Here's my take on it all: nothing about the grinch leak was special. And yet it was able to fool so many of you, so easily. Not because of it's presentation- far from it. Rather, it was due to the exploitation of immaturity, naivete, and greed within this community. Initially, I was blind to why the leak had gained so much traction, but in retrospect I realized whoever set it up knew what they were doing. They were well aware of how many of you were starving for more information. They were no stranger to the desires of the community. So what did he do? He played right into it. The leaker offered everything you wanted (Geno, Shadow, Banjo, and Isaac) and stripped you of every concern you warranted (Steve, for instance). And from there, the confirmation bias took over.
A blurry, faded, doctored image has never been enough to justify a leak.
An unreliable, unheard of source has never been enough.
Abstract links between companies and employees has never been enough.
Marina PLV disavowed everything and referred to it as "false information".
Verge, the one person who had anything close to an ounce of credibility in this ****storm spoke against it.
You didn't believe it because the evidence stacked up. You believed it because it you were greedy, and you wanted more.
There was no reason that this leak should've been the one that went so far off the walls. But it did because you let it. You wanted your little Geno. You couldn't wait to play as Shadow. Or maybe that wasn't you. Maybe you just fell for the hype. And you paid the price. Sakurai ONLY gave you 74 fighters, how disappointing! Let it be known, the disappointment you are experiencing is your fault and no one else's.
I must confess, I'm not thrilled about Piranha Plant myself-- but I do find a small pleasure in the insult he's added to injury.