Hello all. I am a current employee at NoA, and over the past six months (since I first heard about it), I’ve been trying to gather as much information as I can regarding this upcoming Smash Bros. game. It’s been hard, as Kyoto and Reggie have been extremely tight-lipped regarding anything having to do with Ultimate, but I think I’ve gathered enough info for you all to be satisfied.
1. Firstly, Geno, Shadow, and Isabelle are indeed playable. There are no new Kirby, Zelda, Street Fighter, Pac-Man, Mega Man, Final Fantasy, Kid Icarus, Punch-Out!, F-Zero, Earthbound, Pikmin, Metal Gear, or Starfox reps. I have no information on Pokémon.
2. Subspace Emissary is NOT back.
3. Another direct is planned for October and maybe November. (there is currently a discussion on when to announce and show off the new mode and some other stuff). None in September or December.
3. The Masterpieces are returning.
4. Target Smash, Board the Platforms, and Smash Tour are not returning.
5. Spring-Man, the Octolings, Rex and Pyra, and any character from BOTW or SMO will NOT be playable in the base roster or DLC as they are too new. This may change further down the line, but as it stands, they aren’t in.
6. Isaac, Saki Amamiya, Skull Kid, and Dillon will all remain as assist trophies.
7. Rhythm Heaven will be represented in some way, but I wasn’t told how.
8. 3rd party characters Spyro, Travis Touchdown, and Rayman/Rabbids were all considered at one point as DLC but have since been rejected. Crash Bandicoot and Banjo and Kazooie are still being considered for DLC.
9. Shovel Knight is the only indie representation. Shantae and Steve were originally intended to also be in the game, but both were cut.
10. Online mode is still being tweaked, but a full reveal is planned.
Regular stuff. Take a video.