Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[GoldenYuiitusin]

Eventually, Puff is going to be out-prioritized by newer Pokémon and people will have to accept she isn't so untouchable.

 

[DarthEnderX]

As I'm sure many of us can agree on, Ultimate's single-player is barebones as all get-out...

I don't agree with that at all. WoL, 1000+ unique Spirit Battles, and every character getting a bespoke Classic mode, are all robust servings of single-player content.

Granted, the story content is barebones. But the single-player content is not.

And since I don't come to Smash Bros. for the cringy SSE cutscenes, I don't even miss the lack of story content.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

The SSE cutscenes were great.

The gameplay was just mediocre and bland.

 

[Will]

Puff ain’t going anywhere.

No matter where you go, she’ll be there to hit you with the

 

[DarthEnderX]

The SSE cutscenes were great.

Everything good about the SSE cutscenes, I now get out of character reveal trailers. Without the annoyance of having to play through the bad SSE mode.

 

[Gengar84]

I don't agree with that at all. WoL, 1000+ unique Spirit Battles, and every character getting a bespoke Classic mode, are all robust servings of single-player content.

Granted, the story content is barebones. But the single-player content is not.

And since I don't come to Smash Bros. for the cringy SSE cutscenes, I don't even miss the lack of story content.

World of Light had some neat ideas like the overworld navigation but the lack of platforming stages and any co-op play kind of killed it for me. The spirit battles were basically just event matches that we’ve already seen before in previous games. I will admit that the very end was really cool allowing us to finally play as Master Hand.

Just because SSE wasn’t handled perfectly, it doesn’t mean the whole idea was bad. I had a ton of fun with it even though I acknowledge its faults. I think if they took a bit more time to refine the stage design and knock back mechanics as well as including more direct references to existing properties, it could be something really special. The co-op play of that mode gave us something that Smash has never really had before. There aren’t a whole lot of co-op platformers with simultaneous play in general and being able to play one with many of our favorite characters was awesome despite its imperfections. The mode also allowed for story and character interactions that WoL was lacking.

 

[Dukefire]

Puff ain’t going anywhere.

No matter where you go, she’ll be there to hit you with the

This jigglypuff montage video explains all of damage from Wall of Pain and REST.

 

[Curious Villager]

People lost their minds over the Ice Climbers last game, even going as far as to wish an entire game version didn't exist just for them to stay, imagine the riots if the Puff ever got kicked out at this point...

Maybe back in Brawl you could potentially still get away with cutting her, but nowaday's? Nah, people will care, Jigglypuff is way too much of a mainstay at this point that people will demand her return, even if their silent about it right now.

 

[Gorgonzales]

The original 12 aren't impervious.

Characters in green most likely aren't going anywhere. They're too iconic and emblematic of Nintendo not to include.

Characters in yellow, while nowadays irrelevant when it comes to their own series, basically define Smash Bros and I really can't see them being cut for their outstanding legacy and their genre-defining kits.

The characters in red, well... I fully believe a Smash Bros could exist without them. Ness's case is a little funky because I think there still would be some Earthbound representation if he wasn't there, but I think he could be replaced by Ninten or Lucas in a revolving cast-type deal. And Jigglypuff was a case of being at the right place at the right time. Had she not gotten in 64, it's doubtful that the series would've ever looked back at her as a possible candidate. There are so many more Pokemon now and a lot more material to pull from, and it's not hard to disagree with the fact that her being cut would sting the least out of all the original 12.

People need to stop treating these dozen characters like they can never ever leave, because some of them absolutely could. In fact, if Smash ever became ultra-corporatized and Sakurai was no longer at the lead I could almost guarantee you that Nintendo execs would put even Falcon and Fox on the chopping block if they really wanted to trim things down.

 

[Sucumbio]

Jiii ga lii puff
Jiii Ga liI Puff
Jiii ga lii puff ji Ga liiiiii

I would be sad without Jigglypuff. It's be like cutting cammy or something

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

Just saying. You people wouldn't be so quick to defend Dr. Mario as this untouchable sacred cow if he debuted in 64 and managed to barely squeak by into Brawl like Puff.


You would all still claim he's expendable compared to other Mario characters.

 

[RileyXY1]

The original 12 aren't impervious.

View attachment 384351

Characters in green most likely aren't going anywhere. They're too iconic and emblematic of Nintendo not to include.

Characters in yellow, while nowadays irrelevant when it comes to their own series, basically define Smash Bros and I really can't see them being cut for their outstanding legacy and their genre-defining kits.

The characters in red, well... I fully believe a Smash Bros could exist without them. Ness's case is a little funky because I think there still would be some Earthbound representation if he wasn't there, but I think he could be replaced by Ninten or Lucas in a revolving cast-type deal. And Jigglypuff was a case of being at the right place at the right time. Had she not gotten in 64, it's doubtful that the series would've ever looked back at her as a possible candidate. There are so many more Pokemon now and a lot more material to pull from, and it's not hard to disagree with the fact that her being cut would sting the least out of all the original 12.

People need to stop treating these dozen characters like they can never ever leave, because some of them absolutely could. In fact, if Smash ever became ultra-corporatized and Sakurai was no longer at the lead I could almost guarantee you that Nintendo execs would put even Falcon and Fox on the chopping block if they really wanted to trim things down.

The only way Earthbound gets a "revolving door" situation is if they suddenly announce and release a fourth Mother game between now and Smash 6's release, which will absolutely not happen.

 

[Hydreigonfan01]

Jiii ga lii puff
Jiii Ga liI Puff
Jiii ga lii puff ji Ga liiiiii

I would be sad without Jigglypuff. It's be like cutting cammy or something

The equivalent of cutting Cammy would be like cutting Peach, not Puff.

 

[Gengar84]

The original 12 aren't impervious.

View attachment 384351

Characters in green most likely aren't going anywhere. They're too iconic and emblematic of Nintendo not to include.

Characters in yellow, while nowadays irrelevant when it comes to their own series, basically define Smash Bros and I really can't see them being cut for their outstanding legacy and their genre-defining kits.

The characters in red, well... I fully believe a Smash Bros could exist without them. Ness's case is a little funky because I think there still would be some Earthbound representation if he wasn't there, but I think he could be replaced by Ninten or Lucas in a revolving cast-type deal. And Jigglypuff was a case of being at the right place at the right time. Had she not gotten in 64, it's doubtful that the series would've ever looked back at her as a possible candidate. There are so many more Pokemon now and a lot more material to pull from, and it's not hard to disagree with the fact that her being cut would sting the least out of all the original 12.

People need to stop treating these dozen characters like they can never ever leave, because some of them absolutely could. In fact, if Smash ever became ultra-corporatized and Sakurai was no longer at the lead I could almost guarantee you that Nintendo execs would put even Falcon and Fox on the chopping block if they really wanted to trim things down.

The main way I see these being cut is with a radical shift to roster selection as a whole. If Smash largely keeps the same theme, I don’t see any of them being cut though I agree that Jigglypuff probably would have never been considered if she hadn’t made it into 64. If Smash goes the way of something like “Nintendo vs X”, I can easily see both in red being cut since in that theoretical scenario, Nintendo’s side would only take up half the roster and the overall roster size would likely be smaller in Ultimate’s.

 

[osby]

Just saying. You people wouldn't be so quick to defend Dr. Mario as this untouchable sacred cow if he debuted in 64 and managed to barely squeak by into Brawl like Puff.

Jigglypuff isn't an existing character wearing a different outfit.

 

[HyperSomari64]

The equivalent of cutting Cammy would be like cutting Peach, not Puff.

If Peach is the equivalent of Cammy, then who's the equivalent of Chun-Li in Smash.

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

Jigglypuff isn't an existing character wearing a different outfit.

So you admit to the hypocrisy of it all.

If someone else deemed "expendable" was in Jigglypuff's place, they wouldn't get the "ORIGINAL 12" ****ing. But because it's Jigglypuff....suddenly she's untouchable despite Pokémon being shown willing to do a frigging purge in the past and scrapping even the likes of Mewtwo. A purge Jigglypuff just barely escaped.

 

[RileyXY1]

Ness is also one of Smash's most popular characters and the star of a cult classic RPG that has massive influence over the gaming market, as there's a massive amount of indie titles as well as Pokémon, the most profitable entertainment IP in the world, that take direct inspiration from it. He was also given higher priority in the past, as he made onto Smash 4's base roster while Lucas was initially cut and was later re-added through DLC. I think that he's most likely sticking around, even in a massively rebooted roster that only has 30 characters.

 

[Noipoi]

I’ll say this

Obviously the 64 cast isn’t completely immune, anything could happen. But at this point I think they have seniority and the team is clearly proud of these guys for perfect attendance. To me, that means they’re wayyy far down on the chopping block.

So Jigglypuff or Ness would only go if, for whatever reason, they needed to get rid of like 45 characters.

 

[HyperSomari64]

Ness is also one of Smash's most popular characters and the star of a cult classic RPG that has massive influence over the gaming market, as there's a massive amount of indie titles as well as Pokémon, the most profitable entertainment IP in the world, that take direct inspiration from it. He was also given higher priority in the past, as he made onto Smash 4's base roster while Lucas was initially cut and was later re-added through DLC. I think that he's most likely sticking around, even in a massively rebooted roster that only has 30 characters.

Thank you guy, now i can't take a mental image of Pokemon being the quirky Earthbound inspired RPG.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

So you admit to the hypocrisy of it all.

If someone else deemed "expendable" was in Jigglypuff's place, they wouldn't get the "ORIGINAL 12" ****ing. But because it's Jigglypuff....suddenly she's untouchable despite Pokémon being shown willing to do a frigging purge in the past and scrapping even the likes of Mewtwo. A purge Jigglypuff just barely escaped.

I think you're missing the point.

Osby's point was that Jiggs isn't inherently derivative like Dr. Mario is. If some other unique character took Jigglypuff's place, people would probably say the same too.

Luigi is a better choice for your Doc comparison, but at the same time, he's Luigi.

 

[dream1ng]

Most characters would be loudly clamored for if they were one of only a few cuts. In a vacuum it's much easier to focus on just a few omissions.

But if they cut 30 or 40 characters, and one of them is Jigglypuff, that's going to cut into choices the fanbase will be louder about than puff. Such as some of the third-parties. Which isn't to say no one will push for her to come back, but I doubt it will be one of the contingents at the forefront.

That said, I don't know if she will get cut. Being that longstanding is something Smash values. I don't think she's safe, but I don't see her as one of the likelier to get axed either. Though imo the priority of the Pokemon after Pichu and probably Incineroar gets murky.

 

[Guynamednelson]

The original 12 aren't impervious.

View attachment 384351

Characters in green most likely aren't going anywhere. They're too iconic and emblematic of Nintendo not to include.

Characters in yellow, while nowadays irrelevant when it comes to their own series, basically define Smash Bros and I really can't see them being cut for their outstanding legacy and their genre-defining kits.

The characters in red, well... I fully believe a Smash Bros could exist without them. Ness's case is a little funky because I think there still would be some Earthbound representation if he wasn't there, but I think he could be replaced by Ninten or Lucas in a revolving cast-type deal. And Jigglypuff was a case of being at the right place at the right time. Had she not gotten in 64, it's doubtful that the series would've ever looked back at her as a possible candidate. There are so many more Pokemon now and a lot more material to pull from, and it's not hard to disagree with the fact that her being cut would sting the least out of all the original 12.

People need to stop treating these dozen characters like they can never ever leave, because some of them absolutely could. In fact, if Smash ever became ultra-corporatized and Sakurai was no longer at the lead I could almost guarantee you that Nintendo execs would put even Falcon and Fox on the chopping block if they really wanted to trim things down.

Ness seems more like a yellow to me. Mother isn't an active series anymore, but it still has an active fanbase partially thanks to Smash and "the quirky EarthBound-inspired RPG" that Nintendo acknowledges through promoting EarthBound/Mother 1 being on VC/NSO, and negative stereotypes about Ness players imply he appeals to people who've never touched EarthBound.

 

[Noipoi]

They’ll get rid of Ness once Sans gets in

 

[AlRex]

I would be fine with Jigglypuff getting cut, because there’s a lot of Pokémon they could do and we can’t put every single one, but I’d neither prioritize cutting her or keeping her, if that makes any sense. Depends on priorities and what the roster is styled to be, really.

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

I think you're missing the point.

Osby's point was that Jiggs isn't inherently derivative like Dr. Mario is. If some other unique character took Jigglypuff's place, people would probably say the same too.

Luigi is a better choice for your Doc comparison, but at the same time, he's Luigi.

The sheer FACT there has to be "exceptions" to who would get the "they can't leave because Original 12" and who wouldn't just proves how hypocritical it really is. You're only exposing my point of the problem.

But sure, let's play a hypothetical.
How many would defend if it's been around since Smash 64?
Would they treat it as untouchable compared to say, Rosalina or Bowser Jr.? Or even moreso than Peach or Bowser since they debuted later?
Would they say it has more priority to return than an alternative Mario character making the cut?


....or do we have to make the exception that "well actually, it's just a common enemy, so it doesn't count"?
Where does the line get drawn?

 

[Will]

If you cut Jigglypuff, you’re just confirming that we’ll get one less newcomer with our next Fighters Pass.

 

[Gengar84]

The sheer FACT there has to be "exceptions" to who would get the "they can't leave because Original 12" and who wouldn't just proves how hypocritical it really is. You're only exposing my point of the problem.

But sure, let's play a hypothetical.
How many would defend if it's been around since Smash 64?
Would they treat it as untouchable compared to say, Rosalina or Bowser Jr.? Or even moreso than Peach or Bowser since they debuted later?
Would they say it has more priority to return than an alternative Mario character making the cut?


....or do we have to make the exception that "well actually, it's just a common enemy, so it doesn't count"?
Where does the line get drawn?

I’ll defend as is. Not that I think it won’t be cut, but the character gets so much hate in the Smash fan base and I thought it was a fun choice that really opens up the door to many more possibilities that we’d have never considered before. I’d rather have Goomba than Plant but I’m thankful Smash still gets quirky characters like this. I know that’s a different argument than the one you were making but I always feel the need to stick up for it.

 

[Curious Villager]

As far as Pokemon priorities go, I can see us losing Pichu and Incineroar before Jigglypuff anyway, maybe even Squirtle and Ivysaur again if the crunch is really that tight and because Charizard is just that much of Pokemon's golden boy...

But as a couple others said, considering how much even the dev's themselves seem to value the original twelve's perfect attendance record, the only way I could see them going down to cutting any of them is if there is some large scale reboot to the entire game itself that cuts down half the roster for any reason, otherwise, if its just the same routine from Brawl and Smash 4 where only a handful get left behind, I think their pretty much fine.

 

[Guynamednelson]

Here's a hot take when it comes to cuts: Toon Link is more likely to be cut than Young Link.

Toon is supposed to be Young's successor, but Young Link's been more popular to play as in Ultimate, and Toon Link doesn't really have recency going for him anymore when the Switch hasn't had any new Zelda games with a toon Link.

Unless you count the Link's Awakening remake, but...those aren't WW-esque designs.

 

[dream1ng]

As far as Pokemon priorities go, I can see us losing Pichu and Incineroar before Jigglypuff anyway, maybe even Squirtle and Ivysaur again if the crunch is really that tight and because Charizard is just that much of Pokemon's golden boy...

But as a couple others said, considering how much even the dev's themselves seem to value the original twelve's perfect attendance record, the only way I could see them going down to cutting any of them is if there is some large scale reboot to the entire game itself that cuts down half the roster for any reason, otherwise, if its just the same routine from Brawl and Smash 4 where only a handful get left behind, I think their pretty much fine.

Well it's not going to be the same routine from Brawl and 4 if there are cuts. If there are cuts (that go past licensing), they're rebuilding the roster and it's going to go past some single-digit handful like those past games because they won't have the resources to bring like 75-80 characters back. Otherwise there'd be no reason for any non-licensing cuts.

And at that point we'd be set to lose a lot more than the routine quantity of cuts.

 

[Will]

Here's a hot take when it comes to cuts: Toon Link is more likely to be cut than Young Link.

Toon is supposed to be Young's successor, but Young Link's been more popular to play as in Ultimate, and Toon Link doesn't really have recency going for him anymore when the Switch hasn't had any new Zelda games with a toon Link.

Unless you count the Link's Awakening remake, but...those aren't WW-esque designs.

Im petty, so I could really only accept the TL cut only if they also cut YL. TL is my preferred playstyle for Link, I’d really hate to see him go. YL’s neutrals are too janky for me.

 

[Scrimblo Bimblo]

The original 12 aren't impervious.

View attachment 384351

Characters in green most likely aren't going anywhere. They're too iconic and emblematic of Nintendo not to include.

Characters in yellow, while nowadays irrelevant when it comes to their own series, basically define Smash Bros and I really can't see them being cut for their outstanding legacy and their genre-defining kits.

The characters in red, well... I fully believe a Smash Bros could exist without them. Ness's case is a little funky because I think there still would be some Earthbound representation if he wasn't there, but I think he could be replaced by Ninten or Lucas in a revolving cast-type deal. And Jigglypuff was a case of being at the right place at the right time. Had she not gotten in 64, it's doubtful that the series would've ever looked back at her as a possible candidate. There are so many more Pokemon now and a lot more material to pull from, and it's not hard to disagree with the fact that her being cut would sting the least out of all the original 12.

People need to stop treating these dozen characters like they can never ever leave, because some of them absolutely could. In fact, if Smash ever became ultra-corporatized and Sakurai was no longer at the lead I could almost guarantee you that Nintendo execs would put even Falcon and Fox on the chopping block if they really wanted to trim things down.

The Nintendo corporates allegedly chose Banjo & Kazooie for DLC. They'll make sure to squeeze in the beloved character Latest Fire Emblem Lord in one way or the other, but it seems like they do have the pulse of the fanbase.
Plus Nintendo clearly cares about Mother and F-Zero even though they don't really get new games -- speaking of which, I'm not sure why people never seem to treat F-Zero 99 like a full new entry in the series... It has a ton of new mechanics and modes.

Also, if anything Mother is actually more popular now than when Ness first got into Smash. Like, a lot more. Way way more.

 

[Curious Villager]

Well it's not going to be the same routine from Brawl and 4 if there are cuts. If there are cuts (that go past licensing), they're rebuilding the roster and it's going to go past some single-digit handful like those past games because they won't have the resources to bring like 75-80 characters back.

At that point we'd be set to lose a lot more than the routine quantity of cuts.

I mean, by handful I mean a smaller percentage than, y'know, 45% - 50% or more of the roster, most of which would probably comprise of third parties they couldn't get the licence for or clone's/semi clones they didn't have the time to include, or any technical difficulties they may encounter for whatever reason, while still trying to get as many back as they can. That sort of thing.

Here's a hot take when it comes to cuts: Toon Link is more likely to be cut than Young Link.

Toon is supposed to be Young's successor, but Young Link's been more popular to play as in Ultimate, and Toon Link doesn't really have recency going for him anymore when the Switch hasn't had any new Zelda games with a toon Link.

Unless you count the Link's Awakening remake, but...those aren't WW-esque designs.

Pretty sure Young Link's main popularity comes from the west side of the Smash fandom. From what I've heard, Toon Link's the more popular one and sees more play in Japan compared to Young Link, so it probably be more down to whichever region Sakurai would favour more to bring back tbf

 

[Opossum]

I do not believe for a second that the Original 12 are untouchable when two of them have almost been the victims of cuts in the past (Jigglypuff in Brawl, Ness in Smash 4).

 

[SPEN18]

I don't think the original 12 should matter. These are different times, just make the game with the best character choices that you can make right now.

Jigglypuff and Ness have both been on the brink before, so no, I don't think they're explicitly against violating original 12 status. I mean, Ness was explicitly planned to be replaced with Lucas in Melee, Puff was one of the last characters in Brawl and probably also 4. You could even try to argue it's been more dumb luck than anything else that's maintained perfect attendance for the original 12.

That said, I don't think Captain Falcon or Ness would be cut. The simple reason is that they're the only representatives for their franchises, which despite not being active are still shown some love by Nintendo when possible. Though this is just the stock-in-trade argument, and I give more details below.

Ness's risk before was apparently only with regard to Lucas being the more recent face, but that's not relevant anymore; and based on both Smash 4 and the fact that M2 is the game with the worldwide release, Ness would be ahead of Lucas these days. Ness was also seemingly low priority in 4, though given that Lucas also came back as DLC, you have to think that if he didn't make base then he would've taken a DLC slot.
Captain Falcon, as far as I know, has never been especially at risk. His series was still active going into Melee and Brawl, and going into 4 he was not active but still got featured in the FE trailer, indicating he wasn't very low in priority. Now we even have F-Zero 99 which, while a lower-profile release, is still evidence that they're interested in using the IP. I think Falcon is the safest between himself, Ness, and Jiggs.

Jigglypuff, however, has a history of being lower priority and, unlike Ness, that history cannot be explained away as easily. Jiggs is not the sole representative for a franchise, and not even in the top tier of Pokemon that would be brought back, if anything more towards the back than the front of the line.


So, tldr, I can easily see Jigglypuff being cut, and while I think Ness and Falcon are more safe than not, it's not because they're in the original 12 and you can argue some risk at least for Ness.

 

[dream1ng]

Yes Smash values being longstanding, but it's not that the original 12 are untouchable, it's that 11 of them are who they are and one of them is Jigglypuff.

The starting eight are self-explanatory, as is Luigi. And they're not going to cut F-Zero. Ness in theory could be axed for a new protagonist, but Mother doesn't make those anymore. And I don't see why he'd be cut in favor of Ninten or Lucas at this point.

I mean, by handful I mean a smaller percentage than, y'know, 45% - 50% or more of the roster, most of which would probably comprise of third parties they couldn't get the licence for or clone's/semi clones they didn't have the time to include, or any technical difficulties they may encounter for whatever reason, while still trying to get as many back as they can. That sort of thing.

The cuts will go past third-parties, clones and technical difficulties. It will start cutting original first-party characters. Because if you cut a handful of third-parties and a handful of clones, you're still going to be left with more characters than they'll have the resources to bring back if the rebuild the roster.

In looking at Brawl and 4 for precedent, you're focusing on how many characters they cut, but not that those games rebuilt their rosters, which is why most of those cuts happened. If they do that this time, it's not like 20 characters brought back from Melee, or 30-something from Brawl - 50 returning would still omit nearly 40. 60 would still omit nearly 30. And you have to factor in newcomers. If there are cuts past licensing, there are going to be a lot of cuts, just based on finite resources.

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

I do not believe for a second that the Original 12 are untouchable when two of them have almost been the victims of cuts in the past (Jigglypuff in Brawl, Ness in Smash 4).

Being fair, it was an either/or between Ness and Lucas. And they chose to part ways with the one that never left Japan's shores, showing which of the two they'd keep if push came to shove.

Ness is safe as long as Lucas is there to take the fall.
Since we know Mother 3 isn't gonna be ported out of Japan any time soon.

 

[Opossum]

Being fair, it was an either/or between Ness and Lucas. And they chose to part ways with the one that never left Japan's shores, showing which of the two they'd keep if push came to shove.

Ness is safe as long as Lucas is there to take the fall.
Since we know Mother 3 isn't gonna be ported out of Japan any time soon.

I get that in the end they did choose Ness, but at the same time...I feel like if the Original Twelve were well and truly auto-additions, it wouldn't have even been a question lmao.

 

[Garteam]

The sheer FACT there has to be "exceptions" to who would get the "they can't leave because Original 12" and who wouldn't just proves how hypocritical it really is. You're only exposing my point of the problem.

But sure, let's play a hypothetical.
How many would defend if it's been around since Smash 64?
Would they treat it as untouchable compared to say, Rosalina or Bowser Jr.? Or even moreso than Peach or Bowser since they debuted later?
Would they say it has more priority to return than an alternative Mario character making the cut?


....or do we have to make the exception that "well actually, it's just a common enemy, so it doesn't count"?
Where does the line get drawn?

As someone who doesn't think Puff is untouchable and has even cut her from hypothetical rosters in the past, you're way too hung up on Puff's status as an original 12. You're missing many of the more substantial points behind her inclusion:

1. She's incredibly easy to develop. She's a ball with stubby arms and legs, which is already relatively easy to animate, that has been reusing the same animations for 22 years now. Smash for 3DS even shows you don't need a unique model for her, as she just used her X/Y model in that game.
2. She has a unique playstyle that only Wario and Sora come close to replicating, with Sora being generally agreed upon to be out the door for the base game.
3. She's become a unique part of Smash's iconography despite not being that prominent in her home series due to her legacy with Smash as a franchise, similar to Sheik and Roy.

I'd say Puff's worse-case scenario is being Pokemon Cut #4. Pichu and Incineroar definitely aren't out-prioritizing her and TPC's fascination with Greninja has come to a close, so she'd likely out-prioritize him due to ease of development, additional legacy, and higher popularity in Smash. There's also the possibility that Pokemon Trainer is axed in favour of Solozard, which I don't think is very likely, but Puff's chances would further increase if that were to happen.

Ness in Smash 4

Is there any evidence to support this claim? The only thing I can think of is how late Ness was revealed in that game's pre-release cycle, but a lot of that can be chalked up to Smash for 3DS' secret fighters not being revealed before the game's launch.