Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[Ivander]

Bear in mind Shadows of Valentia wasn't even a thing when Ultimate's design document was drafted.
It didn't get "skipped over" in favor of Chrom, it was never a factor to begin with.
Fates still hadn't been even released outside Japan at the time and Corrin was already going to be DLC for the previous Smash.

Development for Echoes began when Fates was completed and released in Japan, before Fates was released outside of Japan and Corrin was released for Smash 4. And it was originally going to release in 2016 before it was delayed because they wanted to fix some issues. Considering that:

1. Sakurai played Fire Emblem Three Houses before it was released to learn about Byleth, ideas for Byleth's moveset and whatnot.
2. Smash Ultimate's development started around after Smash 4's DLC was done, around half-a-year after development started for Echoes.
3. He looked at Decidueye and Incineroar around when their concepts were almost finished, with Sun & Moon releasing in 2016, which was the planned release year for Echoes before they delayed it to fix issues with the game.

It was very possible for Sakurai to look at the characters for Fire Emblem Echoes and figure what to do with them. Despite the delayed release date, Echoes had the right timing for Sakurai to look at the characters and whatnot, much like Greninja, Incineroar and Decidueye. It's just very possible that he thought Chrom would be easier to make than Alm or Celica and it helped that Chrom was decently voted on the Ballot.

 

[CommanderZaktan]

next week is the 6th anniversary of Ultimate's teaser trailer.

 

[Shinuto]

Unrelated to any current discussion but man if BlazBlue ever gets in with playable status I hope it one days gets far enough to get Hakumen and Nu, unfortunately for me they have to wait behind Ragna, Jin, Noel, possibly Terumi/Hazama, Rachel and maybe Izanami. Same thing with Aqua in Kingdom Hearts, Roxas, Riku, Ansem Xehanort(s). Or Nia in Xenoblade with Malos, Fiora, Jin/Lora, a Rex with Pyra variant and Elma.
My favorite characters are lower on the importance totem poles.

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

Development for Echoes began when Fates was completed and released in Japan, before Fates was released outside of Japan and Corrin was released for Smash 4. And it was originally going to release in 2016 before it was delayed because they wanted to fix some issues. Considering that:

1. Sakurai played Fire Emblem Three Houses before it was released to learn about Byleth, ideas for Byleth's moveset and whatnot.
2. Smash Ultimate's development started around after Smash 4's DLC was done, around half-a-year after development started for Echoes.
3. He looked at Decidueye and Incineroar around when their concepts were almost finished, with Sun & Moon releasing in 2016, which was the planned release year for Echoes before they delayed it to fix issues with the game.

It was very possible for Sakurai to look at the characters for Fire Emblem Echoes and figure what to do with them. Despite the delayed release date, Echoes had the right timing for Sakurai to look at the characters and whatnot, much like Greninja, Incineroar and Decidueye. It's just very possible that he thought Chrom would be easier to make than Alm or Celica and it helped that Chrom was decently voted on the Ballot.

Fair enough.

 

[SPEN18]

Development for Echoes began when Fates was completed and released in Japan, before Fates was released outside of Japan and Corrin was released for Smash 4. And it was originally going to release in 2016 before it was delayed because they wanted to fix some issues. Considering that:

1. Sakurai played Fire Emblem Three Houses before it was released to learn about Byleth, ideas for Byleth's moveset and whatnot.
2. Smash Ultimate's development started around after Smash 4's DLC was done, around half-a-year after development started for Echoes.
3. He looked at Decidueye and Incineroar around when their concepts were almost finished, with Sun & Moon releasing in 2016, which was the planned release year for Echoes before they delayed it to fix issues with the game.

It was very possible for Sakurai to look at the characters for Fire Emblem Echoes and figure what to do with them. Despite the delayed release date, Echoes had the right timing for Sakurai to look at the characters and whatnot, much like Greninja, Incineroar and Decidueye. It's just very possible that he thought Chrom would be easier to make than Alm or Celica and it helped that Chrom was decently voted on the Ballot.

Chrom was just a bonus Echo from the ballot, whose case likely would have been independent of Alm or Celica, regardless of timing. Echoes (the game) was a remake on a dying platform, unlikely to get a dedicated promotional rep, again regardless of timing (I was never buying Celica in Smash for this reason).
So if Chrom hypothetically hadn't been an option, we probably still wouldn't have gotten Alm or Celica. Point is, going for Chrom wasn't why we didn't get an SoV rep.
This said, I still agree with your original point that, especially if the next FE game is FE4 remake, we may not get a promotional pick from FE next base game. It's just my argument there would be less "look how we got Chrom instead of Celica" and more "they usually don't put out promo reps exclusively for late-system-cycle remakes, and the circumstances don't seem ripe for an Engage rep." FE could get skipped or it could make for an excellent time to add a fan favorite character.

 

[Pupp135]

Will it be Sommie's time to shine?

Sommie is my favorite in Engage, and it would be really funny to see it fight in SSB.

 

[Ivander]

Chrom was just a bonus Echo from the ballot, whose case likely would have been independent of Alm or Celica, regardless of timing. Echoes (the game) was a remake on a dying platform, unlikely to get a dedicated promotional rep, again regardless of timing (I was never buying Celica in Smash for this reason).
So if Chrom hypothetically hadn't been an option, we probably still wouldn't have gotten Alm or Celica. Point is, going for Chrom wasn't why we didn't get an SoV rep.
This said, I still agree with your original point that, especially if the next FE game is FE4 remake, we may not get a promotional pick from FE next base game. It's just my argument there would be less "look how we got Chrom instead of Celica" and more "they usually don't put out promo reps exclusively for late-system-cycle remakes, and the circumstances don't seem ripe for an Engage rep." FE could get skipped or it could make for an excellent time to add a fan favorite character.

That should not be a case because Pokemon Sun & Moon got Incineroar in Smash and as I said, Echoes was planned to release in 2016 which is the same year as when Sun & Moon was released. What's more, Incineroar was not chosen because of Sun & Moon being the 3rd-most selling games behind Mario Kart 7 and Pokemon X & Y since they were chosen before Sun & Moon released, so Fire Emblem Echoes not selling more than Awakening or Fates nor releasing later than planned wouldn't make a difference either.

 

[Jave]

I think there's a good chance the next Smash is already in development in the sense that Sakurai is already on board as director, the dev team has already been chosen (likely Bandai Namco again) and the first roster pitch has already been done. In that case, I believe that if there's an FE character in the base roster then Alear has the best chance out of every other FE character, but it's up entirely as to whether Sakurai and the devs can come up with something interesting for them to justify their inclusion. Moveset Potential is what Alear has going for them the most IMO, and if they were just another sword-locked Lord with no Engage mechanic then their chances would be considerably lower. I don't think the next Smash's base roster is set in stone yet, but Alear feels like a character that Sakurai would consider given the situation.

But I will predict this: If Alear is in, the reveal trailer will feature Sommie in some form.

 

[SPEN18]

That should not be a case because Pokemon Sun & Moon got Incineroar in Smash and as I said, Echoes was planned to release in 2016 which is the same year as when Sun & Moon was released. What's more, Incineroar was not chosen because of Sun & Moon being the 3rd-most selling games behind Mario Kart 7 and Pokemon X & Y since they were chosen before Sun & Moon released, so Fire Emblem Echoes not selling more than Awakening or Fates nor releasing later than planned wouldn't make a difference either.

A remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden is not nearly the same profile of release that mainline Pokemon games are. You don't need to see the sales to come to that conclusion. And remakes in general don't typically get dedicated promotional reps. Even in the rare cases like ZSS or PTrainer where you can craft an argument that the remake was a factor, there were other very strong reasons for inclusion beyond just that.
In any case, even if you still dispute my claims on remakes getting reps or SoV being a big enough release to potentially warrant promotion, the fact remains that we did not get an SoV rep, and I don't think Chrom had anything to do with that; he was an Echo who could've been added regardless.

 

[Noipoi]

I think there's a good chance the next Smash is already in development in the sense that Sakurai is already on board as director, the dev team has already been chosen (likely Bandai Namco again) and the first roster pitch has already been done.

I also think this is the case, at least in some form.

Guess we’ll just have to see what happens.

 

[Laniv]

Remember how, going into Ultimate, everyone was 100% certain that Spring Man, Decidueye, and Rex were locks? Instead we got Min-Min, Incineroar, and Pyra.

Wonder if something like that will happen again. Instead of the fighters we're all gunning for, we get the next character over, so to speak.

Instead of Waluigi or Geno, we get Toad or Pauline

please Toad

Please

 

[Noipoi]

Instead of Waluigi or Geno, we get Toad or Pauline

please Toad

Please

Toad's a weird one. One of the most prominent characters in the Mario franchise, both as an individual and as a species, and yet his Smash chances are at best considered "I'unno "

 

[Shinuto]

I hope we get even more indie representation in the next Smash I want more indie ATs more mii costumes, songs a stage and of course a playable character, imagine like a ddlc stage or costume body and the hair models of the girls or a Hornet AT from hollow knight.

 

[Noipoi]

I hope we get even more indie representation in the next Smash I want more indie ATs more mii costumes, songs a stage and of course a playable character, imagine like a ddlc stage or costume body and the hair models of the girls or a Hornet AT from hollow knight.

WELCOME TO THE UNDERGROUND

 

[Laniv]

Toad's a weird one. One of the most prominent characters in the Mario franchise, both as an individual and as a species, and yet his Smash chances are at best considered "I'unno "

People tend to overlook Toad because he's in Peach's moveset, but I think he can and should make it in. Maybe with specials themed around power-ups

 

[Guynamednelson]

People tend to overlook Toad because he's in Peach's moveset

It's not hard to tell Peach's Toad and the playable Toad apart in this mod anyway. The playable one has more Brawl-esque colors, is bigger, and isn't on the screen for only a second. And they've reskinned ATs that've become playable characters, so if Peach's Toad was an issue I think they would've changed him.

If Peach's Toad is still a hangup regardless, just turn the damn thing into Toadsworth already.

 

[Sucumbio]

Toad > Geno > Waluigi for me personally but I want all 3 in the best case scenario. I think it's possible.

 

[Louie G.]

I'm not actively supporting any of them really, but I think I do want Waluigi the most.

Not only would it just be a satisfying conclusion to his underdog story, it's always fun to see fan campaigns succeed, but I've always liked him a lot. He's one of my favorite designs of the Mario cast and has an incredibly fun and dynamic personality. Some people like to rag on him and suggest he doesn't really have one, but he is very consistently a cheat and a jealous sore loser. The former trait is a great basis to build a trickster moveset around, as well as aping Luigi and Wario's style to create a super janky oddball kit with underhanded attacks. And the latter will make for the funniest losing animation in the game.

I like Toad and Geno individually, but I'm less enamored by Toad's moveset potential (at least, none of the fan movesets ever really did it for me) and while Geno would be incredibly fun I do think there are characters more synonymous with the main brand that should be getting first dibs. Would be happy enough to see either but I wouldn't list them among my most wanted at the moment. And then I guess there's Paper Mario (he'd be ok, I used to want him a lot more) and some curveballs like Pauline (I've spoke about it before, but there are just better options on all fronts).

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

Waluigi is my most wanted and has been among my top wanted since Wario was revealed for Brawl.

But I am too jaded at this point to believe he'll make it. Been burnt out too many times to even entertain the idea as a possibility.
Went into Ultimate expecting him to be an Assist and only briefly had a sliver of hope once Daisy was revealed. .....and then that hope was almost immediately destroyed. So not doing that again.

 

[Shinuto]

As

I'm not actively supporting any of them really, but I think I do want Waluigi the most.

Not only would it just be a satisfying conclusion to his underdog story, it's always fun to see fan campaigns succeed, but I've always liked him a lot. He's one of my favorite designs of the Mario cast and has an incredibly fun and dynamic personality. Some people like to rag on him and suggest he doesn't really have one, but he is very consistently a cheat and a jealous sore loser. The former trait is a great basis to build a trickster moveset around, as well as aping Luigi and Wario's style to create a super janky oddball kit with underhanded attacks. And the latter will make for the funniest losing animation in the game.

I like Toad and Geno individually, but I'm less enamored by Toad's moveset potential (at least, none of the fan movesets ever really did it for me) and while Geno would be incredibly fun I do think there are characters more synonymous with the main brand that should be getting first dibs. Would be happy enough to see either but I wouldn't list them among my most wanted at the moment. And then I guess there's Paper Mario (he'd be ok, I used to want him a lot more) and some curveballs like Pauline (I've spoke about it before, but there are just better options on all fronts).

I honestly want him for the reason that it will give me an excuse to post Walluejah all over Reddit, Twitter 4chan etc

 

[Gorgonzales]

Waluigi is my most wanted and has been among my top wanted since Wario was revealed for Brawl.

But I am too jaded at this point to believe he'll make it. Been burnt out too many times to even entertain the idea as a possibility.
Went into Ultimate expecting him to be an Assist and only briefly had a sliver of hope once Daisy was revealed. .....and then that hope was almost immediately destroyed. So not doing that again.

I mean, I'm sure people said the same about Ridley and K. Rool. There's only so many more non-Waluigi characters they can add.

 

[HyperSomari64]

change of topic: we need another micro computer rep (Snake was the first since he hails from the MSX2)

ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, Amstrad CPC, Oric, Commodore 64, TRS Color Computer, the Atari 8-bit family (Side Note: I consider the 5200 as part of it due to similar hardware), etc.

 

[Shinuto]

I really don't want Pokmeon to be another starter honestly, there's so many really interesting picks that don't get it because they aren't part of the lucky nepotism of elemental starter trio.

 

[Sucumbio]

change of topic: we need another micro computer rep (Snake was the first since he hails from the MSX2)

ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, Amstrad CPC, Oric, Commodore 64, TRS Color Computer, the Atari 8-bit family (Side Note: I consider the 5200 as part of it due to similar hardware), etc.

Lode Runner

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

I really don't want Pokmeon to be another starter honestly, there's so many really interesting picks that don't get it because they aren't part of the lucky nepotism of elemental starter trio.

No, they don't get in because Sakurai doesn't find them as interesting on a conceptual level.
Nothing to do with Starter vs. Non-Starter.

 

[Shinuto]

No, they don't get in because Sakurai doesn't find them as interesting on a conceptual level.
Nothing to do with Starter vs. Non-Starter.

It absolutely plays a part.

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

It absolutely plays a part.

No, no it does not.

I get people now have this irrational phobia of Starters (which lets be honest is specifically because the "wrong Starter" ended up getting in since no one batted an eye about the idea of a Starter when the predicted Pokémon was the Grass starter Decidueye), but no, Sakurai has made it painfully clear that it was how he could envision Greninja and Incineroar on a conceptual level that got them in, not because he was "obligated to add a Starter" or some bull**** like that.

 

[chocolatejr9]

I mean, I'm sure people said the same about Ridley and K. Rool. There's only so many more non-Waluigi characters they can add.

TBF, that depends on what you mean by "only so many". If we're talking specifically other Mario characters, then yeah Waluigi's pretty high on the list. If we take into account other series? That's where things MIGHT get complicated, depending on the circumstances...

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

TBF, that depends on what you mean by "only so many". If we're talking specifically other Mario characters, then yeah Waluigi's pretty high on the list. If we take into account other series? That's where things MIGHT get complicated, depending on the circumstances...

This.

And when you consider a common enemy was seen as a higher priority, even to fill a specific role.....that doesn't exactly give much confidence.

At this point even something like Elephant Mario could wind up blindsiding people as a Mario newcomer while Waluigi stays as the "ambassador" of Assist Trophies.



What if....you wanted someone like Waluigi or Geno, or Toad or etc.
And Sakurai was all like

"WOWIE-ZOWIE!"

 

[DarthEnderX]

• Simon Belmont /w Trevor Belmont being an Alternate Character skin.
• Richter Belmont /w Julius Belmont being an Alternate Character skin.
• Alucard
• Trevor Belmont Cornell (Who uses some of his own attacks from Legacy of Darkness as well as attacks from the Werewolf Boss Enemy)
• Reinhardt Schneider Soma Cruz
• Juste Belmont Jonathan & Charlotte
• Maria Renard
• Julius Belmont Shanoa

If Peach's Toad is still a hangup regardless, just turn the damn thing into Toadsworth already.

Yep. Or just have her use her parasol.

change of topic: we need another micro computer rep (Snake was the first since he hails from the MSX2)

Gonna go with Estelle Bright then. Since the first Legend of Heroes game was a micro computer game.

 

[Guynamednelson]

no one batted an eye about the idea of a Starter when the predicted Pokémon was the Grass starter Decidueye

except for me

 

[7NATOR]

You might find this interesting, but It seems Bandai Namco's Studio S isn't hiring anymore

Bandai Namco Studio Co., Ltd. (bandainamcostudios-snar-jp.translate.goog)

This used to allow you do entry, but now it says reception is closed. This was already the Case with Studio 2 (the ones working on the 3D Action game) but now it's the Same case with Studio S (The Studio speculated to be working on New Smash).

 

[Ivander]

You might find this interesting, but It seems Bandai Namco's Studio S isn't hiring anymore

Bandai Namco Studio Co., Ltd. (bandainamcostudios-snar-jp.translate.goog)

This used to allow you do entry, but now it says reception is closed. This was already the Case with Studio 2 (the ones working on the 3D Action game) but now it's the Same case with Studio S (The Studio speculated to be working on New Smash).

Just for remembrance sake, was there any mentions at what the job listing was for specifically? Like I know the rumor is that there are two studios working on a 2D game and a 3D game respectively, but was there any specific requests regarding the studio working on the 2D game?

 

[7NATOR]

Just for remembrance sake, was there any mentions at what the job listing was for specifically? Like I know the rumor is that there are two studios working on a 2D game and a 3D game respectively, but was there any specific requests regarding the studio working on the 2D game?

ENTRY | Studio 2/Studio S | バンダイナムコスタジオ

バンダイナムコスタジオ内で受託開発案件に特化した「バンダイナムコスタジオ 第2スタジオ/Sスタジオ」公式サイトです。『大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズ SPECIAL』『マリオカート8 デラックス』『マリオカート ツアー』 等手がけたタイトルの紹介や社員インタビューなどを掲載し、志高いクリエイター達の参戦を待っています！

web.archive.org

株式会社バンダイナムコスタジオ

株式会社バンダイナムコスタジオの採用ページです。新卒採用、キャリア採用、インターンシップ情報などを掲載しています。

web.archive.org

株式会社バンダイナムコスタジオ

株式会社バンダイナムコスタジオの採用ページです。新卒採用、キャリア採用、インターンシップ情報などを掲載しています。

web.archive.org

株式会社バンダイナムコスタジオ

株式会社バンダイナムコスタジオの採用ページです。新卒採用、キャリア採用、インターンシップ情報などを掲載しています。

web.archive.org

Here is the Web archive of the Actual Japanesse page of the Recruitment posts. Using the Translation, these Job offerings were for

-Consumer Game Designer

-Consumer Game Engineer

-Visual Artist

I will also say when I did do a Post on the Job Recruitment page, the Studio 2 Page was unavailable, but the Studio S was still accepting applicants. At this time though it seems both have what they need, so the Page just presents a link to apply at the General Bandai Namco website

 

[superprincess]

RE: Toad

It was mentioned a few pages ago that most of the franchises on the roster feel "complete" in terms of characters but I'd have to disagree when it comes to Toad. He's been a part of the series basically since day one, and his role has only grown since then. You really can't have a Mario game without Toad, and when you – rarely – do, it feels really strange. Not to mention he's always front and center in the playable rosters of the spinoffs (except recent Mario Party, for some reason).

Toad's strong presence in the Mario movie gives me some hope, alongside Toadette's rising prominence in the series. In some ways, she's even more prevalent and relevant than Toad himself. Of course a prerequisite for getting Toadette is getting Toad himself, so I feel like their combined chances are a bit higher than before.

It all comes down to Sakurai changing his mind about Toad as a character and his position in the Smash universe. Him being Peach's meatshield was funny the first time I guess, but since then? It's been an injustice to both their characters.

In any case, whether he becomes playable or not, I hope the Toad move is retired. Peach deserves something better and Daisy doesn't even have an association with Toads. The move also falls into the "summon X character to do something for you" category which I don't like.

As for what the replacement could be? There's plenty of options for both princesses. Stella from Princess Peach: Showtime! could basically fill the same role as current Toad, except she'd transform into a ribbon to attack. The other alternative (that I prefer) is the War Fan from Super Mario RPG. Her other two weapons from that game (parasol and frying pan) are already in Smash, so it'd be cool to complete the trifecta. Peach assumes an elegant defensive stance with the open fan covering the lower half of her face. If she's hit, she rapidly fans forward unleashing a wave of hearts. I might just be a fan (pun unintended) of this idea because I main Kitana in MK, lol.

For Daisy, I could see the Bubble Flower being used. This one wouldn't be a counter at all, but rather a slow projectile that traps opponents in it and allows Daisy to jump off if. Randomly blowing a spit bubble would be strange and kinda gross for Daisy though, so I think she should hold out the Bubble Flower like a bubble wand, and blow it gently. More dynamic animation. The other option would be to just have Peach's War Fan, but customized for Daisy. I wouldn't be opposed to a custom floral fan, since she already uses her own parasol and Peach's frying pan. Would be cool for consistency.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

RE: Toad

It was mentioned a few pages ago that most of the franchises on the roster feel "complete" in terms of characters but I'd have to disagree when it comes to Toad. He's been a part of the series basically since day one, and his role has only grown since then. You really can't have a Mario game without Toad, and when you – rarely – do, it feels really strange. Not to mention he's always front and center in the playable rosters of the spinoffs (except recent Mario Party, for some reason).

Toad's strong presence in the Mario movie gives me some hope, alongside Toadette's rising prominence in the series. In some ways, she's even more prevalent and relevant than Toad himself. Of course a prerequisite for getting Toadette is getting Toad himself, so I feel like their combined chances are a bit higher than before.

It all comes down to Sakurai changing his mind about Toad as a character and his position in the Smash universe. Him being Peach's meatshield was funny the first time I guess, but since then? It's been an injustice to both their characters.

In any case, whether he becomes playable or not, I hope the Toad move is retired. Peach deserves something better and Daisy doesn't even have an association with Toads. The move also falls into the "summon X character to do something for you" category which I don't like.

As for what the replacement could be? There's plenty of options for both princesses. Stella from Princess Peach: Showtime! could basically fill the same role as current Toad, except she'd transform into a ribbon to attack. The other alternative (that I prefer) is the War Fan from Super Mario RPG. Her other two weapons from that game (parasol and frying pan) are already in Smash, so it'd be cool to complete the trifecta. Peach assumes an elegant defensive stance with the open fan covering the lower half of her face. If she's hit, she rapidly fans forward unleashing a wave of hearts. I might just be a fan (pun unintended) of this idea because I main Kitana in MK, lol.

For Daisy, I could see the Bubble Flower being used. This one wouldn't be a counter at all, but rather a slow projectile that traps opponents in it and allows Daisy to jump off if. Randomly blowing a spit bubble would be strange and kinda gross for Daisy though, so I think she should hold out the Bubble Flower like a bubble wand, and blow it gently. More dynamic animation. The other option would be to just have Peach's War Fan, but customized for Daisy. I wouldn't be opposed to a custom floral fan, since she already uses her own parasol and Peach's frying pan. Would be cool for consistency.

I think a fun move for Peach could be using the parasol for a move defensive use. I could see her use it as a sort of a shield like in Super Paper Mario. Obviously, they can't fit the parasol around her entire model, but an aimable shield could be fun. Like, point in that direction and the attack is nullified.

 

[SPEN18]

Here's a wild take: Pokemon should just abandon the concept of starters altogether. There's no point.

We have (and can have more of) mechanics for catching wild Pokemon without battling them, and not even just as a little minigame/gimmick like the Safari Zone or something.

So just let the player catch whatever Pokemon they want as their first. Plop them into the open world and let 'em at it. Lol I'm sure some players would take it as a challenge to see how far they can make it before catching anything.

You'd have to change the game over conditions to be something other than just having no battle-eligible Pokemon in your party, but whatever, maybe if you get engaged in a fight (say with a hostile wild Pokemon) with no battle-eligible Pokemon then it's a game over, or something like that.

Promotion-wise, you can still focus on a select few mons as the centerpieces for the marketing, but there's no reason those mons have to be fire/water/grass types. They can be anything. Whatever new Pokemon design the team loves and wants to promote as that generation's mascot.

I guess the less steroidal version of that last bit is still have starters but allow different typings, or maybe more than three options. But this is all just spitballing anyway.

 

[Master Hero Sock-on-Rye]

Here's a wild take: Pokemon should just abandon the concept of starters altogether. There's no point.

We have (and can have more of) mechanics for catching wild Pokemon without battling them, and not even just as a little minigame/gimmick like the Safari Zone or something.

So just let the player catch whatever Pokemon they want as their first. Plop them into the open world and let 'em at it. Lol I'm sure some players would take it as a challenge to see how far they can make it before catching anything.

You'd have to change the game over conditions to be something other than just having no battle-eligible Pokemon in your party, but whatever, maybe if you get engaged in a fight (say with a hostile wild Pokemon) with no battle-eligible Pokemon then it's a game over, or something like that.

Promotion-wise, you can still focus on a select few mons as the centerpieces for the marketing, but there's no reason those mons have to be fire/water/grass types. They can be anything. Whatever new Pokemon design the team loves and wants to promote as that generation's mascot.

I guess the less steroidal version of that last bit is still have starters but allow different typings, or maybe more than three options. But this is all just spitballing anyway.

If this is the main twist for Generation 10, it would get people hyped.

 

[DarthEnderX]

Won't happen, because Starters are such a prominent promotional tool.

 

[Capybara Gaming]

After Chun-Li, who do ya'll think would be the next rep for Street Fighter?

Personally, I'd like a newer character, and I think there's only one who fits the "all-star" bill: Juri.