Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[fogbadge]

I’ll suggest throwing in Animal Crossing into that list too. New Horizons sold a ton, and I can see that being a priority.

I imagine they'll make splatoon 4 first

 

[Noipoi]

I imagine they'll make splatoon 4 first

Splatoon 3 just wrapped up. I’m sure we’ll see the next one soon, the next console will need its own entry, but I could absolutely see Animal Crossing coming first. And then Splatoon 4 a few years later.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

I imagine they'll make splatoon 4 first

I feel like Splatoon 4 might actually take a while because Final Fest for Splatoon 3 just happened last month and the time gap between Splatoon 2's Final Fest and Splatoon 3's release was like three years lol

 

[Slime Scholar]

Yeah but
View attachment 395463
I feel like making sure people can use the toys meant to be used with Smash 4 is more crucial than this GSP fix.

But if the GSP fix wasn’t crucial, why bother with it at all? And wouldn’t they want to maintain their old game regardless of whether or not a new one was coming out in a couple of years?

Not trying to wishcast here but I do think the next game is in development by now. I don’t personally think the GSP patch tells us anything, but my point is that it could be argued both ways. Similarly, I expect Nintendo had been working on a new Mario Kart while the Booster Course pass was being made. They’re going to want their heavy hitter franchises launching early in the Switch 2’s lifespan.

 

[dezeray112]

Whilst I still believe that a new Smash entry for Nintendo's next console is bound to be inevitable, but I am eager to see where Sakurai's "new project" is going to turn out.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

I feel like Splatoon 4 might actually take a while because Final Fest for Splatoon 3 just happened last month and the time gap between Splatoon 2's Final Fest and Splatoon 3's release was like three years lol

Being fair, they were kinda busy ****ing up New Horizons during those years.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

But if the GSP fix wasn’t crucial, why bother with it at all? And wouldn’t they want to maintain their old game regardless of whether or not a new one was coming out in a couple of years?

Not trying to wishcast here but I do think the next game is in development by now. I don’t personally think the GSP patch tells us anything, but my point is that it could be argued both ways. Similarly, I expect Nintendo had been working on a new Mario Kart while the Booster Course pass was being made. They’re going to want their heavy hitter franchises launching early in the Switch 2’s lifespan.

Yeah like at the end of the day, even if this project being worked on since 2022 isn't Smash, the next Smash is almost certainly in pre-production or likely even some stage of early-ish to mid production, likely aiming for 2026 or 2027 to keep up the usual pattern of launching in year 2 or 3 of the new system.

Basically until we have more concrete info this mention from Sakurai just gives us a possible hypothetical where production started 2 years ago and the base game's newcomers may be affected by that.

 

[Guynamednelson]

But if the GSP fix wasn’t crucial

I didn't mean it isn't crucial at all, just that I don't think it'd be as crucial as making sure Smash 4 can support Amiibo made for it.

 

[fogbadge]

Splatoon 3 just wrapped up. I’m sure we’ll see the next one soon, the next console will need its own entry, but I could absolutely see Animal Crossing coming first. And then Splatoon 4 a few years later.

perhaps but people said the same about the switch I believe

I feel like Splatoon 4 might actually take a while because Final Fest for Splatoon 3 just happened last month and the time gap between Splatoon 2's Final Fest and Splatoon 3's release was like three years lol

That’s because they were making animal crossing in between

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

Watch the next project just be a new IP like Meteos was.

 

[Scrimblo Bimblo]

So... Sakurai received a request from someone to make a new game during the development of Ultimate's DLC, and he wrote a proposal extremely quickly.
The game couldn't enter development immediately, and it had to wait. Meanwhile a good chunk of the Smash team moved on to make Tekken 8.
Sakurai's game entered actual development a few months later, and has been in full development for 2 years and half now, during the latter part of which Ultimate has been receiving some warranted updates like the compatibility with Sora's amiibo and also a couple of pretty random ones.
The game looks like will be at least in a showable state around when the Switch 2 will be announced, and the Gamecube controller always associated with Smash has been heavily rumored to be in production and the next console.

There's only one possible explanation...
Sakurai's next game isn't Smash!

 

[fogbadge]

Watch the next project just be a new IP like Meteos was.

part of me wonders if it’ll turn out to be that thing being play tested on Thursday

 

[waddledeeonredyoshi]

Alright so potential new Smash project plan date is April 2022

The game that released like a week before that April was...... Kirby and the Forgotten Land..

If modern Kirby gets the short end of the stick again then something is 100% up

 

[Guynamednelson]

part of me wonders if it’ll turn out to be that thing being play tested on Thursday

It's not that, it's something developed by the Game Builder Garage team

 

[DarthEnderX]

Finally

Arceus promoted to fighter status

Boss!

I dunno, Ceruledge is badass and people would just be happy it isn’t another starter. I think it’d be pretty accepted.

Getting another Fire type would be more annoying than getting another starter.

You know who else is benefitting from this timing?

 

[BuckleyTim]

TFW you recognize that Ashley is the only character that makes sense for a second Warioware rep but also you don't care about Ashley in the slightest compared to the rest of the cast

 

[SPEN18]

I've been thinking about this for much of the day, and I haven't been able to conclude one way or the other with much certainty.

The things that make this being about Smash seem fishy are (1) the notion of Sakurai going essentially straight from Ult's DLC into making the plan for Smash 6, and (2) the fact that this timeline pretty much sets up Smash 6 as a game planned to launch with the Switch 2, or very shortly thereafter. Neither of those things really match my vibes or expectations. But I'm struggling to put it into a concrete argument.
Also, with the new team reportedly assembled by April 22 but apparently not all concurrently with the mid-/late-21 plan, I wonder how that timeline fits for the previous Ult staff, if any of them are even being used for this project.

One other thing I can be pretty adamant about, though, is that if Sakurai's current project is NOT Smash, that would still not preclude us from getting a new Smash fairly early on in the Switch 2 lifecycle. If Sakurai's current project is about wrapped up and just waiting to release, potentially due to the Switch successor being moved to 2025, then a mid-2024 project plan and holiday 2026 release for Smash would still be possible; but even if Sakurai has not started work on Smash yet, presumably his current project is almost done and Smash dev could be started by mid-2025 at the latest for a holiday 2027 release window.

 

[Guynamednelson]

Meanwhile a good chunk of the Smash team moved on to make Tekken 8.
Sakurai's game entered actual development a few months later, and has been in full development for 2 years and half now

Those people who moved to Tekken 8 would've been developing that game from late 2021-late 2023, which wouldn't be enough time for Sakurai's new game to have been in full development for 2.5 years if it's Smash 6.

 

[fogbadge]

It's not that, it's something developed by the Game Builder Garage team

Really? Did the credits leak?

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

Really? Did the credits leak?

I think the whole thing leaked because they let us download it before the test started, so dataminers were like "Ooh, don't mind if I do" lol

 

[Guynamednelson]

I think the whole thing leaked because they let us download it before the test started, so dataminers were like "Ooh, don't mind if I do" lol

Even if it wasn't, It's the kind of game Nintendo EPD4 would make anyway. They're the team devoted to more quirky or experimental stuff like the game(?) that's being playtested.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

Even if it wasn't, It's the kind of game Nintendo EPD4 would make anyway. They're the team devoted to more quirky or experimental stuff like the game(?) that's being playtested.

Yeah, I haven't really looked at anything leak-wise for the playtest since I'll get to try it out tomorrow anyway lol

 

[fogbadge]

Yeah, I haven't really looked at anything leak-wise for the playtest since I'll get to try it out tomorrow anyway lol

day after tomorrow don’t you mean?

 

[Gengar84]

Boss!

Getting another Fire type would be more annoying than getting another starter.

At least Ceruledge would give us our first Ghost type. I’m fine with it sharing one type with one we just got. It looks and would play completely differently than either Incineroar or Charizard. I don’t even remember Incineroar having any Fire type moves in Smash except for his up special. As much as I like Meowscarada, it would give us our second Dark type cat starter in a row.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

day after tomorrow don’t you mean?

No I think the Playtest starts tomorrow at like 9pm my time? The website says Wednesday, October 23rd at 6pm PDT, which is three hours behind me, so should be tomorrow night.

 

[SPEN18]

Those people who moved to Tekken 8 would've been developing that game from late 2021-late 2023, which wouldn't be enough time for Sakurai's new game to have been in full development for 2.5 years if it's Smash 6.

Maybe they just put together an all-new team and didn't use many people from Ult's old team. But then of course it begs the question of why that would be the case and/or plan if they were planning to go right into the next Smash on the heels of Ult's DLC, especially with Sakurai's comments on how useful it was taking the team from Smash 4 into Ult. Of course you can come right back with saying that maybe their Smash 6 / Switch 2 launch plan didn't develop until Ult's team was already reduced / disbanded or had other jobs lined up. But I agree it all seems strange.

 

[Guynamednelson]

Maybe they just put together an all-new team and didn't use many people from Ult's old team

Well to be fair, despite Harada's Tweet saying the people on FP2 would be moved back to Tekken, the credits for base SSBU have more overlap with Ace Combat's team than Tekken's.

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

it would give us our second Dark type car starter in a row.

Vroom vroom.

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

Vroom vroom.

Revavroom for Smash confirmed

 

[fogbadge]

No I think the Playtest starts tomorrow at like 9pm my time? The website says Wednesday, October 23rd at 6pm PDT, which is three hours behind me, so should be tomorrow night.

ah the website says 1am UTC on the 24th over hear. So that’s like 2 in the morning for me.

 

[SPEN18]

Well to be fair, despite Harada's Tweet saying the people on FP2 would be moved back to Tekken, the credits for base SSBU have more overlap with Ace Combat's team than Tekken's.

Do you happen to have the source for the comments/tweet about the Smash staff going to Tekken? Can't find it from a quick search.

 

[Ivander]

Watch the next project just be a new IP like Meteos was.

And becomes a beloved Nintendo game, it's characters becomes popular among the Nintendo fanbase, and their main character is the first shown newcomer for the next Smash Bros. And obviously not because of Sakurai bias.

 

[Kirby Dragons]

I don’t even remember Incineroar having any Fire type moves in Smash except for his up special.

Cross Chop is Fighting-type, it just had a firey effect added to it for Smash. They probably did this (along with Revenge) so Incineroar had some fire in its moveset, but in general, Incineroar doesn't focus on using fire.

 

[PeridotGX]

Well it's a possible explanation for the brief mention of a game he's been working on, but it's vague enough that we can't really know for sure either way lol

I kinda lean towards it being about Smash (I don't really know what else Sakurai ever gets requested to make otherwise, plus the Spirit events from this January to March, the GSP glitch patch, and the Gamecube controller stuff lately feels pretty safe to say SOMEONE is doing SOMETHING on that team), but I'm hesitant about talking about it in absolutes lol

My theory is that it was a remaster of Kid Icarus Uprising. It's something that it makes sense Nintendo would ask Sakurai to make, it's something that's already in the rumor mill (with the rumors about Namco developing a 3D action game remaster for Nintendo)and it would explain why Sakurai said he was able to finish the project proposal in "record time" - because there probably wouldn't be all that much to it. It probably wouldn't take too terribly long to develop, either - I think it was mostly done by late 2023. It's pretty obvious what Sakurai started working on at this point - what with Studio S and the small content updates for Ultimate. As for why we haven't seen it yet - Nintendo is known for sitting on mostly complete games, especially remasters and remakes. They're probably waiting for a dry spell to drop it.

 

[Guynamednelson]

Do you happen to have the source for the comments/tweet about the Smash staff going to Tekken? Can't find it from a quick search.

x.com

x.com

"And, of course…the development staff at BANDAI NAMCO Studios will take a short break and return to the TEKKEN Project again"

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Sakurai's game turns out to be a new Donkey Kong title for the next Switch, outraging certain Smash fans, and making it twice in a row that people are unhappy that an acclaimed creator/studio is working on a DK game.

 

[Noipoi]

Sakurai's game turns out to be a new Donkey Kong title for the next Switch, outraging certain Smash fans, and making it twice in a row that people are unhappy that an acclaimed creator/studio is working on a DK game.

I’d be elated. Sakurai’s one of the few game developers left who remembers that the Kremlings exist.

And only because we forced him too

 

[The Stoopid Unikorn]

x.com

x.com

"And, of course…the development staff at BANDAI NAMCO Studios will take a short break and return to the TEKKEN Project again"

For those who don't have an account on the ****storm formerly known as twitter

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

I’d be elated. Sakurai’s one of the few game developers left who remembers that the Kremlings exist.

And only because we forced him too

Honestly so would I. Sakurai's videos demonstrate he's incredibly tuned into game design and his kind of polish applied to a Donkey Kong title would be great even if they went in a direction aesthetic wise that I wasn't as fond of.

 

[TheFirstPoppyBro]

My theory is that it was a remaster of Kid Icarus Uprising. It's something that it makes sense Nintendo would ask Sakurai to make, it's something that's already in the rumor mill (with the rumors about Namco developing a 3D action game remaster for Nintendo)and it would explain why Sakurai said he was able to finish the project proposal in "record time" - because there probably wouldn't be all that much to it. It probably wouldn't take too terribly long to develop, either - I think it was mostly done by late 2023. It's pretty obvious what Sakurai started working on at this point - what with Studio S and the small content updates for Ultimate. As for why we haven't seen it yet - Nintendo is known for sitting on mostly complete games, especially remasters and remakes. They're probably waiting for a dry spell to drop it.

I could honestly see this, I didn't realize it was assumed the 3D game they were working on was a remake/remaster.

Could be holding off on showing it because it's for Switch 2, and the timeline does make sense.

And apparently Uprising was made in the first place at Iwata's request to make a launch title for the 3DS... Hmmmmmmm...