Sorry everyone, I went to bed and wasn't able to respond last night, and I have an essay to work on, so I won't be as active today. Still figured I'd address some topics that we were discussing last night.
RE: Katalina in Smash
She could literally just be a last second negotiation. I know I've argued against slots, but there could've been a first party character for DLC that was kicked off the list because negotiations for Katalina worked out. I imagine it's a similar "you scratch my back I scratch yours" where Cygames helps Nintendo make Dragalia Lost and they add Katalina into Smash. It also makes sense as a move made to help Nintendo's partner break out into the West, so she her chances are slightly higher as she is a promotional character, similar to Corrin.
RE: Steve in Smash
Here's how you represent Steve in Smash without the art style clashing too much. It's not too hard of a stretch you guys.
RE:
LeakyPandy and Ruffled Feathers
Their information doesn't necessarily hint at Dragon Quest. It could also hint at Monster Hunter, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, or any other game awarded "best in genre," which is highly vague wording. Mind you, "Most Anticipated Game" is a category, or "genre" at the VGAs, and what game seems to be a shoe-in for that award?
Kingdom Hearts 3.
Now, mind you, this is assuming that LeakyPandy actually has correct information, given that they have gotten absolutely nothing right so far.
I went and traced back the statement about "ruffled feathers," and
it was made around October 19th (the post I dug up was made by the same user in response to the original one). It's stated that the company is not Nintendo, but it doesn't specify
which company it is. So, it could be Square Enix, it could be Microsoft, it could even be Capcom for all we know. This does disqualify Spawn Wave's statements about Sora at the VGAs though, but doesn't rule them out. I'm much more tempted to trust Spawn Wave over LeakyPandy given his current 9-0 track record (as
@TotsBS and
Nekoo
can vouch for).
RE: Sora in Smash
All of you raised some good arguments about Sora in Smash Bros., but again I doubt them.
NonSpecificGuy
you managed to somewhat refute Thanos in Smash, but what about Wreck-It-Ralph in Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed?
There is a truly odd business decision from modern day Disney. If it had something do with using Sonic in Wreck-It-Ralph, Disney doesn't really gain much from putting one of their breakout characters into a niche racing game. At the very least it shows that minor transactions (cameos in a movie for a playable character) are possible. Mario
is rumored to be appearing in Wreck-It-Ralph 2, and while Nintendo did have high licensing fees for Mario in the first Wreck-It-Ralph, what if instead of fees the trade off is Sora in Smash? I know it's a hypothetical, but there's precedent for it.
Additionally, there has been a precedent of Disney respecting Square Enix when it comes to Kingdom Hearts. See the cancelled 2002 Kingdom Hearts cartoon, which was cancelled "
so as to not jeopardize the relationship between Square Enix & Disney as they began to expand the franchise." We can assume that a similar occurrence happened with
Kingdom Hearts Fragmented Keys, though I don't have a direct source saying this (I could've sworn someone said the game was cancelled because Square Enix didn't think it was good enough).
I've also dug up some old statements from
PlayerOneTyler
(I'm sorry I keep throwing mentions to you dude) who worked on Disney Infinity which featured Kingdom Hearts Content. While skeptical of Sora in Smash, his statements still show that its possible.
I think Disney and Square-Enix would allow Sora into Smash. However, they won't initiate that conversation-- it's up to Sakurai to make the request.
The only thing is that Disney still has to approve everything and Disney's legal can be a pain. I'm sure Sakurai would bend to their will, though.
I used to work on Disney Infinity and have worked directly with the Kingdom Hearts IP. I have friend in Disney Interactive legal who've I've already synced with on this question. Disney owns the rights to any non-Final Fantasy/TWEWY character in Kingdom Hearts. However, Disney still works directly with Square-Enix on any merchandising, advertising, and basically anything that uses the likeness of those characters.
I've also brought this up multiple times, lmao.
You'd be surprised. lmao. We had to go through SO many hoops just to get Mickey Mouse his King Mickey alternate costume and the Keyblade in Disney Infinity-- a game developed by The Walt Disney Company. It was... a process, to say the least.
And it's not that Disney would pass on Sora in Smash, it just they'll make it so ridiculously hard for Sakurai and his team to put Sora together in a timely manner, haha.
The only other qualm here is that Sakurai or some other representative would have to approach Disney about it first. Disney would not make the first gesture in this situation. Sora's destiny is in Sakurai's hands, for the most part. And that's only if he wants him to begin with.
Sakurai would not be part of that conversation, however, it's up to him and his team to uphold Sora's (or other 3rd party characters') likeness and character integrity. Any changes he or his team makes has to go through a process with stakeholders to get approvals, and anything that needs to be changed falls directly on him and his team.
EDIT: Also, Sakurai is directing the game. He very well has the power to decide who and who not to negotiate rights with. He might not be in the conversation directly, but he is directing the game. His say matters. Now, whether his say is overruled by someone above him is a different conversation.
Also, the argument of "Sora needs Disney" or "Sora means we'd also get Disney content" seems to come down to personal opinion. At this point myself and others believe that Kingdom Hearts has the capability of standing on its own without necessarily needing Disney, and this applies to Smash. Sora himself is, in my opinion, the perfect representation of the crossover Disney and Square Enix because he is the product of their teamwork. Similar with any original Kingdom Hearts content, and Sakurai has shown himself to be willing to twist things when dealing with fan demand (such as Ridley and King K. Rool), something Sora has in droves.
