Wow, boy has it been a while since I last logged in here. Probably over a year. Glad to see this thread is still going strong, and I hope you all are doing well.
Sooo... what do you all think of Shantae's chances for Fighters Pass 2?
I basically ruled her out for Fighters Pass 1, based on the fact that Matt Bozon was tweeting about supporting her for DLC - something I can't imagine he would have done if there were any plans or negotiations for her to join the roster at the time.
As for her FP2 chances, I don't know what to think, personally. She was requested a lot during the Smash Ballot, and many of the other popular Ballot characters have made it in. Plus, the Shovel Knight AT and the indie Mii costumes all help normalize the idea of indie representation in Smash. An indie Challenger Pack doesn't sound so implausible alongside all that representation, and Shantae still seems like a logical choice for that. Plus, during the Terry broadcast, didn't Sakurai straight up say that it's fine if a fighter isn't known by everyone, so long as they are fun and interesting?
On the other hand, consider the picks for FP1. A lot of emphasis on big third party characters that nobody was expecting. Not a lot of emphasis on shared history with Nintendo. With characters like Joker and Terry coming to Smash, the doors are wide open to a huge array of potential newcomers. If Shantae's Ballot support or history with Nintendo doesn't serve as a strong advantage for her, then she really is the longest of longshots. While she isn't nearly as obscure as some people like to pretend, gaming is a big world, and there are loads of characters famous in their own right who could grab a spot in FP2. If you count on 1-2 spots in FP2 being reserved for promotional characters (maybe another Pokémon, hopefully not even more FE), then that is some fierce competition for just 4-5 spots.
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Also, anything big I've missed around here in the last, oh, 800 pages or so?