there. Smash isn't huge there, but it has a following: Terry's reveal was particularily noted.
*(And games that are big there but not elsewhere - but I don't imagine that they're eligible at all. 37 Games' catalog didn't come along with Terry, it was all SNK.)
People who remember the end of Smash 4 DLC negatively are obviously primarily thinking of Corrin and not Bayonetta. Bayonetta was technically revealed a whole 15 minutes after Corrin was, but I don't see how that's relevant. It's 2 characters in a single presentation, and Corrin was one of them. Corrin was the one people were hating on after the reveal. The hatred of Bayonetta is more of a retroactive thing due to hating the character's balance/moveset.
While the hatred of Bayo is partly retroactive, yes, it developed quickly too. Especially once people started to discover that she could kill off of a single punish in certain scenarios and carry opponents to the top blastzone. It was in Ultimate's beta too - causing a certain infamous moment. When Sakurai shook his head: he saw a
professional Bayo player still being able to carry his opponent to the top blastzone.
It's similar to the hatred of
- yes, the hatred of him is also retroactive, but it was also really quick to develop. What with Brawl MK's ability to practically ignore tripping, ledge-stall forever (which neccesitated a ledge grab limit at tournaments) and frustrate opponents with quick aerials all over the place.
