Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[DarthEnderX]

Honestly I feel safe betting she will be revealed to be Ash's kid. It feels like with that backstory its such a layup.

Except for the part where that would mean Ash is dead. Since no Pokemon protag has a dad.

 

[Arcanir]

Except for the part where that would mean Ash is dead. Since no Pokemon protag has a dad.

Brendan/May would like a word.

 

[dream1ng]

Seems like a "now you go on your own adventures with my trusty old, highly marketable Pikachu, padawan" kinda deal.

 

[Capybara Gaming]

Those who don’t like to talk about their Past or Family tend to usually be those from troubled lives. I feel like, if it doesn’t link to Ash, something that I don’t see happening, then this may be the reason she doesn’t like talking about her Past or Family. Who knows, but if handled right we could have a really great show on our hands. If my hunch is correct.

This is a kid's show of the most popular franchise on the planet, somehow I doubt they're going to make the main protagonist's parents abusive or touch complex parts of sexual orientation, I think you should probably look somewhere else for that

 

[chocolatejr9]

Wait a minute, if Nintendo technically acknowledged SmashBoards, then does that mean... SmashBoards for Smash?

Yeah, IDK where I was going with this...

 

[Lionfranky]

Re-using assets isn't old news in regards to video games in general, but Genshin has gotten alot of flack for the fact that they re-use the same models for all of their characters with very few edits here and there, with a good bunch of characters practically having the same eyes, ears, mouths, and even body features, despite their artwork often portraying them with more different features.

Also, in regards to the Sonic & Genshin stuff, last time I checked, it was because a few bad apples from the Sonic fanbase said some nasty things about them or to the Genshin fanbase and that erupted them into mass-voting for Genshin.

Anyway, by the time next Smash rolls, Genshin would've aged like Minecraft, right? Wouldn't it have upper hand against series like Halo which doesn't have strong footholding in Japan?

 

[SPEN18]

Anyway, by the time next Smash rolls, Genshin would've aged like Minecraft, right? Wouldn't it have upper hand against series like Halo which doesn't have strong footholding in Japan?

But we don't know if it will age nearly as well as MC yet. And having an edge over Halo hardly makes it likely...

 

[Lionfranky]

But we don't know if it will age nearly as well as MC yet. And having an edge over Halo hardly makes it likely...

Genshin is extremely popular in Japan though with no sign of stopping its global popularity.
At least, I think it's safe to assume that Fortnite is safe pick. As much as it gets flak for stealing from PUBG, it still managed to differentiate itself enough with quality content updates.

 

[Ivander]

Anyway, by the time next Smash rolls, Genshin would've aged like Minecraft, right? Wouldn't it have upper hand against series like Halo which doesn't have strong footholding in Japan?

It really depends. Minecraft was a huge deal because of it's innovation and allowed for alot of creativity despite it's simplicity. It spawned it's own genre and was a big game changer for sandbox games. Not to mention the "Youtube Days of Minecraft" where that spawned many content creators and pressured many currant creators into doing Minecraft stuff. Maximillian Dood explicitly mentioned this time when talking about Steve's appearance in Smash Bros. Minecraft wasn't a game that was simply popular. It was one of the biggest gaming revolutions of it's time.
Genshin, while popular, doesn't do anything that different from the games it was inspired from, aside from the Gacha elements. That's really Genshin's biggest thing is that it's an 3D Adventure game with Gacha elements. But it doesn't do anything game-changing for it's genre or whatnot otherwise. Remember when Genshin Impact was first revealed. Many Chinese players were comparing it to Breath of the Wild to the point where they were literally holding up their copies of Breath of the Wild towards Genshin in a very bitter tone. That didn't stop Genshin from becoming popular when it finally released and it certainly helped that Genshin was F2P, allowing it to be available widespread.

But compared to Minecraft, where it's popularity was because of it's uniqueness, it's gameplay, it's simplicity and it's innovation, alot of Genshin's popularity comes mainly from the characters, it's environment and map, its art style, its freedom of how you want to play and being accessible on a whole bunch of systems including mobile. And most of those positives are also what made Breath of the Wild such a huge deal, with the only upside it has over Breath of the Wild being it's F2P nature and accessibility. Does that make Genshin's popularity less-earned than Minecraft? No it doesn't. Popularity is not restricted to games that only manage to do great innovations. But it does make the differences behind each games' popularity quite clear.
And that difference can be key on whether or not they are chosen for Smash Bros. Remember that Sakurai doesn't choose characters strictly from popularity, but on what he wants to do with them and what unique stuff they can bring. Minecraft is a no-brainer. With Genshin, you can definitely make either argument that Genshin can bring something unique or there are other similar games that have characters that can do something similar/bring something just as or more unique compared to Genshin and without having to pay extra for another 3rd Party.

Genshin will be up there on the most likely list of 3rd Parties, especially if it's popularity sticks around, but we have said many times about different 3rd Parties that they are a guarantee and yet they were not. Franchises like Monster Hunter, Halo, the Tales of series, etc. Is Genshin a possibility? Of course. Is it a guarantee? Much like the other series we claimed were guaranteed, it's not guaranteed.

And Halo does have a dedicated community in Japan. I mean, it has to have a notable one when I remember seeing game sites, including Gamespot IIRC, reporting on how the Japanese were very disappointed in the JP voice change for Master Chief when Halo 4 came to Japan. While FPS may not be popular in Japan, that does not mean there aren't FPS that don't get attention in Japan.
Dead Space is a very notable one, where despite it being banned in Japan, it was loved by Japan so much the Japanese fanbase made a dedicated JP translation for all of the Dead Space games. And Isaac Clarke had a typed emote(or whatever you call those images created using keyboard buttons) based on his helmet in Japan. Half Life has also gotten attention in Japan, including it's own Arcade game in Japan. And even Sakurai made comments about Half-Life and it being rather "Nintendo-like".

 

[Oracle Link]

So, a new Pokemon anime series will begin in April and before that we're getting a small series with Ash and his old companions. Are they finally retiring Ash?

Anyway, the new girl seems to be picking Sprigatito so we can already tell who the spotlight starter will be haha.

Nothing against People of Colour or Women but i already guessed the protags will be a girl and someone Darker Skinned its just the Norm Nowadays!
But as long as theyre sympathetic everything should be a OKAY!

 

[Nabbitfan730]

This question is going to be weird and orthodox to ask but.

What does Smash Bros mean to you? from gameplay, modes, speculation? What themes could you associate with the Smash Bros Franchise.

Ultimate and Smash Season ended since a year ago but yet here we are still speculating as if Smash 6 is still out.

Why is that? What gives us the drive and desire still speculate for this franchise whilst most have left?

 

[LiveStudioAudience]

Smash to me is an ideal mix of deeply satisfying gameplay and acting as a dream crossover title. At this point the beauty of the franchise is that most of the roster are either characters I deeply like because of their series, their fighting style, or both.

More to the point I've often said that one of the greatest currencies in gaming is the promise of potential and Smash has that in spades. Thinking about how good Ultimate is and knowing there's still some incredible characters that have yet to be added? That and the various hypothetical modes that could be incorporated into the next sequel is what keeps me strongly interested.

 

[TCT~Phantom]

But we don't know if it will age nearly as well as MC yet. And having an edge over Halo hardly makes it likely...

I mean, we don't know. No one can perfectly predict the future.

What we can do is make educated guesses. Genshin Impact is huge enough that the New York Times wrote about how its success in Japan was noteworthy. Japan is openly hostile to games that are not made in Japan. There is a reason pretty much every Western character that isn't Crash or Dovakhin in Ultimate had to overcome that hurdle: Japanese players just prefer Japanese games. Genshin Impact, a game made by Shanghai based developer miHoYo, managed to not only succeed there, but rake in a third of its total users there. The New York Times does not tend to report on games stuff unless it is a massive story or there is a huge financial storny to tell. Demon Slayer is massively profitable in Japan, and that studio's next project is a Genshin Impact anime. When working with one of the most profitable IPs in Japan, that studio chose Genshin as their next project. That shows a lot of confidence not only in Genshin's reach, but also its long term profitability.

We are only ~3 years into Genshin, and it only is growing. There is no decisive evidence that the game is going to stop or that it is going to crash and burn. Sure, maybe Genshin Impact could have a catastrophic update that cripples its fanbase and user numbers. The supervolcano under Yellowstone could also erupt. Could it happen? Sure. But given all the evidence that we have, there is no reason to assume it. Even if Genshin stayed in the stable position it is in right now, it would still have a strong case to be considered. It's a franchise that is doing well in Japan and globally. So long as it keeps doing as well as it is doing or it continues to grow, I think it has to be a solid consideration.

Most games will not age exactly like Minecraft: it was one of the biggest game releases of the past twenty years in terms of how big and influential it is. Holding everything to that standard is just unrealistic. Genshin Impact staying popular, especially in Japan, and in the public eye would be enough to show that it aged well. Whether that means it will be in the next smash or not, I can't say for sure. Given the evidence that we have though, I would say that it is a very reasonable bet to make.

Except for the part where that would mean Ash is dead. Since no Pokemon protag has a dad.

This is Norman and Mr. Mine erasure.

 

[Stratos]

I wonder if with the new Pokémon anime series there will be movies in the future with the adventures of the new protagonists Liko and Roy or if they will continue to put Ash with his Pikachu or no Pokémon movies at all even though the third one I wrote isn't I would like it to happen.

 

[SPEN18]

I mean, we don't know. No one can perfectly predict the future.

What we can do is make educated guesses. Genshin Impact is huge enough that the New York Times wrote about how its success in Japan was noteworthy. Japan is openly hostile to games that are not made in Japan. There is a reason pretty much every Western character that isn't Crash or Dovakhin in Ultimate had to overcome that hurdle: Japanese players just prefer Japanese games. Genshin Impact, a game made by Shanghai based developer miHoYo, managed to not only succeed there, but rake in a third of its total users there. The New York Times does not tend to report on games stuff unless it is a massive story or there is a huge financial storny to tell. Demon Slayer is massively profitable in Japan, and that studio's next project is a Genshin Impact anime. When working with one of the most profitable IPs in Japan, that studio chose Genshin as their next project. That shows a lot of confidence not only in Genshin's reach, but also its long term profitability.

We are only ~3 years into Genshin, and it only is growing. There is no decisive evidence that the game is going to stop or that it is going to crash and burn. Sure, maybe Genshin Impact could have a catastrophic update that cripples its fanbase and user numbers. The supervolcano under Yellowstone could also erupt. Could it happen? Sure. But given all the evidence that we have, there is no reason to assume it. Even if Genshin stayed in the stable position it is in right now, it would still have a strong case to be considered. It's a franchise that is doing well in Japan and globally. So long as it keeps doing as well as it is doing or it continues to grow, I think it has to be a solid consideration.

Most games will not age exactly like Minecraft: it was one of the biggest game releases of the past twenty years in terms of how big and influential it is. Holding everything to that standard is just unrealistic. Genshin Impact staying popular, especially in Japan, and in the public eye would be enough to show that it aged well. Whether that means it will be in the next smash or not, I can't say for sure. Given the evidence that we have though, I would say that it is a very reasonable bet to make.



This is Norman and Mr. Mine erasure.

I just said that we've yet to see it age like MC, with maybe a hint that I don't think it will, because (as you say) most games don't age like MC.

Unless you were talking about my earlier statements about how it's not as known for console releases, how it's from a non-Western, non-JP developer (so it's less likely that Ninty has good relationships there or values it highly), and how Switch ports don't necessarily mean Smash characters. Which I think are all points that still stand regardless of the success level.

In any case, I'm not really motivated to talk about Genshin anyway so I'll just leave it there.

 

[Perkilator]

Another SSBU DX thread just popped up, if anyone’s interested.

 

[Wonder Smash]

How about Yuki from Typhoon Gal in Smash as a spirit?

I don't know why this has been on my mind lately.

 

[chocolatejr9]

How about Yuki from Typhoon Gal in Smash as a spirit?

I don't know why this has been on my mind lately.

Only if the Spirit has some sort of wind joke thrown in...

Spoiler: Off-Topic

Unrelated, but here's something I realized:

If Christmas exists in the Kirby universe, then that means Jesus exists, too. And since Kirby celebrates Christmas...

 

[silenthunder]

Everyone seems to be going the live-service route. Makes me hope even harder for good offline content in the next smash.

 

[Stratos]

From what I read earlier Masahiro Sakurai doesn't know if he will continue the Super Smash Bros series, let alone he was looking for someone who would like to continue it but he didn't find anyone, so let's hope for two things:

1. Masahiro Sakurai to change his mind and continue the series.

2. If Masahiro Sakurai really doesn't want to continue the Super Smash Bros. series, he should finally find someone who wants to continue it in his place.

 

[fogbadge]

From what I read earlier Masahiro Sakurai doesn't know if he will continue the Super Smash Bros series, let alone he was looking for someone who would like to continue it but he didn't find anyone, so let's hope for two things:

1. Masahiro Sakurai to change his mind and continue the series.

2. If Masahiro Sakurai really doesn't want to continue the Super Smash Bros. series, he should finally find someone who wants to continue it in his place.

I think he’s said it before

 

[JOJONumber691]

This is a kid's show of the most popular franchise on the planet, somehow I doubt they're going to make the main protagonist's parents abusive or touch complex parts of sexual orientation, I think you should probably look somewhere else for that

No **** Sherlock, but I think it would be neat, and I have a feeling they’re going to do something to give a good reason as to why Rika doesn’t like her Family and I decided that this could be a good reason. Also when did I mention Orientation?

 

[silenthunder]

From what I read earlier Masahiro Sakurai doesn't know if he will continue the Super Smash Bros series, let alone he was looking for someone who would like to continue it but he didn't find anyone, so let's hope for two things:

1. Masahiro Sakurai to change his mind and continue the series.

2. If Masahiro Sakurai really doesn't want to continue the Super Smash Bros. series, he should finally find someone who wants to continue it in his place.

I feel like I could do a good job of making people happy without betraying what smash bros is. I just don’t have the name recognition. That would be my dream though.

But realistically he needs a predecessor that loves smash and gaming as much as I do. A total gamer shut in. And Sakurai needs to give permission for everything he does until he trusts him. Like teaching a kid to ride a bike. Someone young and malleable, but strong enough to stand up for his dad (sakurai)

Edit: or he could be like Willy ****a and hand out golden tickets. I had a dream he did that.

 

[JOJONumber691]

I feel like I could do a good job of making people happy without betraying what smash bros is. I just don’t have the name recognition. That would be my dream though.

But realistically he needs a predecessor that loves smash and gaming as much as I do. A total gamer shut in. And Sakurai needs to give permission for everything he does until he trusts him. Like teaching a kid to ride a bike. Someone young and malleable, but strong enough to stand up for his dad (sakurai)

Maybe Dan Fornace?

 

[silenthunder]

Maybe Dan Fornace?

He probably wouldn’t do balancing the same as Sakurai but the new guy is bound to change a few things here and there. Still smash has always been baby friendly.

 

[True Blue Warrior]

I mean, we don't know. No one can perfectly predict the future.

What we can do is make educated guesses. Genshin Impact is huge enough that the New York Times wrote about how its success in Japan was noteworthy. Japan is openly hostile to games that are not made in Japan. There is a reason pretty much every Western character that isn't Crash or Dovakhin in Ultimate had to overcome that hurdle: Japanese players just prefer Japanese games. Genshin Impact, a game made by Shanghai based developer miHoYo, managed to not only succeed there, but rake in a third of its total users there. The New York Times does not tend to report on games stuff unless it is a massive story or there is a huge financial storny to tell. Demon Slayer is massively profitable in Japan, and that studio's next project is a Genshin Impact anime. When working with one of the most profitable IPs in Japan, that studio chose Genshin as their next project. That shows a lot of confidence not only in Genshin's reach, but also its long term profitability.

We are only ~3 years into Genshin, and it only is growing. There is no decisive evidence that the game is going to stop or that it is going to crash and burn. Sure, maybe Genshin Impact could have a catastrophic update that cripples its fanbase and user numbers. The supervolcano under Yellowstone could also erupt. Could it happen? Sure. But given all the evidence that we have, there is no reason to assume it. Even if Genshin stayed in the stable position it is in right now, it would still have a strong case to be considered. It's a franchise that is doing well in Japan and globally. So long as it keeps doing as well as it is doing or it continues to grow, I think it has to be a solid consideration.

Most games will not age exactly like Minecraft: it was one of the biggest game releases of the past twenty years in terms of how big and influential it is. Holding everything to that standard is just unrealistic. Genshin Impact staying popular, especially in Japan, and in the public eye would be enough to show that it aged well. Whether that means it will be in the next smash or not, I can't say for sure. Given the evidence that we have though, I would say that it is a very reasonable bet to make.

Off topic, but what is the reason why Genshin Impact ended up as popular as it is?

 

[JOJONumber691]

He probably wouldn’t do balancing the same as Sakurai but the new guy is bound to change a few things here and there. Still smash has always been baby friendly.

Yeah, but I think Fornace could adapt, and mix his and Sakurai’s Design Perspective into one. A simple, yet Complex Design. I think it could be neat to have a Collab between them in the Future. I doubt it will ever happen.

 

[chocolatejr9]

Also when did I mention Orientation?

You claimed Ash was asexual. No offense, but there's nothing in the series to suggest that.

 

[JOJONumber691]

You claimed Ash was asexual. No offense, but there's nothing in the series to suggest that.

I’m saying that The Pokémon Company won’t give Ash a Canon Partner because Ash is 10, and I don’t think he’s ever had any feelings for a Girl.

 

[Ivander]

Everyone seems to be going the live-service route. Makes me hope even harder for good offline content in the next smash.

On one hand, Smash Bros. going live-service could result in any newcomers, new stages, music and whatnot being able to stay around without much issue. On the other hand, live-service not done well or tactfully could really hurt it's reception. Live-service is a really dividing subject and it's been getting alot more sour with how some games lately have handled it.

I don't see Nintendo doing it anytime soon, especially when they are trying to figure out and are trying to plan it's future if Sakurai does not come back, but I wouldn't be surprised if it happened later.

Off topic, but what is the reason why Genshin Impact ended up as popular as it is?

Characters, story, environment and world building, accessibility, art style, etc. Basically, alot of people like the game's content. Nothing wrong with that since that applies to many games, but it's a different story from Minecraft where it's popularity absolutely comes from the gameplay, creativity, simplicity and whatnot.

How about Yuki from Typhoon Gal in Smash as a spirit?

I don't know why this has been on my mind lately.

Well, Taito stuff isn't exactly uncommon in speculation. It's just more that in regards to Square Enix, who owns Taito, Square Enix's own IPs just overshadow alot of Taito's IPs. And Square in general tends to be stingy with their IPs.

 

[Wonder Smash]

Only if the Spirit has some sort of wind joke thrown in...

Wind joke thrown in? Was that pun intended?

 

[chocolatejr9]

Wind joke thrown in? Was that pun intended?

...

I wish it was...

 

[silenthunder]

Ignore this

 

[SPEN18]

Nintendo owns the rights, so ultimately Sakurai wouldn't be able to stop Nintendo from making Smash again, whether or not he is able to find a successor that he is on board with. I think that, most likely, Nintendo would give Sakurai every chance to be a part of the process of finding the next director whenever that time comes, but again Nintendo can do what it pleases if it comes to that.

 

[Wonder Smash]

Well, Taito stuff isn't exactly uncommon in speculation. It's just more that in regards to Square Enix, who owns Taito, Square Enix's own IPs just overshadow alot of Taito's IPs. And Square in general tends to be stingy with their IPs.

That's a shame, seeing how Taito's IPs also includes games like Space Invaders. And the thing about Typhoon Gal is that it features one of the first female protagonists in video games (if not the first). That's even predating Nintendo's Samus. You'd think Square Enix would be promoting such IPs like that.

Though at least Orville, the protagonist of Takt of Magic, does appear as a spirit in Smash Ultimate.

 

[Capybara Gaming]

No **** Sherlock, but I think it would be neat, and I have a feeling they’re going to do something to give a good reason as to why Rika doesn’t like her Family and I decided that this could be a good reason. Also when did I mention Orientation?

First, absolutely no reason to be a so rude. I wasn't rude to you.

I’m saying that The Pokémon Company won’t give Ash a Canon Partner because Ash is 10, and I don’t think he’s ever had any feelings for a Girl.

So you want them to make Ash an abusive/pathetic father, but you don't even want to touch the concept that, as an adult, he would have feelings for a partner in any capacity

I think you just have issues tbh, there is absolutely no reason to put that kind of material in the cute elemental animal show, that's some real PETA Pokemon Black and Blue ****

 

[Wonder Smash]

Having abusive parents is going too far in a show like Pokemon but having some kind of difficult past or home life isn't bad. Some level of negligence from the parents wouldn't be too bad and that alone would be enough to make a character interesting and more distinguishable from Ash.

 

[Ivander]

That's a shame, seeing how Taito's IPs also includes games like Space Invaders. And the thing about Typhoon Gal is that it features one of the first female protagonists in video games (if not the first). That's even predating Nintendo's Samus. You'd think Square Enix would be promoting such IPs like that.

The only ones I think Square Enix would probably allow are Bubble Bobble and Space Invaders, since both of those were a big deal back then. Otherwise, I can't see them wanting to promote stuff aside from their own games that they are experienced with.

Also, one of the first, not the first. Baraduke came out in May while Typhoon Gal came out in October. I'm not 100% certain if Baraduke was the first, but at the least, Baraduke came before Typhoon Gal.

 

[chocolatejr9]

The only ones I think Square Enix would probably allow are Bubble Bobble and Space Invaders, since both of those were a big deal back then. Otherwise, I can't see them wanting to promote stuff aside from their own games that they are experienced with.

Also, one of the first, not the first. Baraduke came out in May while Typhoon Gal came out in October. I'm not 100% certain if Baraduke was the first, but at the least, Baraduke came before Typhoon Gal.

Come to think of it, those are the only Taito IPs Square acknowledges, aren't they?

 

[JOJONumber691]

First, absolutely no reason to be a so rude. I wasn't rude to you.



So you want them to make Ash an abusive/pathetic father, but you don't even want to touch the concept that, as an adult, he would have feelings for a partner in any capacity

I think you just have issues tbh, there is absolutely no reason to put that kind of material in the cute elemental animal show, that's some real PETA Pokemon Black and Blue ****

So was it confirmed Rika is directly, 100% Ash’s Daughter? Genuine question I want to see the source for this.