Who's cities and what theory?
Well, the theory has been recently revised. The link to the closed thread represents an
outdated version of the theory. Basically, all of the pointers and explanations in that thread remain the same--or at least varied
slightly to better fit the new conclusion. The only major thing that was changed
was the conclusion.
Here's an abridged,
extra-clarified version of the revised marketing theory (now that I've had
a long time to mentally process it):
(Disclaimers and reasons for this post are in the bottom 3 paragraphs, in case this might cause trouble for the mods due to it being potentially off-topic)
First of all, all of the characters that appear on the 3DS
will appear on the Wii U version. However, the Wii U version will feature a few
more characters that weren't released with the 3DS version. The reason? Manipulating/changing the marketing impact of the Wii U version on
various consumer bases.
Now before you might jump the gun, both versions
will have the same roster--or at least, the
ability to have the same roster.
Under this theory, the Wii U version
starts with the absolute full roster. The 3DS version is more of a
taste of Smash 4--although it features
most of the absolute full roster when it releases.
But then, we often speculate about pure standalone DLC for
both versions--and that both versions' rosters will explicitly be the same when they release. We cite Sakurai, and what Sakurai said about "both versions featuring the same characters" can be pointed to
contradict my theory--
yet I persist. Why do I persist, even after knowing
well what Sakurai has said? It would require something
drastic and
unexpected to shake up
our idea of what will happen, regarding DLC and how it will be handled.
And DLC is the
key. However, it will be handled in a way that not many of us may ever suspect.
Here's the trick: The
extra characters featured with the Wii U roster will be
DLC for the 3DS version. They've been undoubtedly programmed to be compatible with the 3DS version via DLC, but they were only "held back" to be
featured with the Wii U version, initially. That's correct, the marketing theory dictates that this would all be
on purpose by Nintendo. It's all a big marketing ploy that would
ultimately shift the limelight onto the Wii U version--but
allowing, at first, the 3DS version to have all of the attention.
Now, why would Nintendo do this? For the following, you have to consider marketing to the general consumer base, not
just us avid Smash fans. We'd be self-centered and foolish if we thought Nintendo only markets to us. Of course, we
have an impact--
our voice. However, we obviously
aren't a singular constitution by which Nintendo bends. There are
many outside factors.
Now, again,
why would Nintendo do this? It could easily be seen as
outlandish of someone to propose such an idea--
especially from one of us speculators.
To the answers of the question at hand...
Many reasons:
- When the Wii U version releases, the 3DS version will have already been out for 2-3 months. The question here is... how would Nintendo keep the general consumer-base interest alive for the Wii U version when it has expended itself on the 3DS version for 2-3 months?
- Standalone DLC wouldn't be able to create an effective marketing impact, by itself. It would need the proper facilitation--one which has been proposed by this theory. Use DLC to grant options to the consumer base (which will be explained in a bit), but at the same time using it to promote the marketing of the Wii U version.
- It would be a massive surprise. Nintendo probably knows how we would react to the release of the 3DS version: "welp, that's all the characters, folks. Time to speculate about DLC now." However, once they reveal that there would be more characters alongside the Wii U version, we'd be like: "holy ****! OMGWTFBBQ Ninty iz big troll! HYYYYPEE!"
- This reason ties in with the 3rd. Not only will our reaction be worth it for Sakurai, but think about what our reaction would entail for the larger picture. The commotion we'd cause would shift a lot of attention on Smash Brothers--in many venues. The best part? All of the attention would be focused on the version they'd be pushing to sell at the time. Guess what that version is? The Wii U version. Bingo, Nintendo. Wii U needing a boost in console sales or attention? Give it the limelight of surprise! It's genius marketing.
- "Holla holla get dolla." - Nintendo, 2014.
- A Nintendo-esque change to the approach and use of DLC in the gaming industry. It'd pioneer a new way to use DLC. The change focuses on the communication and connections between multiple consoles. Sakurai has stressed the importance of cross-platform communication within his various interviews within the past 3 years. The thing is, we have yet to know how both versions of Sm4sh will communicate. Sakurai has said that there would be cross-platform communications, but he also said that "I'll get into detail about those at a later date." Again, he has not detailed these connections yet. I wonder what they will entail...
Alright, now this is probably what you have been waiting for. What would be the
options for us consumers within this scenario? You see, these options
prove that the extra characters featured on the Wii U version would
not be exclusive to the Wii U. This is important because it
obviates the potential consumer
backlash Nintendo would receive
if they made the extra characters
exclusive. Again, these extra characters
will not be exclusive to the Wii U alone.
I see three options, depending on where you "sit":
- You have purchased only the 3DS version. For reasons, you've decided against buying both versions. One more time, you don't own the Wii U version of Sm4sh. I've actually touched upon this option earlier. In this case, you would be able to get the extra characters featured alongside the Wii U version as DLC for your 3DS version. Whether it would cost money or not is up to Nintendo. Since this theory is based in marketing, I'd expect it to cost a little bit of money, just not as much money as it would take to get both the Wii U and the Wii U version of Smash (or even just the Wii U version alone, if you already own a Wii U).
- You have purchased both versions. Again, you own Smash Wii U and Smash 3DS. In this case, you would not have to resort to potentially paid DLC to get the extra characters on your 3DS version. You would be able to connect your Wii U and 3DS versions together to transmit the extra characters to your 3DS version. In this case, you'd have already gone through with the "dirty work" of buying both versions, so you wouldn't need to pay more money just to get the characters on your 3DS version. I'd assume that the transferable data would either be profile locked, or locked to be downloaded just once--this way transfers won't become abused.
- You have waited to buy Smash 4. You wanted to know which version to get, because it was in your better interest to buy only one version of Sm4sh. In this case, which version would you be willing to buy, after finally knowing what is in either version? It's a tough call. If you're interested in portability, and you're okay with DLC, you could get the 3DS version. However, in this instance, the version with the most influence over people's interests would probably be the Wii U version--it starts with the absolute full roster. GG WP, Nintendo, giving the indecisive consumers incentive to purchase the Wii U version, if they are patient and only want one version. I'm talking about you, parents. It's just another hidden motive to bolster the Wii U's sales.
By the way, I think I've finally recalled something
interesting. I'm not sure if many people remember, but Sakurai was
crushed with how Brawl was handled. He
did not get the satisfaction, in his eyes, of
surprising us Smashers with Brawl--due to the rampart sharing of SSE cutscenes on YouTube, and abundant leaks. See where I'm going with this? It's
crucial that you do.
It gives Sakurai potential motive to find a way to truly surprise us. Now, this sort of marketing would achieve
just that.
By the way, I forgot to mention...
You know the leaks we've had?
They're all for the 3DS version. They are all playtester leaks, of sorts, for the 3DS version only.
Where are the Wii U leaks...? Oh, that's right, they're
not out yet.
No one has been given
official playtester builds of the Wii U version, yet.
Until then, do not believe any Wii U information you may hear.
I've stated, numerous times, that the marketing theory
dictated our potential,
inevitable "disappointment" with the 3DS version's roster (what with it not containing newcomers from some bigger franchises like Star Fox, Metroid, Donkey Kong, Legend of Zelda, and Kirby). This way, it sets the stage up for a
big surprise. The surprise being the remaining Sm4sh characters to be featured alongside the Wii U version. It would cause the infamous "Crashboards" to reappear for, like,
weeks. It'd be
that big.
Now...
These leaks
don't phase Sakurai's goal. Want to know why? In the end, the
impact of the 3DS roster on us speculators
would have been the same: We'd be potentially disappointed--at least, at first (which is what is
already happening to many Smash speculators, undoubtedly). We'd inevitably accept the "reality", of course. However,
just when we accept the "reality" of the 3DS roster, that "reality" get smashed by Sakurai. The
real surprise, then, ensues. Afterward, all potential marketing goals of Nintendo would fall into place...
Even with these leaks, Sakurai
will still achieve his goal of surprising us. The man would be
genius to set up an inevitable
systematic surprise like this.
In the end, trial for the marketing theory has not commenced. We're
waiting for the
critical time:
The time between the release of the 3DS version and the Wii U version. This is the time frame where Sakurai will
finally shed light on the Wii U version. The reason why they have kept the Wii U version in the dark is to keep the attention on the 3DS version--to influence people to purchase
it because it appears to be the most desirable version
at the time. Any Wii U information while they push to market the 3DS version would only serve to
stymie Nintendo's intentions.
Anyways, this time frame (the 2-3 months between both versions' releases) could
easily make or break the marketing theory. All we can do is wait.
As for the characters that would be featured alongside the Wii U version, well...
I expect them to mostly appear from the
major franchises that have yet to receive a newcomer. These franchises, mentioned before, are Star Fox, Metroid, Kirby, Legend of Zelda, and Donkey Kong.
Hence,
Krystal's chance (Star Fox). Also, it's sort of why the theory was born a while ago on this thread. Funny to see it still alive, and how it's evolved over time...
Anyways, with all of the above said, I still consider the old thread
worth the read. It will give you good insight behind the thought process of the marketing theory, and how it has changed over time (even though the thread was closed due to the lack of substantial evidence). However, it
is a theory--it
will delve into a
hypothetical look at Nintendo's marketing choices.
Of course it's not going to have much substantial evidence (if any), because Nintendo
won't simply tell us their marketing strategies--that'd be
stupid of them:
http://smashboards.com/threads/the-...s-feature-different-hidden-characters.365209/
This will probably be the
last time I post about this theory (unless something
big happens within the next few months). Instead, for anyone who has questions, I will use this post as a reference (I encourage others to do the same with this post, instead of just linking them to the thread alone). The theory has been
revised since the thread, and I found it necessary to keep everyone up-to-date. Linking the thread
alone does this theory no justice, since it
is an outdated link. Also, due to the thread being closed, there's no way I can update the theory there--it will remain with the older conclusion.
Lastly, it's
just a theory. It has a
chance to happen. I'm
not claiming it
will happen. Of course, there's always the chance of simple DLC for both versions to happen. It depends on what Nintendo has planned.
Alright, now back to the topic at hand:
Krystal.
or 
