Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[Idon]

I hate Megaman's forward tilt so much. I get having it be his Neutral Air and Jab of course but copy and pasting it to the forward tilt has always annoyed me greatly. I'd take a generic super punch over it.

Do any Megaman fans have any suggestions that are sourced from his games? I'd love to have a look.

Almost any weapon he uses in MM1-11. They ALL follow the "shoot something directly in front" trope, which fits ftilts.

 

[ForsakenM]

So I know this isn't the Geno Thread or anything, but just remember that when a hyped-up Geno fan talks about how Geno was requested since N64...they aren't lying.

They may just be blowing smoke, or they might be referring to the Smash 2 Poll where Mallow and Geno actually placed in a ballot for Mario characters.

Also I lost all the work I did on my big characters for Smash 6/7 or Ultimate Deluxe so I have to do it again at some point.

 

[DarthEnderX]

I'm not sure how Cappy would even work as a move, since taking control over a fighter seems too OP.

Like this.

It doesn't need the mind control aspect. Wouldn't work on anyone already wearing a hat anyway.

My idea is to keep them with Pokemon Trainer but give them all new Down-B's and make the Switch Command something like Inkling's Ink Refill. Part of the uniqueness with Pokemon Trainer is that it has more than one Pokemon which raises the skill floor and ceiling for completely mastering the character.

Getting rid of transformation characters was the best thing Smash 4 did. And it sucks it got brought back in Ultimate.

I'm not sure Chrom really needs to be unique

Well somebody does, because it's absolutely asinine that we have 4 Marths. Much better to have 2 Marths and 2 Chroms.

Krystal seems to be more attached to the Sniper and I'd rather her get in using it instead, though that change for Wolf seems great.

I don't need Krystal as a fighter.

 

[Geno Boost]

Like this.

I think this could work as Dash attack or side tilte something like side special but Mario has to go to cappy for a jump

 

[Tankman from Newgrounds]

I don't need Krystal as a fighter.

If you don't need Krystal, then I need Andross as Playable monkey!
And there are no Star Fox bosses!

 

[ForsakenM]

Like this.

It doesn't need the mind control aspect. Wouldn't work on anyone already wearing a hat anyway.

Yeah, gonna go ahead and say that Mario moving like that in Smash would be awful balance. His movement would be insane and unless the whole roster got a speed boost to keep up he would be that much more top tier.

Getting rid of transformation characters was the best thing Smash 4 did. And it sucks it got brought back in Ultimate.

That's definitely an opinion, for sure.

This is why I brought up the idea of having a unique move for Down-B and having a different input (like Inkling Refill, which is Shield +B) for switching. It gets rid of the only real complaint, since you can still just main a single character if you want but also gives the opportunity to master all your options, and adds more uniqueness per character.

Well somebody does, because it's absolutely asinine that we have 4 Marths. Much better to have 2 Marths and 2 Chroms.

Yet again another opinion. In reality, if we are being honest, we have:

1. Marth
2. Roy, who is an extremely de-cloned version of Marth (unlike in Melee) who plays almost completely differently.
3. Lucina, who plays just like Marth except she doesn't have to worry about tippers, which makes her better apparently.
4. Chrom, who plays like Roy except he doesn't have to worry about hitting with the hilt, has Ike's Up-B, and a unique FS.

So really, we have '2 Marth' and '2 Roys', although that's not really accurate. At most I would maybe change some things on Chrom (which would likely just be some sword swipes with different animations and hurt boxes) and that would be enough.

I don't need Krystal as a fighter.

That's funny, because we were talking about minorities earlier, and now you are a part of one.

That's odd that you would rather change one thing about two character's movesets then change part of one and have a whole new character.

 

[Gengar84]

Like this.

It doesn't need the mind control aspect. Wouldn't work on anyone already wearing a hat anyway.

Getting rid of transformation characters was the best thing Smash 4 did. And it sucks it got brought back in Ultimate.

Well somebody does, because it's absolutely asinine that we have 4 Marths. Much better to have 2 Marths and 2 Chroms.

I don't need Krystal as a fighter.

I have to disagree with you on that one. Transformation characters are my favorite gimmick in Smash and I was really disappointed they were cut in Smash 4. I still wish Zelda and Sheik could transform. If they transformed with a taunt or shield special, you wouldn’t even have to worry about losing a move.

 

[ForsakenM]

I have to disagree with you on that one. Transformation characters are my favorite gimmick in Smash and I was really disappointed they were cut in Smash 4. I still wish Zelda and Sheik could transform. If they transformed with a taunt or shield special, you wouldn’t even have to worry about losing a move.

The main reason for this is that the Sheik in Smash 4 and on isn't Zelda, but the original Sheik.

The design was properly updated to represent this, and since it's no longer the same character just disguising themselves, they have been separated.

Contrast this with Pokemon Trainer owning all the Pokemon and thus having to switch between them, which accurately represents the games alongside having other Pokemon who are solo, and Pyra/Mythra who are literally the same person but different manifestations of that person.

Considering you can just never switch and main a single characters, and there is always a way to choose who you start with in character select, there would be no reason to separate the two for gameplay reasons.

 

[Geno Boost]

transformation is old news let’s have a shapeshifter they do have huge potential in terms of moveset while not many option are available out there Deoxys, Rotom, Smithy, Ditto, Hakkun, Princess Shokora all have have this kind of gimmick

 

[Tankman from Newgrounds]

transformation is old news let’s have a shapeshifter they do have huge potential in terms of moveset while not many option are available out there Deoxys, Rotom, Smithy, Ditto, Hakkun all have have this kind of gimmick

I dont think so, because:
1. Deoxys - too weird for Platform fighter.
2. Rotom - He looks very out of place. Better he should be assist Pokemon.
3. Smithy - Better fits as a Boss
4. Ditto - He could fit, but he would better fit his Assist Role
5. Hakkun - Too obscure pick and people in the West (Europe, America and possibly Australia) would be confused about Hakkun (Not counting his unnecessary Spirit Appearance)

 

[Geno Boost]

I dont think so, because:
1. Deoxys - too weird for Platform fighter.
2. Rotom - He looks very out of place. Better he should be assist Pokemon.
3. Smithy - Better fits as a Boss
4. Ditto - He could fit, but he would better fit his Assist Role
5. Hakkun - Too obscure pick and people in the West (Europe, America and possibly Australia) would be confused about Hakkun (Not counting his unnecessary Spirit Appearance)

ice climbers were literally added for the gimmick if they want to add a shapeshifter fighter they can easily go for anyone

 

[osby]

I dont think so, because:
1. Deoxys - too weird for Platform fighter.
2. Rotom - He looks very out of place. Better he should be assist Pokemon.
3. Smithy - Better fits as a Boss
4. Ditto - He could fit, but he would better fit his Assist Role
5. Hakkun - Too obscure pick and people in the West (Europe, America and possibly Australia) would be confused about Hakkun (Not counting his unnecessary Spirit Appearance)

For someone so passionate about Andross, you sure like dissing unconventional fighter options.

 

[Þe 1 → Way]

I forgot this thread existed for a minute. I think if theres one thing Smash 6 desperately needs, it’d be Indie Fighters. Given how big the genre has become, no real Indie Fighters leaves a blinding gap in Smashes roster representation alongside just not having some really cool characters.

 

[Ivander]

5. Hakkun - Too obscure pick and people in the West (Europe, America and possibly Australia) would be confused about Hakkun (Not counting his unnecessary Spirit Appearance)

I gotta like how we are literally saying that it is unnecessary for a character to get an "image". An "image". In a video game.

How spoiled are we that we are saying that it is unnecessary for a character to get a JPEG/PNG in a video game?

 

[Tankman from Newgrounds]

I gotta like how we are literally saying that it is unnecessary for a character to get an "image". An "image". In a video game.

How spoiled are we that we are saying that it is unnecessary for a character to get a JPEG/PNG in a video game?

Okay fine, it is neccesary in Video Game.
But Hakkun is obscure Nintendo Character and he is only know in Japan, but not popular in West.

 

[Geno Boost]

people seems to forget this

also remember when they removed Lucas? that caused an outrage and dissapointment to many people despite being from a game thats japanese exclusive

 

[toonito]

RE: Ultimate Deluxe movesets/Smash 6 vs Ult DX

I believe if there will be moveset changes for veterans it would be more likely in Smash 6 than Ultimate DX. I dont know if Sakurai/Nintendo would want to port a Smash game to the next console and yet have plans to create a new Smash game. I feel like it'll be one or the other and I'm leaning towards Smash 6 as I don't think there will ever be 2 Smash games within the same console cycle. The only way I'd see Ultimate DX happening is if there are no plans to develop Smash 6 for the next cycle and Smash is a flagship franchise for Nintendo.

Whether it's Sakurai's philosophy or just due to ease of development veterans rarely get their movesets revamped. IIRC Link is probably the furthest they've gone but still keeping his basic spirit intact. In the future maybe I could see Samus getting a Dread alt and a couple of moves lifted from Dread's success like Link did but everyone getting their movesets updated/revamped? I don't see it and if it does happen it'd be more likely in a future mainline game over a port of an existing one.

 

[Will]

people seems to forget this

also remember when they removed Lucas? that caused an outrage and dissapointment to many people despite being from a game thats japanese exclusive

Mother 3 has always been recognized by Nintendo of America. They just. choose. to. do. nothing.

 

[DarthEnderX]

Yet again another opinion. In reality, if we are being honest, we have:

1. Marth
2. Roy, who is an extremely de-cloned version of Marth (unlike in Melee) who plays almost completely differently.
3. Lucina, who plays just like Marth except she doesn't have to worry about tippers, which makes her better apparently.
4. Chrom, who plays like Roy except he doesn't have to worry about hitting with the hilt, has Ike's Up-B, and a unique FS.

That's more being pedantic than honest.

That's funny, because we were talking about minorities earlier, and now you are a part of one.

You're delusional if you think a majority of people even care about Krystal, much less actively need her.

I have to disagree with you on that one. Transformation characters are my favorite gimmick in Smash and I was really disappointed they were cut in Smash 4.

They seem inherently flawed to me. It gives a character 2-3 times as many moves, which makes them overly complicated to learn, or purposely hamstrung if you try to stick to 1 form.

 

[Sucumbio]

RE: Ultimate Deluxe movesets/Smash 6 vs Ult DX

I believe if there will be moveset changes for veterans it would be more likely in Smash 6 than Ultimate DX. I dont know if Sakurai/Nintendo would want to port a Smash game to the next console and yet have plans to create a new Smash game. I feel like it'll be one or the other and I'm leaning towards Smash 6 as I don't think there will ever be 2 Smash games within the same console cycle. The only way I'd see Ultimate DX happening is if there are no plans to develop Smash 6 for the next cycle and Smash is a flagship franchise for Nintendo.

Whether it's Sakurai's philosophy or just due to ease of development veterans rarely get their movesets revamped. IIRC Link is probably the furthest they've gone but still keeping his basic spirit intact. In the future maybe I could see Samus getting a Dread alt and a couple of moves lifted from Dread's success like Link did but everyone getting their movesets updated/revamped? I don't see it and if it does happen it'd be more likely in a future mainline game over a port of an existing one.

It appears one thing is clear.

I must speculate whether the next game is a "stand alone" or "expansion/re-release with 'new' things".... Or whatever. What will it be?

Ignoring whatever they the developers have said (lol) let's say they release a game in 2 to 6 years.

I think based on the reliability of post covid not really business it's safe to say no real new game will be here outside of that but a golden edition (sic) could totally happen without terrible fuss.

That's something that could happen between 1 and 4 years (with additions like modes skins stages etc or whatever you fancy within not new territory). And if they're clever a hint toward the next Smash already in development (mii costume etc).

 

[Wonder Smash]

I just want to say that when talking about possible Arc System Works series being in Smash, don't forget to mention Double Dragon.

 

[SPEN18]

I mean, Krystal is probably more important to Star Fox than Falco and maybe even Wolf, but unfortunately for her she can't be a clone and the time for Star Fox newcomers has likely passed, unless they can manage to do something new and creative with the IP.

As for transformation characters, I think the game is better without them. I'd actually like it much better if they just straight up replaced Sheik with Impa and replaced Zero Suit Samus with another Metroid character, even though this seems very unlikely to happen. And Sheik being a part of Zelda's moveset makes it less representative of "Zelda" as she is throughout her series. As for Pokémon Trainer, everyone knows the Pokémon themselves are the stars of their games and making three uniques is a ton of work just to represent a particular game mechanic. It made more sense to me just to have Charizard as a unique since he's clearly important enough to stand on his own; he's the poster boy for the whole Trainer moveset gig anyway, so just let Squirtle and Ivysaur sink or swim in a competition against all the other Mons for roster spots instead of just letting them ride Zard's massive popularity/iconicness wave. The Trainer could still be there in the background or present implicitly if we really want him represented in some way. Besides, I prefer it when a character's moveset makes them feel like that character in particular rather than making it feel like the mechanics of their game are just being supplanted into a different genre; the two are often conflated, fortunately.

 

[Tankman from Newgrounds]

I mean, Krystal is probably more important to Star Fox than Falco and maybe even Wolf, but unfortunately for her she can't be a clone and the time for Star Fox newcomers has likely passed, unless they can manage to do something new and creative with the IP.

As for transformation characters, I think the game is better without them. I'd actually like it much better if they just straight up replaced Sheik with Impa and replaced Zero Suit Samus with another Metroid character, even though this seems very unlikely to happen. And Sheik being a part of Zelda's moveset makes it less representative of "Zelda" as she is throughout her series. As for Pokémon Trainer, everyone knows the Pokémon themselves are the stars of their games and making three uniques is a ton of work just to represent a particular game mechanic. It made more sense to me just to have Charizard as a unique since he's clearly important enough to stand on his own; he's the poster boy for the whole Trainer moveset gig anyway, so just let Squirtle and Ivysaur sink or swim in a competition against all the other Mons for roster spots instead of just letting them ride Zard's massive popularity/iconicness wave. The Trainer could still be there in the background or present implicitly if we really want him represented in some way. Besides, I prefer it when a character's moveset makes them feel like that character in particular rather than making it feel like the mechanics of their game are just being supplanted into a different genre; the two are often conflated, fortunately.

Youre 50/50 wrong. Andross is more important than Krystal, but Krystal could fit more as Star Fox rep.

 

[Garteam]

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is only 1.5 million copies away from dethroning Super Mario Bros. as the best-selling Mario game.

Re-releases have been a major tenant of Nintendo's Switch strategy and have really helped the Switch keep a steady stream of first-party releases throughout its life. We're definitely going to see Wii U/Switch ports on the Switch's successor.

When you factor in that (judging by Sakurai's comments) no one really seems to know how a formal Smash 6 that surpasses Ultimate could reasonably be made, I honestly think an Ultimate Deluxe with a handful of extra characters and an extra mode or two is currently looking like the likeliest option for the next Smash game.

The only real con from Nintendo's perspective is the licensing cost. Having to relicense all of the IPs currently in the game would be stupidly expensive, even by the money-burning standards of AAA game development. That being said, you'd only really have to re-license the IPs with playable characters, stages, assist trophies, or music, and those are owned by a handful of parties. You could reasonably cut out some of the costumes or spirits if they really need to get cut the budget. As fun as the Kunio and Rayman spirits are, I don't think anyone would call Ultimate permanently ruined if they were cut.

 

[dream1ng]

people seems to forget this

also remember when they removed Lucas? that caused an outrage and dissapointment to many people despite being from a game thats japanese exclusive

If you say that it's important that you are able to speak Spanish, not just English, it means you still have to be able to speak English.

People cling on to this statement like Sakurai said he wanted to add Geno all over again, but seem to completely ignore that it's saying a character does need to be recognizable, and are injecting the implication that all those other, more recognizable options presumably wouldn't be fun.

Well, after Terry we got Steve, Sephiroth, Kazuya and Sora, so I guess "fun" is not some quality found few and far between with candidates, and it's not something incongruent with very big names. And half of those characters were beforehand argued as options that wouldn't feasibly work. Do you think the current, highly visible characters requested wouldn't be fun? I think they have just as much potential to be fun as anyone else.

So I don't think people forget it so much as they realize it's not as meaningful a statement as others believe it to be.

Also Lucas was so requested for 4 because he was a veteran that didn't return, not because of Mother 3. Look at Roy. When ICs got popular did you think it was because of all those fans of the NES title? It's not even a good game.

 

[Garteam]

I am curious what's going to happen if the Smash fanbase doesn't grow out of its "Every reveal needs to be Master Chief-tier and those that aren't are a disappointment" when the inevitable WTF character is revealed for the next game.

Characters like , , and never had the warmest of welcomes when they were first revealed, but I shutter to think of what will happen when Muddy Mole or Alice from Balloon Kid are revealed in a couple of years. It'll make Dark Pit and Byleth look like Mega Man and Sora.

 

[SPEN18]

Youre 50/50 wrong. Andross is more important than Krystal, but Krystal could fit more as Star Fox rep.

I didn't say that Krystal was more important than Andross in that post, though?

But, yeah, I do think she is.

--

And yeah, Ice Climbers are the kind of character I think we should be comfortable moving on from, but for some reason Smash has always had such a huge pandering to vets. Like, ICs were only added over other more important possible retro reps because they were considered more feasible at the time. Sure, they happen to have a unique gimmick, but so do all the other alternatives (NES era or otherwise; the 80s isn't the only "retro" period anymore) that are more plausible now.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is only 1.5 million copies away from dethroning Super Mario Bros. as the best-selling Mario game.

Re-releases have been a major tenant of Nintendo's Switch strategy and have really helped the Switch keep a steady stream of first-party releases throughout its life. We're definitely going to see Wii U/Switch ports on the Switch's successor.

When you factor in that (judging by Sakurai's comments) no one really seems to know how a formal Smash 6 that surpasses Ultimate could reasonably be made, I honestly think an Ultimate Deluxe with a handful of extra characters and an extra mode or two is currently looking like the likeliest option for the next Smash game.

The only real con from Nintendo's perspective is the licensing cost. Having to relicense all of the IPs currently in the game would be stupidly expensive, even by the money-burning standards of AAA game development. That being said, you'd only really have to re-license the IPs with playable characters, stages, assist trophies, or music, and those are owned by a handful of parties. You could reasonably cut out some of the costumes or spirits if they really need to get cut the budget. As fun as the Kunio and Rayman spirits are, I don't think anyone would call Ultimate permanently ruined if they were cut.

Mmmmm I don’t think they’d cut any third party spirits. Yes I see Lotus’s spirit staying, random as hell as she was

but also remember the whole dummied out JFG/BC/DT in the code? For the former two, those were before Rare was officially on board with Banjo & Kazooie. Maybe with DX we may officially see Jet Force Gemini and Blast Corps spirits like what was most likely planned once but scrapped? Can’t answer for Devil’s Third tho

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Truly the only deserving SF rep

That aside, I’ve always rooted for Krystal. The character would be both interesting and unique in playstyle and would be a great addition to the SF roster. However, I really want to see Krystal included to honor Shorts .

 

[Tankman from Newgrounds]

Truly the only deserving SF rep

That aside, I’ve always rooted for Krystal. The character would be both interesting and unique in playstyle and would be a great addition to the SF roster. However, I really want to see Krystal included to honor Shorts .

Slippy could have cool moveset with Cameras from Star Fox Guard, but he was forgiven by true SF rep the we need and no one asked for...
ANDROSS!
(I know I talk about him too much, but he was so strong that he could fit into Roster like puzzle)

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Slippy could have cool moveset with Cameras from Star Fox Guard, but he was forgiven by true SF rep the we need and no one asked for...
ANDROSS!
(I know I talk about him too much, but he was so strong that he could fit into Roster like puzzle)

Nah, we all know Andross is actually Slippy pulling an Emperor Palpatine/Snoke-thing. Slippy was behind the whole thing all along.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

And speaking of Wii U/Switch ports on the switch successor

Xenoblade X Definitive Edition PLEASE I beg of you Nintendo

Elma in Ult DX as a tie in would be a sweet bonus too just sayin

 

[Gengar84]

That's more being pedantic than honest.

You're delusional if you think a majority of people even care about Krystal, much less actively need her.

They seem inherently flawed to me. It gives a character 2-3 times as many moves, which makes them overly complicated to learn, or purposely hamstrung if you try to stick to 1 form.

I guess I can see how that could be an issue if you’re a hyper competitive person and want to truly master a character. For casual players like myself, I enjoy playing with tons of different characters but I never stick to just one enough to really learn everything about them. On a basic level, most Smash movesets are very simple and easy to learn enough to at least have some idea what you’re doing and still have fun. For me, more options is always a plus. Even accounting for the three Pokémon for Pokémon Trainer, I still find them much easier to use than someone like Ryu, Kazuya, Steve, or Hero.

 

[AlphaSSB]

You're delusional if you think a majority of people even care about Krystal, much less actively need her.

She wouldn't have made it as an Assist Trophy if people didn't care or vote for her in the Ballot.

Issue is her support base is somewhat dormant. Not appearing in a new Star Fox game since 2006, having to compete with Wolf back in Smash 4 DLC speculation, and being confirmed as an AT at E3 2018 has lead to there being less to talk about. With Smashboards specifically, she lacks someone really championing for her like Shorts did.

Now if Star Fox was given the opportunity to make a comeback, by a dev studio with the vision and freedom to make it happen, things may bode well for her in the future.

Truly the only deserving SF rep

That aside, I’ve always rooted for Krystal. The character would be both interesting and unique in playstyle and would be a great addition to the SF roster. However, I really want to see Krystal included to honor Shorts .

Real talk, Slippy would be sick.

 

[Geno Boost]

i was wondering what caused Krystal to stop appearing in starfox games? is it because its rareware creation or something? K. rool and his gang too are gone also from the donkey kong series

 

[HyperSomari64]

Can we have non-video game characters (or NVGC to make it shorter) will have at least playable representation?
I say, only if the new director is respectful and it's not of the characters that Sakrai Masahiro namedrop and denied their inclusion (namely Son Goku, SpongeBob SquarePants and Iron Man)
At least we can have characters that are more known by the games than the source material (Sam and Max, Geralt of Rivia, Turok) or making expies or parodies of the characters to have at least original characters for the franchises (bonus points if they're made by the original creators, except those who sadly passed away).

 

[Megadoomer]

i was wondering what caused Krystal to stop appearing in starfox games? is it because its rareware creation or something? K. rool and his gang too are gone also from the donkey kong series

Apparently, K. Rool and company aren't in the newer DK games because they (Nintendo or Retro; I'm not sure) wanted to try something new, though apparently K. Rool's popularity in the Smash Ballot caught people at Nintendo off-guard. (at least, I recall reading something like that; I'll need to see if there's an actual source for that)

As for Krystal, that's because Nintendo seemingly has no idea how to continue the series after Command (her last appearance); the only Star Fox game that we've had since then was Star Fox Zero, which was a reboot (or a retelling of Star Fox 64, which was a retelling of Star Fox). Still, Assault and Command were made after Microsoft's buy-out of Rare, and she's an assist trophy in Smash Bros., so her being a Rare creation doesn't seem like it's a factor.

 

[HyperSomari64]

Apparently, K. Rool and company aren't in the newer DK games because they (Nintendo or Retro; I'm not sure) wanted to try something new, though apparently K. Rool's popularity in the Smash Ballot caught people at Nintendo off-guard. (at least, I recall reading something like that; I'll need to see if there's an actual source for that)

So despite having the full ownership of the characters, they sez the Kremlings clan as outdated and old (just like many of the IPs they abandoned through the years).

 

[Wonder Smash]

I am curious what's going to happen if the Smash fanbase doesn't grow out of its "Every reveal needs to be Master Chief-tier and those that aren't are a disappointment" when the inevitable WTF character is revealed for the next game.

Characters like , , and never had the warmest of welcomes when they were first revealed, but I shutter to think of what will happen when Muddy Mole or Alice from Balloon Kid are revealed in a couple of years. It'll make Dark Pit and Byleth look like Mega Man and Sora.

I thought people really liked Duck Hunt's reveal. Seeing how he's a classic NES character that many fans still remember (especially for people that owned the Super Mario Bros. + Duck Hunt game such as myself), he's arguably the best "out of nowhere" reveal in the series.

 

[Guynamednelson]

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is only 1.5 million copies away from dethroning Super Mario Bros. as the best-selling Mario game.

Re-releases have been a major tenant of Nintendo's Switch strategy and have really helped the Switch keep a steady stream of first-party releases throughout its life. We're definitely going to see Wii U/Switch ports on the Switch's successor.

When you factor in that (judging by Sakurai's comments) no one really seems to know how a formal Smash 6 that surpasses Ultimate could reasonably be made, I honestly think an Ultimate Deluxe with a handful of extra characters and an extra mode or two is currently looking like the likeliest option for the next Smash game.

The only real con from Nintendo's perspective is the licensing cost. Having to relicense all of the IPs currently in the game would be stupidly expensive, even by the money-burning standards of AAA game development. That being said, you'd only really have to re-license the IPs with playable characters, stages, assist trophies, or music, and those are owned by a handful of parties. You could reasonably cut out some of the costumes or spirits if they really need to get cut the budget. As fun as the Kunio and Rayman spirits are, I don't think anyone would call Ultimate permanently ruined if they were cut.

At the same time, MK8D's sales versus the original could be blamed on the Switch not being the Wii U, and that might even be the reason why Nintendo specifically went overboard with ports with this generation, because the Switch exposes them to a larger audience. For all you know, the next console will be a 3DS-tier success rather than outperforming the Switch.