> Grinch leak pops up
Insiders: “Hey uh, that probably isn’t real. Incineroar is in the game, while several of those picks aren’t”
Fanbase: “HEY STFU YOU INSIDERS KNOW NOTHING. WE, THE SMASH FANBASE, KNOW ALL. THIS IS THE WHOLE ROSTER. NO WAY THEY DON’T ADD BANJO”
> Roster is revealed, lacking Mach Rider, Banjo, Geno, Shadow, Isaac, but adding Incineroar and Piranha Plant instead (Incineroar being one that insiders said to expect for literally months)
“Wow! I guess we were wrong and shouldn’t fall for everything that’s thrown at us”
>post-datamining, fans find a file that is titled “Brave” next to Joker, and information lines up with insiders who say they have heard that a Square Enix character in Smash. A few specifically say it’s Erdrick, and the idea that Square Enix wants to expose the series to the West makes it quite plausible.
> Conveniently after a text leak drops with Doomguy, Banjo, Artorias, and Ryu Hayabusa (a roster that conveniently adds characters people have less negative reactions to than with Steve and Erdrick) Google Ads start showing up. This clearly doesn’t include a Square Enix character, which has been said to be in the game by the same types of people who said the Grinch leak was fake.
Insiders/people who know this ****- “Hey uh, anyone can buy and manipulate ads depending on your search. Don’t you think it’s convenient that it only shows up for those characters and doesn’t line up with what other people have been saying?”
People who don’t listen and just speculate/accept things because it’s what they want: UH NO, LIKE **** YOU. I LOVE ARTORIAS. I’VE NEVER PLAYED DARK SOULS BUT HE’S TOTALLY IN THIS GAME, NO WAY THIS ONE IS FAKE. IT HAS BANJO. PAPAGENOS SAID IT’S REAL.
I love Smash speculation, because I love Smash. But sometimes the critical thinking level of the community is atrocious. It comes down to people only supporting what they want, bandwagoning off of leaks, and then being surprised when logical choices do get in and like, “WOAH NOBODY SAW THAT COMING”.