Dreamworks Character
Chance: 5% - I'm not gonna rule it out entirely, but things aren't looking as good as they used to for a Dreamworks character. Nickelodeon broke off the licensing deal with Dreamworks several years ago, as the shows based on their movies were becoming too expensive to produce, not helped by Universal Studios buying Dreamworks in 2016. Dreamworks now works with Netflix on their shows to greater success. Though it's not like it was a hostile break-off, so while the incentive isn't there, I don't see any old grudges interfering with any potential future business propositions. Nick also has a relationship with Universal, and while it has waned over the years (Nickelodeon used to have several Nick-themed rides at Universal Studios amusement park, and they were often marketed together with the now-defunct Nick Hotel), Nick does still have a presence at the park, if a minor one. Plus, Universal's owner, Comcast, is a cable company, so there isn't direct competition with Viacom (unlike Disney) despite both being in the entertainment industry. So while there isn't much in the way of ongoing partnerships, the path is certainly still open. Plus a lot of Dreamworks characters would be profitable, so if Nick is willing to open their wallet a bit (licensing for a game appearance is way less expensive than producing a TV show, plus the Dreamworks character would be ala carte, so simply giving a cut to Comcast would make licensing fees easier to negotiate), it could be more likely than you'd think.
While not as big as characters like the Big Four, along with other Nick-created characters, I have seen a surprising amount of fan demand for Dreamworks characters like Po or Skipper. This will likely only grow once the big picks are in, it really depends on how much DLC we get. As to which character we'd get, there's a few I think are the frontrunners, and I've seen decent poll results and fan demand for almost all of them.
Skipper or Rico - Madagascar's always been a popular franchise, and I've seen plenty of fan demand for the Penguins. Alongside that, considering All Hail King Julian is a thing, Dreamworks still gives this franchise a lot of love. Skipper I'm feeling as the most likely choice, because, unlike TMNT, he's undisputably the 'main' penguin. You could include him without it feeling weird that the others aren't there. Alternatively, there's Rico, who feels like the "Michelangelo" of the bunch, being the sorta silly/crazy one with a lot of wacky moveset potential. He can basically pull anything out of his stomach! I've seen a few people present him as an alternative Madagascar/Penguins rep to Skipper. Behind all of them, I've seen the occasional suggestion of Dr. Blowhole, though I don't see a reason for the devs to choose him unless he had explosive fan demand, which he does not. Surprisingly I've also seen no fan demand for Alex, Marty, Melmen, or Gloria, despite them being the franchise's main characters, though one can assume that, because they weren't in the show, they don't feel as "Nickelodeon" to some.
Po - I've seen a surprising amount of love for Legends of Awesomeness, and thus fan demand for Po as well. The Kung Fu Panda franchise gets a lot of respect for its' accuracy to Chinese culture, and while I don't know how much of that Legends of Awesomeness retained, I can see where the love for Po stems from. He, like the penguins, is also very combat-ready, and his interesting style of Kung Fu could be very nicely blended into a moveset, with lots of room for comedy as well! There's no shortage of source material. There's also the fact that the Kung Fu Panda franchise still gets new content to this day, with multiple recent animated series, including The Dragon Knight which is premiering this year. So if negotiations between Nick and Dreamworks were to take place, I can see them pushing for Po. Granted, it depends on which one Ludocity favors (since they choose the characters), though if they were to ask for Po I can see him being more appealing to the higher-ups for approval, given the marketing potential. With voice acting on the way, one can say that him being voiced by Jack Black could be a budget problem, though considering his extensive history with Nickelodeon (School of Rock, Kids' Choice Awards host in 2006, Nacho Libre, etc) I can see him being easy to work with! Finally, Po is the undisputed frontrunner of his franchise, being the main character and with no alternatives being pushed instead.
Shrek - Yep, I'm actually gonna go there! I think Shrek has a shot at taking a Dreamworks slot if it were to happen! True, Shrek doesn't have much fan demand, but that can likely be attributed to people thinking he's not eligible (if people knew he was, I almost guarantee he'd have Hugh Neutron levels of demand). He's extremely popular, especially to a general audience, and is essentially the mascot of Dreamworks, so there's definitely an argument for him. He didn't get a show like the two franchises above, but he's still had plenty of presence on the channel through ads and airings of his movies. Goodgrief and I were actually having a very good discussion about this a few weeks back! Shrek has loads of craziness, comedy, and unflitered gross-out, which meshes very well with the Nick brand, so if he were to get in he wouldn't feel out of place (as opposed to something like, say, How to Train your Dragon). Plus, we know how much the devs love their memes, and Shrek has no shortage of them! Along with that, Shrek is one of THE meme 4th party characters for Smash, and the devs are more than into Smash memes, so if they had the opportunity to ask for Shrek I definitely think they would go for it (plus, he'd be way more feasible than Goku would be). So while Shrek doesn't have as much of a Nickelodeon presence or fan demand as the other frontrunners, I definitely think he has the qualities to make up for it!
As for other Dreamworks properties, I don't have much confidence. Monsters vs Aliens did get a show, but it didn't do very well and is almost never brought into the discussion. How to Train your Dragon is pretty popular among Dreamworks fans but not among All Star Brawl's Audience. And let's not even get into their other franchises like The Croods or Boss Baby.
So overall, Dreamworks characters have a much bigger hurdle to climb than they would've 6-8 years ago, and their demand is more diluted due to several closer-to-Nick lynchpins not even being in yet. But once we get more of them I think that Dreamworks will be one of the most likely (if not the most likely) 3rd parties to be speculated on!
Want: 70% - Depends on who the character is! Right now I think there are other, Nick-made characters that All Star Brawl should focus on right now, and I have bigger priorities for characters I'd want to see. But I would still be VERY happy if we got a Dreamworks character! Shrek would be the absolute funniest thing and he was big right as I was growing up, and both he and Madagascar were some of my favorite movie franchises! Po definitely less so since I've never seen any of the Kung Fu Panda movies or shows, but I have a lot of respect for him and the love that went into his franchise, along with the cool things that he would being to the table! Furthermore, it'd be great from a historical standpoint! Dreamworks and Universal have played a pretty big role in Nick's history, and the former would be the last big lynchpin of the 2010's (alongside TMNT and The Loud House) to get in an sorta round out the era a little more! Plus if we got Po that brings in Jack Black, who also has had plenty of history with Nickelodeon! So while there are other priorities right now, adding a Dreamworks down the line would be a fantastic idea!
Nominations:
Clyde McBride x10
Predictions:
Dora the Explorer - 3.17% - We don't know if Nick Jr. characters are on the table, even with Live Action Dora being a thing. Furthermore, Nick Jr. support lays almost entirely on Blue, so I don't see many confident scores.
