Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[Shinuto]

Does anyone think KOS-MOS has a chance being playable next Smash? I think she would have a killer moveset as true heavyweght zoner and cool locations to use as a stage and great music.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Does anyone think KOS-MOS has a chance being playable next Smash? I think she would have a killer moveset as true heavyweght zoner and cool locations to use as a stage and great music.View attachment 394381

As a Xeno character, she has way too much competition that Nintendo owns.

As a Namco character, they'd probably choose a ton of IPs before Xenosaga.

Her best bet is Monolith Soft asking for her (they love her).

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

I don't know about Smash, but Xenosaga HD remasters on the Switch 2 wouldn't surprise me.

 

[Dinoman96]

Xenosaga was kind of a flop IP back in its day to put it lightly (it was literally demoralizing for Monolith Soft, it's what encouraged them to do better for Xenoblade) and I also kinda doubt KOS-MOS has the same level of fan demand that got "lesser" IPs like Banjo-Kazooie in.

I don't see it, personally.

 

[AreJay25]

I mean, even Harada himself said that Xenosaga remasters were in the works, but ultimately got shot down because they were too financially risky.

KOS-MOS would be neat, but man she's got one hell of a mountain to climb.

 

[Gengar84]

I mean, even Harada himself said that Xenosaga remasters were in the works, but ultimately got shot down because they were too financially risky.

KOS-MOS would be neat, but man she's got one hell of a mountain to climb.

KOS-MOS’ inclusion in Smash could drive interest in her as a character and the Xenosaga games in general which would help reduce the risk of those remakes.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

I could see KOS-MOS maybe being a trophy/Spirit or an Assist Trophy if they reeeeally wanted to, but I'd think Namco would focus on stuff they still currently make that's more prominent in their lineup, like Katamari, Taiko no Tatsujin, Tales of, Soulcalibur, or potentially even Digimon depending on the weird rights thing it has going on.

 

[AreJay25]

KOS-MOS’ inclusion in Smash could drive interest in her as a character and the Xenosaga games in general which would help reduce the risk of those remakes.

Well, yeah. It'd certainly help.

But Bandai Namco are ultimately the ones that have to agree to her inclusion. And I can't imagine they'd immediately jump at the idea of including a character from a franchise that, by their own admission, isn't exactly capable of doing gangbusters.

 

[Kirbeh]

I could see KOS-MOS maybe being a trophy/Spirit or an Assist Trophy if they reeeeally wanted to, but I'd think Namco would focus on stuff they still currently make that's more prominent in their lineup, like Katamari, Taiko no Tatsujin, Tales of, Soulcalibur, or potentially even Digimon depending on the weird rights thing it has going on.

The former two I could see getting a couple little things added. Maybe some Spirits (or whatever their new equivalent is,) hopefully some music. The latter two I'd scratch off the list given the higher ups actively did not want SC6 to happen and Digimon I know little about admittedly, but people don't seem to have a lot of faith there.

If we get a new fighter from Namco it's Tales or bust imo. A second Tekken rep or Dark Souls being tentative distant second choices.

 

[DarthEnderX]

I will say that the assertion that we don't have any strong Nintendo newcomers left is proven false by my poll.

How does a poll that only compares Nintendo characters to other Nintendo characters prove the strength of Nintendo characters?

"Nintendo characters got 100% of the vote! In this poll where you can only vote for Nintendo characters..."

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

The former two I could see getting a couple little things added. Maybe some Spirits (or whatever their new equivalent is,) hopefully some music. The latter two I'd scratch off the list given the higher ups actively did not want SC6 to happen and Digimon I know little about admittedly, but people don't seem to have a lot of faith there.

If we get a new fighter from Namco it's Tales or bust imo. A second Tekken rep or Dark Souls being tentative distant second choices.

I can't find anything on the higher ups not wanting Soulcalibur 6 to happen, though admittedly my search was very quick. And I would think Digimon would be fine since Namco owns the game rights as well as toys and merchandise, but it depends on how they'd want to characterize Agumon (since let's face it, it would definitely be him if we got any Digimon) since if you make him more like his anime counterparts, you'd probably have to also go through Toei since they own the anime rights. Not impossible, but potentially too much red tape for the team to bother worrying about it.

I do think Tales is the most likely though, and I did completely skip over Dark Souls by accident lol

 

[MasterCheef]

Numbers = character slots , & , ( 61 total playable characters )

1 , 2 , 3 = Mario , ( Luigi = echo ) , Peach , ( Daisy = echo ) , & , Yoshi
4 , & , 5 = Bowser , & , Wario
6 , & , 7 , & , 8 = Donkey Kong , & , Diddy Kong , & , King K Rool
9 , & , 10 , & , 11 , & , 12 = Link , & , Zelda , & , Impa , & , Ganondorf
13 , & , 14 = Samus , ( Dark Samus = echo ) , & , Ridley
15 , & , 16 = Kirby , & King DeDeDe
17 , 18 , & , 19 = Pikachu , & , Gholdengo , & , Iron Valiant
20 = Pokemon Trainer : Chesnaught , Quaquaval , Incineroar
21 , & , 22 = Pit , ( Dark Pit = echo ) , & , Palutena
23 = Mii Brawler , & , Mii Gunner , & , Mii Sword Mage
24 = Isabelle , ( Animal Crossing )
25 & 26 = Byleth & Alear ( Fire Emblem )
27 , 28 , 29 = Shulk , & ,( Pyra + Mythra ) , & , Noah + ( Mio = echo )
30 = Inkling , & , ( Octoling = Echo ) Splatoon
31 = Officer Howard – Astral Chain
32 = Ring Fit Trainee
33 = Tabuu

Base 3rd party
34 = Sonic
35 = Pac-Man
36 = Kazuya
37 = New ( Tales of ) rep from New ( Tales of ) game , via , Bandai Namco
38 = Yumia ( Ryza & Marie = Alts ) = Atelier , via , Koei Tecmo
39 = Borderlands rep , via ; 2K & Telltale Games
40 = Crash Bandicoot , via ; Activision

DLC
41 = Vault Boy
42 = New PokeMon Rep
43 = Monster Hunter , via , Capcom ; MHST2 , design
44 = Pyramid Head — Silent Hill 2
45 = codename : Legacy = XenoBlade Origins : protagonist
46 , & , 47 = ( Ahri & Lux ) - League of Legends , via Riot Games
48 = ( Soul Calibur ) Rep ; NOT Nightmare
49 , & , 50 = Master Chief & Arbiter ( Halo )

This is the best roster for Smash 6.

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

It's sad while entirely fair that Klonoa is just accepted as not really a strong possibility for Smash. It was always a very modest series but as someone that that really got to play the games via the Switch release, it is a pity such an enjoyable universe hasn't popped up in SSB in some fashion.

 

[AreJay25]

I can't find anything on the higher ups not wanting Soulcalibur 6 to happen, though admittedly my search was very quick.

Funnily enough, Harada also had a lot to say about Soulcalibur's status.

The long and short of it is that Soulcalibur 6 did okay but not good enough for the higher ups (SCV pissing everyone off didn't help here), and there's pretty much no unified group within the company that can step up and fight for the series at the moment. In other words, it's back in the grave for the foreseeable future.

 

[toonito]

Mmmm... let's put some events on a timeline. Please take into account that all the stuff we have no sources on is entirely my speculation, so PLEASE don't quote me on this or add it to Wikipedia.

On October 18, 2021, the last Ultimate DLC character, Sora, was released. I THINK that around this time, Nintendo started getting into talks with Sakurai for the next game. Nothing official yet, but since Switch 2 was likely meant to release earlier (before Nintendo realized they could a whole extra year of OG Switch consoles), it's not far-fetched to think Nintendo was likely planning on Smash 6 as early as here.

On December 1st, 2021, the series got its final balance patch, and it will not get another version update until over two years later (which I'll get to later). This seems to indicate that not much dev work went into Ultimate through 2022 and 2023, so I think it's very likely that during these two years, Nintendo made the necessary agreements with Sakurai to get him back as Director for Smash 6. I think it's possible Sakurai spent these two years working on early planning for Smash 6, coming up with new ideas and characters, while still working on the final updates for Ultimate along with his video series.

On November 13, 2023, it was announced that Namco Bandai has created two studios dedicated exclusively to working with Nintendo. This very likely means that NB will be returning as the dev team for Smash 6, which should make development of Smash 6 a lot smoother (since according to Sakurai himself, using the same dev company and team means they can reuse assets from the previous games they developed). I think it's probable that around this time, the dev team was fully settled and Sakurai pitched his idea for Smash 6 to Nintendo and development of Smash 6 officially started, with Sakurai still working on the last update for Ultimate and the last videos of his Youtube series (which is ending soon as of this post).

On December 6, 2023, the final Spirit Event for the game's 5th anniversary is announced, which will release periodically until March 19, 2024.

On February 14, 2024, the last Version update of Ultimate (13.0.2) is released, which is the addition of compatibility of the Sora amiibo. With this update, Sakurai officially announces that development for Smash Ultimate is over. And with his Youtube video series now nearly done in terms of production, it's likely that Sakurai and the dev team moved on to Smash 6 development in full at this point.

I really doubt we'll see a new Smash next year, but if the timeline above is accurate I think it's possible we could see an announcement on mid/late 2025 for an early/mid 2026 release. Maybe no later than Holiday 2026. Nintendo values Smash very highly by now so they will likely want a release for each of their systems as early as possible, and I think it's likely they got everyone on board during the final dev periods of Ultimate.

good post

my speculation below

if we use Smash 4 as a guide as well (not concrete) then we know that Ultimate's Project Plan was completed when Bayonetta was revealed in December 2015. Ultimate released in December 2018 (3 years from plan to release).

If we use the date when Namco created the two studios for Nintendo for future Smash development (Nov 13 2023) as the completion of the project plan then we're potentially looking at a Nov 2026 release for Smash 6 based on the previous game's timeline.

for North America: Smash games have been released in April, November, March, November, and December. Melee was the only game released the same year as a new console so it seems that if Switch 2 comes out next year then Smash most likely won't be out in 2025. 2026 will mark eight years from the release of Ultimate which would be the longest gap between Smash games.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

Funnily enough, Harada also had a lot to say about Soulcalibur's status.

The long and short of it is that Soulcalibur 6 did okay but not good enough for the higher ups (SCV pissing everyone off didn't help here), and there's pretty much no unified group within the company that can step up and fight for the series at the moment. In other words, it's back in the grave for the foreseeable future.

Okay, so it's basically unlikely in Smash anyway, just for a different reason technically. Fair enough lol

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Funnily enough, Harada also had a lot to say about Soulcalibur's status.

The long and short of it is that Soulcalibur 6 did okay but not good enough for the higher ups (SCV pissing everyone off didn't help here), and there's pretty much no unified group within the company that can step up and fight for the series at the moment. In other words, it's back in the grave for the foreseeable future.

As someone who really wants to see Soulcalibur content in Smash, reading this gave me physical pain

 

[SharkLord]

Mmmm... let's put some events on a timeline. Please take into account that all the stuff we have no sources on is entirely my speculation, so PLEASE don't quote me on this or add it to Wikipedia.

On October 18, 2021, the last Ultimate DLC character, Sora, was released. I THINK that around this time, Nintendo started getting into talks with Sakurai for the next game. Nothing official yet, but since Switch 2 was likely meant to release earlier (before Nintendo realized they could a whole extra year of OG Switch consoles), it's not far-fetched to think Nintendo was likely planning on Smash 6 as early as here.

On December 1st, 2021, the series got its final balance patch, and it will not get another version update until over two years later (which I'll get to later). This seems to indicate that not much dev work went into Ultimate through 2022 and 2023, so I think it's very likely that during these two years, Nintendo made the necessary agreements with Sakurai to get him back as Director for Smash 6. I think it's possible Sakurai spent these two years working on early planning for Smash 6, coming up with new ideas and characters, while still working on the final updates for Ultimate along with his video series.

On November 13, 2023, it was announced that Namco Bandai has created two studios dedicated exclusively to working with Nintendo. This very likely means that NB will be returning as the dev team for Smash 6, which should make development of Smash 6 a lot smoother (since according to Sakurai himself, using the same dev company and team means they can reuse assets from the previous games they developed). I think it's probable that around this time, the dev team was fully settled and Sakurai pitched his idea for Smash 6 to Nintendo and development of Smash 6 officially started, with Sakurai still working on the last update for Ultimate and the last videos of his Youtube series (which is ending soon as of this post).

On December 6, 2023, the final Spirit Event for the game's 5th anniversary is announced, which will release periodically until March 19, 2024.

On February 14, 2024, the last Version update of Ultimate (13.0.2) is released, which is the addition of compatibility of the Sora amiibo. With this update, Sakurai officially announces that development for Smash Ultimate is over. And with his Youtube video series now nearly done in terms of production, it's likely that Sakurai and the dev team moved on to Smash 6 development in full at this point.

I really doubt we'll see a new Smash next year, but if the timeline above is accurate I think it's possible we could see an announcement on mid/late 2025 for an early/mid 2026 release. Maybe no later than Holiday 2026. Nintendo values Smash very highly by now so they will likely want a release for each of their systems as early as possible, and I think it's likely they got everyone on board during the final dev periods of Ultimate.

Honestly, I could even see them teasing Smash 6 at the start of the Switch 2's lifespan. Ultimate sold absolute gangbusters, and even if the game itself won't release for another year or two, teasing another Smash would be a great way to drum up hype for the new system. Of course, that's all just speculation, so i won't bank on it.

2026 also seems like a pretty reasonable release window, maybe 2027 at the latest. Since Brawl, Smash games release about two years into their console's lifespan; Brawl was slightly delayed to polish it a bit before launch, and Ultimate was a little earlier, probably because they shifted gears immediately after Smash 4 wrapped up development. The current rumors are that the Switch 2 was pushed back from a late 2024 release to shore up more launch titles, so Smash 6 could have been planned around that original Switch 2 launch date. That would make Smash 6 release comparatively earlier in the Switch 2's lifespan as a result.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

Honestly, I could even see them teasing Smash 6 at the start of the Switch 2's lifespan. Ultimate sold absolute gangbusters, and even if the game itself won't release for another year or two, teasing another Smash would be a great way to drum up hype for the new system. Of course, that's all just speculation, so i won't bank on it.

2026 also seems like a pretty reasonable release window, maybe 2027 at the latest. Since Brawl, Smash games release about two years into their console's lifespan; Brawl was slightly delayed to polish it a bit before launch, and Ultimate was a little earlier, probably because they shifted gears immediately after Smash 4 wrapped up development. The current rumors are that the Switch 2 was pushed back from a late 2024 release to shore up more launch titles, so Smash 6 could have been planned around that original Switch 2 launch date. That would make Smash 6 release comparatively earlier in the Switch 2's lifespan as a result.

I'm expecting a reveal in the summer Direct of 2026, and then it either comes out later that year or in 2027, but I think it genuinely kind of depends on how many newcomers we get. Ultimate revealed most of the cast in one go and only had like 6 newcomers to actually show off, so if we're looking at a more traditional newcomer count I could see the advertising/trailer cycle be a good bit longer than Ultimate's was, especially if we go back to the Dojo style of revealing veterans like I kinda feel like we will since we won't have the sudden deluge of info that "Everyone is Here and here's proof!" provided us lol

 

[SharkLord]

I'm expecting a reveal in the summer Direct of 2026, and then it either comes out later that year or in 2027, but I think it genuinely kind of depends on how many newcomers we get. Ultimate revealed most of the cast in one go and only had like 6 newcomers to actually show off, so if we're looking at a more traditional newcomer count I could see the advertising/trailer cycle be a good bit longer than Ultimate's was, especially if we go back to the Dojo style of revealing veterans like I kinda feel like we will since we won't have the sudden deluge of info that "Everyone is Here and here's proof!" provided us lol

Sakurai's gone on record about how EiH was a massive endeavor that most likely won't be repeated, so I think it's more likely we see a return to the Brawl/4 cadence of prerelease material. With that in mind we'll likely have more newcomers and less infobomb directs, at least until later on.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

Sakurai's gone on record about how EiH was a massive endeavor that most likely won't be repeated, so I think it's more likely we see a return to the Brawl/4 cadence of prerelease material. With that in mind we'll likely have more newcomers and less infobomb directs, at least until later on.

I agree, I just hope it's not quite the same as 4's cadence lol

I remember how grueling it was for Smash 4 to get revealed at E3 and then we had to wait a full month for our first post-reveal veteran confirmation, that being Olimar lol

 

[supersonicridley]

I really liked the smash brawl dojo reveals. I wish they would do something like that again where everyday we would get a little info with occasional character drops.

 

[Gengar84]

I really liked the smash brawl dojo reveals. I wish they would do something like that again where everyday we would get a little info with occasional character drops.

Same here. Brawl was the most exciting pre-release build of any game ever.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Brawl Dojo my beloved...

I miss these days...

 

[SPEN18]

How does a poll that only compares Nintendo characters to other Nintendo characters prove the strength of Nintendo characters?

I mean the voter turnout was strong IMO considering the point of speculation that we're in (i.e. a completely dead period relatively speaking). And lots of characters got pretty large percentages of the vote, showing they're wanted by the community. It seems incredibly unlikely from the results that all of these high-ranking characters aren't actually popular. Besides the data, though, just look at the names at the top of the ballot; it's pretty difficult to argue none of those are very popular choices.
Clearly the poll doesn't tell us how Nintendo characters' demands compare to those of various third party characters, but just as clearly that wasn't the point of the exercise. Statements saying there is strong demand for various Nintendo characters don't have to be made relative to third parties.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

How does a poll that only compares Nintendo characters to other Nintendo characters prove the strength of Nintendo characters?

"Nintendo characters got 100% of the vote! In this poll where you can only vote for Nintendo characters..."

In and of itself, it doesn't really do much to prove their "strength".

But the fact that it's gotten as many answers as it did is proof that people are still interested in first-party characters in some capacity. That's what matters.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

also bo means staff

Ah the martial arts equivalent of Chi Tea.

Personally, I'd say both are correct usages of the words, but in a similar way where we have landmark names that translate to "Hillhillhillhillhill Hill".

 

[HyperSomari64]

Hillhillhillhillhill Hill

That sounds like a rejected upbeat intro for King of the Hill.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

I really doubt we'll see a new Smash next year, but if the timeline above is accurate I think it's possible we could see an announcement on mid/late 2025 for an early/mid 2026 release. Maybe no later than Holiday 2026. Nintendo values Smash very highly by now so they will likely want a release for each of their systems as early as possible, and I think it's likely they got everyone on board during the final dev periods of Ultimate.

This caused me to think about Pokémon again (I guess I just have it on the brain at the moment), as it means that, if true, Smash Next Gen releases the same year as Pokémon Next Gen.

So...Sakurai has always wanted to rep something new with the Pokémon franchise. I'm going off of cursory searches, so I might have stuff wrong, but in Brawl, it was Lucario, who got his own movie right as the game had started development. SSB4 saved a slot for a new Pokémon when it started development in early-mid 2012. Greninja then probably slid right in since X/Y released a year later. Ultimate's development started in 2015, which was a year before Sun/Moon's release, so Incineroar probably already had his design finalized by that point.

Development for Pokémon Legends: Z-A and Pokémon Next Gen were probably both started in 2023, which would be the same year as Super Smash Bros. Next Gen's development start date, and Pokémon Scarlet/Violet's DLC release date. This would mean that the timing isn't quite so great as it was for the previous newcomers, though it does at least sound plausible for the required designs to be done on year 2, which would mean that the character could start development on year 2/3 for SSBNext, and with Gen 10 likely being a big thing, they'd likely be incentiviesed to do so.

I...hesitate to say that it would work out this way though, as it's probably cutting it pretty close. Still, I think it would make it a possibility.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

I...hesitate to say that it would work out this way though, as it's probably cutting it pretty close. Still, I think it would make it a possibility.

Yeah, looking at the timeline I think this game will have (Smash usually not being in the first year meaning a reveal in summer 2026 for a late 2026 release or a 2027 release), it does kinda seem more likely imo that we'll get another Greninja situation here and pass over Gen 9. Obviously it depends on when both come out since I don't think they would reveal a Pokemon newcomer before their game even comes out (I'm hoping Gen 10 is a 2026 release for the 30th anniversary since Legends is next year), but yeah.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Probably not next year, since presumably that'd be right when the Switch 2 comes out, and with the exception of Melee, Smash doesn't usually come out in the first year of a new console's launch.

And I feel like next Smash will be in between those two, since Sakurai stated Everyone Is Here was unlikely to happen again, but I don't think the series needs a "reboot" or anything, so I usually put my expectation in the "bigger than Smash 4, probably smaller than Ultimate" camp.

Just going by this, I think it's easy to envision a potential roster.

Not to call out character specifically but I'll order them a little by category:

The 12 all time veterans from 64

The most requested and popular and iconic characters from Melee and Brawl, strong secondary characters in their home IP like side kicks or villains.

Third party characters who have close association with Nintendo and easier to manage accusation deals.

Anything relevant / iconic / hugely popular and stood the test of time basically.

And then cut off characters whom where always considered lower priority here and there, third party characters who got in due to miraculous circumstances, the odd and weird picks that don't really fit a certain mold except being shock value picks, lower valued characters from series well represented.

And I think a roster can be envisioned easily.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

This caused me to think about Pokémon again (I guess I just have it on the brain at the moment), as it means that, if true, Smash Next Gen releases the same year as Pokémon Next Gen.

So...Sakurai has always wanted to rep something new with the Pokémon franchise. I'm going off of cursory searches, so I might have stuff wrong, but in Brawl, it was Lucario, who got his own movie right as the game had started development. SSB4 saved a slot for a new Pokémon when it started development in early-mid 2012. Greninja then probably slid right in since X/Y released a year later. Ultimate's development started in 2015, which was a year before Sun/Moon's release, so Incineroar probably already had his design finalized by that point.

Development for Pokémon Legends: Z-A and Pokémon Next Gen were probably both started in 2023, which would be the same year as Super Smash Bros. Next Gen's development start date, and Pokémon Scarlet/Violet's DLC release date. This would mean that the timing isn't quite so great as it was for the previous newcomers, though it does at least sound plausible for the required designs to be done on year 2, which would mean that the character could start development on year 2/3 for SSBNext, and with Gen 10 likely being a big thing, they'd likely be incentiviesed to do so.

I...hesitate to say that it would work out this way though, as it's probably cutting it pretty close. Still, I think it would make it a possibility.

I'm also thinking about this more now, and if we do end up with a Greninja situation and get a Gen 10 Pokemon, I'm realizing just how much will have to be accounted for in turn lol

I mean between Incineroar getting into Smash and that hypothetical, that's Gen 8/Sword and Shield, Legends Arceus, Gen 9/Scarlet and Violet, Legends ZA, AND whatever Gen 10 is (since Greninja still came with Lumiose Tower/Kalos League and a few Poke Ball Pokemon, like Chespin, Spewpa, etc).

That's a LOT to potentially account for collectible/music/stage/Poke Ball wise lol

 

[Wunderwaft]

I'm also thinking about this more now, and if we do end up with a Greninja situation and get a Gen 10 Pokemon, I'm realizing just how much will have to be accounted for in turn lol

I mean between Incineroar getting into Smash and that hypothetical, that's Gen 8/Sword and Shield, Legends Arceus, Gen 9/Scarlet and Violet, Legends ZA, AND whatever Gen 10 is (since Greninja still came with Lumiose Tower/Kalos League and a few Poke Ball Pokemon, like Chespin, Spewpa, etc).

That's a LOT to potentially account for collectible/music/stage/Poke Ball wise lol

If Gen 10 releases around the same time as Smash 6 then this would be the first Smash title to have 3 new unrepresented gens to take from as opposed to the regular 2 gens in previous titles. They're gonna have to juggle through adding so much content while also treading on trimming the extra fat from Ult to save development time.

I wonder if they would add the Gen 10 Pokemon to the base game or relegate it to DLC in case Gen 10 releases after Smash. Putting the Pokemon in the base game before Gen 10 even releases would be awkward as hell and generate controversy, yet at the same time characters popping in the roster before their game even releases is unfortunately nothing new to Smash

 

[Arcanir]

I'm also thinking about this more now, and if we do end up with a Greninja situation and get a Gen 10 Pokemon, I'm realizing just how much will have to be accounted for in turn lol

I mean between Incineroar getting into Smash and that hypothetical, that's Gen 8/Sword and Shield, Legends Arceus, Gen 9/Scarlet and Violet, Legends ZA, AND whatever Gen 10 is (since Greninja still came with Lumiose Tower/Kalos League and a few Poke Ball Pokemon, like Chespin, Spewpa, etc).

That's a LOT to potentially account for collectible/music/stage/Poke Ball wise lol

If we get a Gen 10 Pokemon, it makes me curious how Gen 8 will be treated. Brawl did give Hoenn a boss, and Smash for gave Unova a stage for the 3DS, but unlike those two we could be two generations out from it, which means it's fighting two different generations for content instead of just one. Considering that, there's a fair chance it ends up just getting collectables, music and Pokeball Pokemon while Gen 9 (likely SV) gets more substantial content like stages and 10 gets that plus the character.

 

[SharkLord]

This caused me to think about Pokémon again (I guess I just have it on the brain at the moment), as it means that, if true, Smash Next Gen releases the same year as Pokémon Next Gen.

So...Sakurai has always wanted to rep something new with the Pokémon franchise. I'm going off of cursory searches, so I might have stuff wrong, but in Brawl, it was Lucario, who got his own movie right as the game had started development. SSB4 saved a slot for a new Pokémon when it started development in early-mid 2012. Greninja then probably slid right in since X/Y released a year later. Ultimate's development started in 2015, which was a year before Sun/Moon's release, so Incineroar probably already had his design finalized by that point.

Development for Pokémon Legends: Z-A and Pokémon Next Gen were probably both started in 2023, which would be the same year as Super Smash Bros. Next Gen's development start date, and Pokémon Scarlet/Violet's DLC release date. This would mean that the timing isn't quite so great as it was for the previous newcomers, though it does at least sound plausible for the required designs to be done on year 2, which would mean that the character could start development on year 2/3 for SSBNext, and with Gen 10 likely being a big thing, they'd likely be incentiviesed to do so.

I...hesitate to say that it would work out this way though, as it's probably cutting it pretty close. Still, I think it would make it a possibility.

I think a big part of it would hinge on exactly when Gen X drops. Smash 6 will probably be around 2026-ish, and Legends Z-A will be released in 2025. It seems like GameFreak learned their lesson after jamming out Legends Arceus and Scarlet and Violet in such close proximity to each other, given that they skipped their traditional yearly release to polish up Z-A. But what about Gen X? Are they juggling games again, hoping that the skipped year will give them enough time to polish up both games? Or will they shift to biannual releases to ensure some more quality control? Or alternatively, they might not aim for biannual releases per se, but they might be going all-in on Z-A and save the Gen X games for afterwards. Furthermore, there's a good chance Z-A will be the first Pokemon game on the Switch 2, and that might be incentive enough to focus on just Z-A.

In a lot of those scenarios, we might not see the Gen X until 2027, and that would be too early. If it releases in 2026, though, that could be the perfect chance for a cross-promotion... Or it could still be too early. Smash 6 will probably enter the planning stages around the time the Switch 2 is announced, assuming it's not being sketched out already. That might be too early to have the Gen X starters planned out, unless they're really planning ahead. For what it's worth, I believe the Pokemon planned the earliest compared to their official debut was Greninja, which would've been set about a year and a half before X and Y released. The Gen X starters might be planned out juuuuuust early enough for the tie in, but they might also just miss out.

 

[Hypercat-Z]

I really doubt we'll see a new Smash next year, but if the timeline above is accurate I think it's possible we could see an announcement on mid/late 2025 for an early/mid 2026 release. Maybe no later than Holiday 2026. Nintendo values Smash very highly by now so they will likely want a release for each of their systems as early as possible, and I think it's likely they got everyone on board during the final dev periods of Ultimate.

One thing's for sure. As the Switch 2 will be announced the speculations pre Smash Bros. will start to intensify, to then reach their peak as the Switch you is released.
Companies will take advantage of the hunger of Smash players to release their own platform fighting game, and Nintendo will let them do so because it will keep their costumers just barely satisfied, like an appetizer, before the next Smash Bros. will be released.

 

[fogbadge]

Ah the martial arts equivalent of Chi Tea.

Personally, I'd say both are correct usages of the words, but in a similar way where we have landmark names that translate to "Hillhillhillhillhill Hill".

britain always did have an odd way of naming things

 

[Oracle Link]

Spoiler: Videospiel-Man for smash

My comic is done you know what that means?
Videospiel-Man for Smash!

No but seriosuly his moveset potential is great!
Dual wielding, Projectiles, Grabing things via blue hands and much more!
Im just saying!
Yeah but hes another version of me so that is probably an issue?
I guess i have to make a plattfighter for him and the others!

Also on a diffrent note if we stay with 8 alts for the next game do you want the new 9 playable characters from minecraft (with one cut of course)
here they are:

or do you want to keep the skins already in the game?

 

[7NATOR]

Have been Absent from Speculation for a bit, But with Next Switch rumors, looks likes things are about to get Crazy (Hype) again! Could we see preview of Games if next Console unveiled this week or next week? and what's current speculation topic looking like?

 

[Dukefire]

I could say that possible announcement this week or next week may happen. Predictions can go sideways, but we got till the end of the year to know Nintendo's next moves.