Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[Gengar84]

I think pretty much the whole cast of IX would make for really unique and interesting characters in Smash. The only two that would feel less unique are Vivi, who would probably have a lot in common with other mages like Lucas, and Steiner who is another swordsman. Even they have enough to offer that they could still stand out.

 

[Hadokeyblade]

I think pretty much the whole cast of IX would make for really unique and interesting characters in Smash. The only two that would feel less unique are Vivi, who would probably have a lot in common with other mages like Lucas, and Steiner who is another swordsman. Even they have enough to offer that they could still stand out.

But Steiner is a comic relief fat swordsman, he would totally be different.

 

[Eldrake]

I think pretty much the whole cast of IX would make for really unique and interesting characters in Smash. The only two that would feel less unique are Vivi, who would probably have a lot in common with other mages like Lucas, and Steiner who is another swordsman. Even they have enough to offer that they could still stand out.

Solution: Make Vivi and Steiner a dual fighter.

I mean, their shared gimmick is that Vivi can cast spells on Steiner's sword so he can perform magical sword attacks. It's not that nonsensical.

 

[osby]

Fair enough. Their weapons can even also combine, lol.

I still stand by Zidane being fun and a Steal mechanic being cool.

Oh yeah, I like how Joker's grappling hook can steal other players' items.

It would be cool to see that mechanic expanded.

 

[Jerry98]

Yesterday I finished Metroid Dread and I haven't felt "Yo this character would be PERFECT as a fighter in Smash!" this strongly for a character in a while. I might write up a moveset for him one day.

That could be absolutely great! If a new Metroid character has to be added, he surely would be the first choice!

 

[Gengar84]

Oh yeah, I like how Joker's grappling hook can steal other players' items.

It would be cool to see that mechanic expanded.

Can it actually do that? I never knew that before. I’m going to have to try that next time I play Smash.

 

[Paraster]

Oh yeah, I like how Joker's grappling hook can steal other players' items.

It would be cool to see that mechanic expanded.

Huh, I didn't know Grappling Hook could do that.

Actually, I just remembered when I made a Master Spirit based on Zidane for the Smash Infinite thread (didn't get accepted, if I recall).

Master Spirit Submission

Zidane Tribal (Final Fantasy IX)

The agile and flirtatious protagonist of a fan-favorite Final Fantasy, Zidane teaches spirits Thief Style.

Buffed: Speed, Item Power.
New Ability: Steal an opponent's held item by hitting them with a jab or tilt attack. If you're already holding an item or your jab/tilt is a projectile, you instead have a 100% chance to make the opponent drop their own item.
Nerfed: Defense, Special Moves.

Spirit Battle:

View attachment 325967

Zidane Tribal Puppet Fighter: Sheik (green) Robin (blue) Zelda (red) Stage: Miitopia (Greenhorne only) Music: Battle Theme (Final Fantasy VIII) (Would I be allowed to add FFIX's battle theme if Zidane gets added?) Match: Stock Rules/Conditions: The enemy's air attacks have increased power (Sheik) The enemy favors special attacks (Robin) Only certain Pokémon will emerge from Poké Balls (Entei, held by Zelda)

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

I wish I could figure out how to map out spirit designs. I got a bunch I want to do. D:

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[CapitaineCrash]

I honestly think what helped Plant get in is what you DON'T have to make.

You don't have to make a new stage. You don't have to hire a VA or get the okay for preexisting voice clips. You don't have to license new songs and get composers to remix songs from a fighterless franchise. The first point is especially important since remodeling old stages took so much time away from making new ones.

Yeah that's also fair. Even Incineroar didn't have his own stages despite that gen 7 Pokémon have a very unique esthetics with the Hawaian theme.

Speaking of, I really hope that the next Smash have more new stages. I mean, yeah I love the classic stages like Brinstar, Corneria and stuff like that, but there's so many new games that have no stages, even in already represented franchises. Donkey kong tropical freeze, Pokémon gen 7, Xenoblade X, Kirby planet robobot could have amazing stages (it doesn't help that Yoshi crafted world had a stage in Smash 4 and got cut). I really hope they will do more and games like Kirby and the forgotten land, Pokémon legends Arceus, Luigi mansion 3 could make very good stages.

 

[Geno Boost]

Yesterday I finished Metroid Dread and I haven't felt "Yo this character would be PERFECT as a fighter in Smash!" this strongly for a character in a while. I might write up a moveset for him one day.

He reminds me of infinite from sonic forces in some way but better and way cooler

 

[DarthEnderX]

However, the next game almost certainly won't be another "Everyone is Here," so there's hope for next time for folks like Takamaru, or Muddy Mole, or Sukapon, or Mach Rider. Hope that wouldn't have been present on a much larger roster with fewer base game additions. That's what matter here: the fact that, once again, there's a chance.

For me, that's not hope, it's dread. Because those types of "retro" characters are, frankly, the worst picks the Smash roster has. Characters like Ice Climbers and ROB don't even qualify as "has-beens", they are "never-was"s. Those games weren't even good or liked when they were new. That's WHY they never came back.

Those characters are just straight up failures. And while them taking up slights might have made a bit of sense back when Smash was 1st party only, but to have them still doing it when it's taking slots away from potential 3rd party icons is just wasteful.

Gotta agree here. A retro character is one that originated during the 80s and early 90s before gaming tech advanced to include CD-Rom basically.

For me, retro is everything pre-3D graphics. So I don't even consider N64 retro.

But I'm also very old, so...yeah.

Is a character with retro roots still considered retro if they have grown and evolved over the decades into the modern age?

I think so. But most seem not to.

They will become Modern if you think about Murasame Castle lore, but you need to expand your brain and start thinking about other Retros like Ice Climbers or Duck Hunt to get a game that will release in future with over 30 year old gap.

It still baffles me that we didn't get a new Duck Hunt on Wii. Or at least as an event in the Wii Sports series.

 

[Dan Quixote]

Retro is a state of mind, dude...

 

[Gengar84]

For me, retro is everything pre-3D graphics. So I don't even consider N64 retro.

But I'm also very old, so...yeah.

That’s pretty much exactly my criteria as well. I’m getting pretty old myself.

 

[Geno Boost]

would it be better if we got new echoes or decloning every echo we have as much as possible for the next smash game?

 

[7NATOR]

The New Smash Speculation thread. I have some strong feelings on what I think Smash 6 (or Smash 7 if Ultimate is Smash 6) is gonna be

-Smash 6 being a Reboot is probably one of the worst ideas for Nintendo to take at this point, so I'm not expecting the next game to be a reboot

-Whether every character comes back or Not, I predict the Base Roster to have 20-40 Newcomers

-I think every character will come back. It may need DLC to bring everybody back this time, but I think in the end every character will come back. I also do not think it's impossible for every character to be back in the base roster. I think Nintendo and Sakurai will be able to negotiate that benefits all parties

-3rd Parties are gonna take the majority of New content, in Newcomers, Stages, etc. 1st Parties will still have content though

-Western Content is gonna get a much larger focus in Content, including Characters, stages, etc

-Same thing for Indies

-Ultimate is the most fine-tuned Smash game by far, so Unlike the other Smash games, I don't expect the gameplay feel to radically change. This also goes for the balancing. I do think there will be expanded Mechanics, like More movement options or even more Specials, but not ones that outright change the game, and also Quality of life changes to the Gamefeel and controls

-I think Rollback will be attempted for in this game. The new Console or New Switch is probably gonna be powerful enough to handle Rollback for a game like Smash.

-Single Player content is gonna get an upgrade. I think a Story mode like Subspace could happen, but due to all the 3rd parties involved (and new ones that would be involved) it would be hard to coordinate the script and such. I think something more akin to Melee's Adventure Mode and Smash Run is more possible though

-I could see Cosmetics playing a bigger role in this game

-I could see Smash Ultimate being compatible with this New Smash game.

-2022 for when Development starts, with a 2024 release date

 

[Ivander]

would it be better if we got new echoes or decloning every echo we have as much as possible for the next smash game?

I don't see a problem with new Echoes. And for some characters, an Echo is probably their best bet. As for whether some Echoes get decloned, I wouldn't mind it, but whether they do is another story.

 

[Sucumbio]

The New Smash Speculation thread. I have some strong feelings on what I think Smash 6 (or Smash 7 if Ultimate is Smash 6) is gonna be

-Smash 6 being a Reboot is probably one of the worst ideas for Nintendo to take at this point, so I'm not expecting the next game to be a reboot

-Whether every character comes back or Not, I predict the Base Roster to have 20-40 Newcomers

-I think every character will come back. It may need DLC to bring everybody back this time, but I think in the end every character will come back. I also do not think it's impossible for every character to be back in the base roster. I think Nintendo and Sakurai will be able to negotiate that benefits all parties

-3rd Parties are gonna take the majority of New content, in Newcomers, Stages, etc. 1st Parties will still have content though

-Western Content is gonna get a much larger focus in Content, including Characters, stages, etc

-Same thing for Indies

-Ultimate is the most fine-tuned Smash game by far, so Unlike the other Smash games, I don't expect the gameplay feel to radically change. This also goes for the balancing. I do think there will be expanded Mechanics, like More movement options or even more Specials, but not ones that outright change the game, and also Quality of life changes to the Gamefeel and controls

-I think Rollback will be attempted for in this game. The new Console or New Switch is probably gonna be powerful enough to handle Rollback for a game like Smash.

-Single Player content is gonna get an upgrade. I think a Story mode like Subspace could happen, but due to all the 3rd parties involved (and new ones that would be involved) it would be hard to coordinate the script and such. I think something more akin to Melee's Adventure Mode and Smash Run is more possible though

-I could see Cosmetics playing a bigger role in this game

-I could see Smash Ultimate being compatible with this New Smash game.

-2022 for when Development starts, with a 2024 release date

I agree with you on many points...

Rollback for sure. It's late compared to other online fighters but hopefully they'll finally figure out online multi-player for smash.

New global mechanics I'd like them to try air grabs but this could turn out to be bad. They'll have to be careful....

As for roster I'm leaning toward a smaller base roster than ultimate had with the majority if not all of the base cast being 1st party or 2nd party like with Intelligent Systems, Sora Lmtd, etc. I also think DLC will be larger with 3 or even 4 passes with most if not all the picks being 3rd parties.

 

[Geno Boost]

Next Smash game needs the Miitopia mii creator system

-Whether every character comes back or Not, I predict the Base Roster to have 20-40 Newcomers

if 40 newcomers i would probably assume that half of them would be echoes or easy characters to develop and the more complex characters would be DLC

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

Yes, please better Mii options in general. I want to make nearly anyone. The hairstyles are lacking, mang. >.>

Rollback is an obvious must.

I get why regular Target Tests will never return. But being able to grind via the Angry Birds one wasn't actually bad. It still let you get good with your characters to some degree(timing attacks, focusing on the right combination of moves/damage, etc.), though it's nowhere as good as the normal Target Tests. Generic ones weren't fun though(Brawl), and got boring fast. No level of variance doesn't help at all. It should've been an option with the Stage Builder at the very least.

 

[Geno Boost]

Yeah that's fair, but I do think Dread being the biggest launch in the franchise history might give Raven Beak a leg up for getting chosen in the next game. Hell, in Japan it's looking to be outselling nearly every game in the series.

View attachment 335375

Source

i think we should wait until metroid prime 4 releases to make a conclusion

 

[7NATOR]

I agree with you on many points...

Rollback for sure. It's late compared to other online fighters but hopefully they'll finally figure out online multi-player for smash.

New global mechanics I'd like them to try air grabs but this could turn out to be bad. They'll have to be careful....

As for roster I'm leaning toward a smaller base roster than ultimate had with the majority if not all of the base cast being 1st party or 2nd party like with Intelligent Systems, Sora Lmtd, etc. I also think DLC will be larger with 3 or even 4 passes with most if not all the picks being 3rd parties.

For Air Grabs, it would depend on if they could grab characters on the ground from the Air. I don't think it would be the hugest deal if it only worked on Airbone opponents, but I think if it worked on grounded opponents, there will need to be better universal Anti-airing that would need to be Implemented

Next Smash game needs the Miitopia mii creator system

if 40 newcomers i would probably assume that half of them would be echoes or easy characters to develop and the more complex characters would be DLC

Making Mii's more customizable would make the Mii's much more appealing. a Miitopia system and perhaps more moves added for the Miis would make making other characters or OC's exciting

I didn't draw up a roster yet, but I think 40 would be on the Really high end I agree, and would probably be the total result of Unique and Echo characters combined if it got to that number. My honest opinion was somewhere around 20-30 in terms of Unique characters

 

[Eldrake]

i think we should wait until metroid prime 4 releases to make a conclusion

I dunno, there's a large possibility that Metroid Prime 4 might be released only after the project plan and base roster has been finalized.

 

[HYRULESHERO42]

For me, that's not hope, it's dread. Because those types of "retro" characters are, frankly, the worst picks the Smash roster has. Characters like Ice Climbers and ROB don't even qualify as "has-beens", they are "never-was"s. Those games weren't even good or liked when they were new. That's WHY they never came back.

Those characters are just straight up failures. And while them taking up slights might have made a bit of sense back when Smash was 1st party only, but to have them still doing it when it's taking slots away from potential 3rd party icons is just wasteful.

Isn’t it funny when you find a post you couldn’t disagree with more? You and I my friend are on exact opposite standings haha. Your opinion is valid, mine just swings from the complete other side.

I’d much rather have these Nintendo “failures” than any 3rd party characters. It is a Nintendo game after all. If I wanted to play as these guest characters I’d buy their games, but I don’t so I don’t.

 

[Idon]

I’d much rather have these Nintendo “failures” than any 3rd party characters. It is a Nintendo game after all. If I wanted to play as these guest characters I’d buy their games, but I don’t so I don’t.

Does the same not apply to first party retros?
If you wanted to play as first party retros, wouldn't you play their game on NSO or something?

 

[Sucumbio]

I actually tried ice climbers. And kid icarus. They both pissed me off rofl. To each their own!

(edited for fail spelling)

 

[Yiptap]

For me, that's not hope, it's dread. Because those types of "retro" characters are, frankly, the worst picks the Smash roster has. Characters like Ice Climbers and ROB don't even qualify as "has-beens", they are "never-was"s. Those games weren't even good or liked when they were new. That's WHY they never came back.

I disagree with this take. A lot. You never know if the retro character is so popular that they get a new game. Then they aren't these so called "failures". I know the only character who that happened to was Pit, but who knows what could happen.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

The New Smash Speculation thread. I have some strong feelings on what I think Smash 6 (or Smash 7 if Ultimate is Smash 6) is gonna be

-Smash 6 being a Reboot is probably one of the worst ideas for Nintendo to take at this point, so I'm not expecting the next game to be a reboot

-Whether every character comes back or Not, I predict the Base Roster to have 20-40 Newcomers

-I think every character will come back. It may need DLC to bring everybody back this time, but I think in the end every character will come back. I also do not think it's impossible for every character to be back in the base roster. I think Nintendo and Sakurai will be able to negotiate that benefits all parties

-3rd Parties are gonna take the majority of New content, in Newcomers, Stages, etc. 1st Parties will still have content though

-Western Content is gonna get a much larger focus in Content, including Characters, stages, etc

-Same thing for Indies

-Ultimate is the most fine-tuned Smash game by far, so Unlike the other Smash games, I don't expect the gameplay feel to radically change. This also goes for the balancing. I do think there will be expanded Mechanics, like More movement options or even more Specials, but not ones that outright change the game, and also Quality of life changes to the Gamefeel and controls

-I think Rollback will be attempted for in this game. The new Console or New Switch is probably gonna be powerful enough to handle Rollback for a game like Smash.

-Single Player content is gonna get an upgrade. I think a Story mode like Subspace could happen, but due to all the 3rd parties involved (and new ones that would be involved) it would be hard to coordinate the script and such. I think something more akin to Melee's Adventure Mode and Smash Run is more possible though

-I could see Cosmetics playing a bigger role in this game

-I could see Smash Ultimate being compatible with this New Smash game.

-2022 for when Development starts, with a 2024 release date

That’s a lot of newcomers in base. What about any DLC newcomers? Not that I’m opposed to it

I could at the very least see Sora being forced to be DLC (a free pre order bonus for early adopters at least, then paid later, like this game’s Piranha Plant) and MAYBE Hero too, though Sugiyama’s passing may make getting the music easier.

Who do you have in mind for an indie playable character?

And I am curious as to how Ultimate would be “compatible” with this game. Would it unlock something extra?

 

[HYRULESHERO42]

Does the same not apply to first party retros?
If you wanted to play as first party retros, wouldn't you play their game on NSO or something?

Yup and I do. And I also want to see them in Smash alongside their peers

 

[SKX31]

If the rumors of the Final Fantasy IX cartoon and remake end up being true, I wonder if a character from that game has a chance for the next Smash. FFIX is probably my favorite game ever so it would be awesome to see Zidane, Garnet, Vivi, or anyone else from IX get in along with Cloud and Sephiroth.

I'd really like to see Terra: partly because VI is one of my personal favorite FFs, even if it loses some of its direction by the time World of Ruin comes around. And partly since she's a great character on her own right.

That said, I'm not gonna complain if most any main FF character shows up next. In fact, I'd especially welcome Tidus / Yuna, Cecil or Noctis.

Out of curiosity

is Piranha Plant still a thing in the tournament scene or no?

No. Not really. The Plant has a few players - most notably the wily Brawl veteran Brood (who in August 2019 got 2nd at a big Japanese tournament going solely Plant and got Plant's best placing ever), who apparently has recently returned to Plant after a hiatus it seems and plays it as well as . But OrionStats' current season* - 2021 - really summarizes its current position:

* (OrionStats is a broad indicator of local to international tourney results - with high placings rewarding points to the character, and the points scaling with percieved importance. It was last updated right before 's release.)

OrionStats by itself is not going to be a picture-perfect indicator of strength at the highest levels of play, but I'm choosing to highlight OrionStats not only since this snapshot is of the metaphorical rock bottom (heh)... but also because the character directly below Plant just got five of his moves buffed.

That said, the fact that run happened to begin with says quite a lot about Ultimate's balancing.

I get why regular Target Tests will never return. But being able to grind via the Angry Birds one wasn't actually bad. It still let you get good with your characters to some degree(timing attacks, focusing on the right combination of moves/damage, etc.), though it's nowhere as good as the normal Target Tests. Generic ones weren't fun though(Brawl), and got boring fast. No level of variance doesn't help at all. It should've been an option with the Stage Builder at the very least.

Not only do I second this option, but also: Board the Platforms should also be included in the Stage Creator. Both those would help flesh out the single player content quite a bit (not entirely carry it, but would help regardless). Of course, there's going to be troll stages if one goes down this route, but with moderation it's feasible (hell, they already have a moderation system for Shared Content in place).

 

[Rie Sonomura]

I'd really like to see Terra: partly because VI is one of my personal favorite FFs, even if it loses some of its direction by the time World of Ruin comes around. And partly since she's a great character on her own right.

That said, I'm not gonna complain if most any main FF character shows up next. In fact, I'd especially welcome Tidus / Yuna, Cecil or Noctis.



No. Not really. The Plant has a few players - most notably the wily Brawl veteran Brood (who in August 2019 got 2nd at a big Japanese tournament going solely Plant and got Plant's best placing ever), who apparently has recently returned to Plant after a hiatus it seems and plays it as well as . But OrionStats' current season* - 2021 - really summarizes its current position:

View attachment 335378

* (OrionStats is a broad indicator of local to international tourney results - with high placings rewarding points to the character, and the points scaling with percieved importance. It was last updated right before 's release.)

OrionStats by itself is not going to be a picture-perfect indicator of strength at the highest levels of play, but I'm choosing to highlight OrionStats not only since this snapshot is of the metaphorical rock bottom (heh)... but also because the character directly below Plant just got five of his moves buffed.

That said, the fact that run happened to begin with says quite a lot about Ultimate's balancing.



Not only do I second this option, but also: Board the Platforms should also be included in the Stage Creator. Both those would help flesh out the single player content quite a bit (not entirely carry it, but would help regardless). Of course, there's going to be troll stages if one goes down this route, but with moderation it's feasible (hell, they already have a moderation system for Shared Content in place).

Say does the moderation for Shared Content take down any modded material? Or just NSFW/bigoted content?

I ask cuz last I checked there’s this replay of a modded game that replaces the Blue Falcon in CF’s final smash with Thomas the Tank Engine lul

 

[Garteam]

I honestly think, as morbid as it sounds, Sugiyama's death makes Hero the most likely Square Enix character to return.

Yuji Horii seemed very on board conceptually and heavily involved with the idea of Dragon Quest coming to Smash, so I don't see him getting cold feet now. Likewise, you only need to look at the literal mountains of Dragon Ball merchandise to know that Toriyama and Bird Studio are relatively easy to work with. Really, assuming Sugiyama's estate isn't as stubborn as he was when it came to licensing, Hero's got very little of relative note in his way.

Even if Sugiyama's estate continues to strong-arm Nintendo, they could even potentially get around this by using music exclusively from Dragon Quest XII. That game will most likely have music by Hayato Matsuo, Sugiyama's named successor who has said in the past that he disagrees with Sugiyama's protectionist licensing policies.

Cloud and Sephiroth's return will likely be predicated upon whether or not Nintendo is willing to sign a check big enough to cover Final Fantasy VII's licensing costs. I could see that going either way. On the one hand, those two are so iconic and popular that Nintendo might bite the bullet and realize the publicity they bring is worth the cost. Alternatively, they say to Sakurai (or whoever is in charge of selecting the roster for the next Smash) that forking over millions of dollars to get two extra characters isn't worth it, especially if some cuts are already happening (which they almost certainly will be unless the next game is an Ultimate port).

Sora's... not someone I'm super optimistic about. The Mouse doesn't screw around with this kind of stuff and, judging by the way Sakurai has talked about acquiring Sora in the past, it seems both Smash's devs and Nintendo's lawyers are still surprised they pulled it off at all. At the same time, I was pessimistic about Sora joining Ultimate altogether and Nintendo has the advantage of actually having in-roads with Disney on this topic going into the next Smash. That being said, I still think he's most likely to be on the cutting block, unfortunately.

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

I think actually, Sora is the one that is most likely to come back. I say this because it was likely that Cloud was negotiated for not only Smash 4 but also Ultimate at the time of first negotiations. I say this because Cloud came with NOTHING new. Now you could say that’s all they could get again but I highly doubt that. It seems like Cloud was prenegotiated and the negotiations for Hero and Sephiroth were present during Ultimate’s development because it’s apparent that negotiations with Square take a little while due to the amount of parties involved.

I think it’s incredibly likely that they did the same with Sora. If next game really will try to have most if not all of them back then Sora is likely a pretty big name to make sure is there just like Cloud was for Ultimate. All speculation but that seems likely to me.

Hero is probably the odd one out but for circumstances already discussed I don’t see it as AS MUCH of a hurdle.

 

[Geno Boost]

For me, that's not hope, it's dread. Because those types of "retro" characters are, frankly, the worst picks the Smash roster has. Characters like Ice Climbers and ROB don't even qualify as "has-beens", they are "never-was"s. Those games weren't even good or liked when they were new. That's WHY they never came back.

Those characters are just straight up failures. And while them taking up slights might have made a bit of sense back when Smash was 1st party only, but to have them still doing it when it's taking slots away from potential 3rd party icons is just wasteful.

As a R.O.B. main I disagree with this as many of the Nintendo retro characters started as a unique concept and not as a failure and with that concept they bring a very unique playstyles to smash which we already have now seen some of them.

The Nintendo retro library of games is huge but its potential to what it could bring to the table in smash shouldnt be underistmated or say its wasted potential. there are many who would enjoy trying them out like i did.

To me 3rd party icons vs retro reps sounds just weird to me as i would like to have both included but i dont want retro rep concept to be thrown off the table its always exciting for me to see a character getting revived in this modern age of gaming and smash bros is a great game to do it.
I do want Smash to keep surprising me with their picks and the retro reps does it for me.
in fact i am more happy and had more fun with than keep in mind i did bought all of them

 

[CapitaineCrash]

The New Smash Speculation thread. I have some strong feelings on what I think Smash 6 (or Smash 7 if Ultimate is Smash 6) is gonna be

-Smash 6 being a Reboot is probably one of the worst ideas for Nintendo to take at this point, so I'm not expecting the next game to be a reboot

-Whether every character comes back or Not, I predict the Base Roster to have 20-40 Newcomers

-I think every character will come back. It may need DLC to bring everybody back this time, but I think in the end every character will come back. I also do not think it's impossible for every character to be back in the base roster. I think Nintendo and Sakurai will be able to negotiate that benefits all parties

-3rd Parties are gonna take the majority of New content, in Newcomers, Stages, etc. 1st Parties will still have content though

-Western Content is gonna get a much larger focus in Content, including Characters, stages, etc

-Same thing for Indies

-Ultimate is the most fine-tuned Smash game by far, so Unlike the other Smash games, I don't expect the gameplay feel to radically change. This also goes for the balancing. I do think there will be expanded Mechanics, like More movement options or even more Specials, but not ones that outright change the game, and also Quality of life changes to the Gamefeel and controls

-I think Rollback will be attempted for in this game. The new Console or New Switch is probably gonna be powerful enough to handle Rollback for a game like Smash.

-Single Player content is gonna get an upgrade. I think a Story mode like Subspace could happen, but due to all the 3rd parties involved (and new ones that would be involved) it would be hard to coordinate the script and such. I think something more akin to Melee's Adventure Mode and Smash Run is more possible though

-I could see Cosmetics playing a bigger role in this game

-I could see Smash Ultimate being compatible with this New Smash game.

-2022 for when Development starts, with a 2024 release date

I'm sorry but there's no way we have more than 20 newcomers in the base game. Smash 4 was the game with the most newcomer with 17 (counting the Mii as 3 characters and including 2 clones) and according to Sakurai that was already pushing the limits of what can be done. I really don't think they could do around 30, let alone 40, especially because the more big the roster, the more hard it is to only add 1 character (there's so much thing to balance), and that was probably one of the reason that Ultimate's pass 2 took so long.

 

[Banado_Boy]

I'd imagine Nintendo would at least try to prioritize bringing back Sora, especially now that it's been made known that he was the most requested fighter of the Smash Ballot. Like, I'm sure they're well aware of how large the backlash will be if they get rid of the #1.

 

[Sucumbio]

This is my retro pick. And he'd be a solid alternative Tecmo rep. I may even make a support thread for him come to think of it...

I'd shill for his ps2 design of course simply because his Diskarmors were very well conceived.... It'd be a tether grab for sure mmmm, he'd have decent vertical mobility in line with his nes version, and the music! Arcade classic... God please Nintendo!

 

[Ivander]

I'd imagine Nintendo would at least try to prioritize bringing back Sora, especially now that it's been made known that he was the most requested fighter of the Smash Ballot. Like, I'm sure they're well aware of how large the backlash will be if they get rid of the #1.

Considering who Nintendo had to deal with and how much people are very aware of it, I'm quite positive there wouldn't be so much backlash as much as disappointment. It was quite the miracle for Sora to happen in the first place and most people are very aware that it was not easy and bringing him back is not going to be easy either.
If Sora manages to come back, than awesome. If not, than understandable.

 

[CapitaineCrash]

Honestly this might be a hot take, but I think that most third party could be back easily. I mean, if Disney accepted to see Sora in Smash once, why would they refuse for a second game? Especially considering 1) They probably saw the very positive reaction and 2) they saw that Sakurai and the team can respect the character source material and are ready to put a huge amount of work in the charactrers. So if thing worked well for Ultimate, why wouldn't it worked for a second game?

I think this is how Sephiroth got in Ultimate. Square was probably not too sure about letting Cloud in Smash 4, but when they saw fans reactions and Sakurai passion, they accepted Sephiroth easily alongside more music and spirits.

I think the biggest grey area would be Banjo and Steve. Those are the exceptions because Microsoft is technically a competitor, and the relationship between them and Nintendo might not last. But I think most of the other third party could be in a second game more easily than it was for them to be in Ultimate.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Honestly this might be a hot take, but I think that most third party could be back easily. I mean, if Disney accepted to see Sora in Smash once, why would they refuse for a second game? Especially considering 1) They probably saw the very positive reaction and 2) they saw that Sakurai and the team can respect the character source material and are ready to put a huge amount of work in the charactrers. So if thing worked well for Ultimate, why wouldn't it worked for a second game?

I think this is how Sephiroth got in Ultimate. Square was probably not too sure about letting Cloud in Smash 4, but when they saw fans reactions and Sakurai passion, they accepted Sephiroth easily alongside more music and spirits.

I think the biggest grey area would be Banjo and Steve. Those are the exceptions because Microsoft is technically a competitor, and the relationship between them and Nintendo might not last. But I think most of the other third party could be in a second game more easily than it was for them to be in Ultimate.

Counterpoint; Microsoft may be easier to play ball with than say Sony. I mean Banjo-Kazooie is being added to N64 NSO. Plus, Minecraft’s one of the THE largest IPs of all time

my only concern is modifying stages for Steve’s gimmick. Hope they find a way to streamline the process

 

[PeridotGX]

Honestly this might be a hot take, but I think that most third party could be back easily. I mean, if Disney accepted to see Sora in Smash once, why would they refuse for a second game? Especially considering 1) They probably saw the very positive reaction and 2) they saw that Sakurai and the team can respect the character source material and are ready to put a huge amount of work in the charactrers. So if thing worked well for Ultimate, why wouldn't it worked for a second game?

I think this is how Sephiroth got in Ultimate. Square was probably not too sure about letting Cloud in Smash 4, but when they saw fans reactions and Sakurai passion, they accepted Sephiroth easily alongside more music and spirits.

I think the biggest grey area would be Banjo and Steve. Those are the exceptions because Microsoft is technically a competitor, and the relationship between them and Nintendo might not last. But I think most of the other third party could be in a second game more easily than it was for them to be in Ultimate.

I think that as long as Phil Spencer is in charge over at Microsoft, Banjo and Steve are relatively safe. He's trying to present Xbox as a brand rather than a console, and therefore doesn't really see Nintendo as competition.