What in God's name will they do with all the 3rd Parties??

[magiciandude]

While I'm least confident in Cloud returning out of all the current third parties, I really don't get why people jump to the conclusion that he was a "one-time thing".

Me neither. He wasn't requested by a friend of Sakurai like Snake was and there's no indication of Square going in the way like how Konami was a few years ago.

 

[pupNapoleon]

It technically is if you are trying to use that a basis for whether or not they are feasible. Snake is about as counter-intuitive as it gets and he was our first third-party. People used to meme and put Cloud on par with Goku and Master Chief, look what happened. Bayonetta, she is too sexy, and yet, here she is. None of them fit and therefore that argument is self-defeating. Realistically, the only characters that "do not fit" are characters that have not originated or nearly originated in video-games which is Sakurai's actual criteria and the only reason we cannot Kamehameha Nintendo characters.

He is not saying that your opinion is asinine. He is saying that if you genuinely believe Daisy is not going to make it into the game merely because you personally find that she does not fit, you are nonsensical. And to that end, quite hard to disagree.

If I cannot imagine something as conceivable, then to me, it isnt feasible. That is literally a part of the definition. It does not make "asinine" (meaning incredibly stupid or foolish) an appropriate word. That is not what the word "asinine" means in any capacity. You are well equipped with a vocabulary and I would assume you can fit a more fitting word. Perhaps calling someone's opinion extremely stupid isn't the best way to communicate a point of view, nor a valid statement in a disagreement.

 

[asia_catdog_blue]

Honestly, I would rather save them for later, after they're finished with all the 1st & 2nd Party choices.

 

[SwagGuy99]

I feel Bayo is the least safe because she only made it in because of the ballot. Cloud, Mega Man, Pac-Man and Sonic are all popular enough to remain. The veterans and Corrin will also probably stay. I don't see too many more series being introduced bit I can see more characters from the represented series like Tails or Mrs. Pac-Man. If they introduced a new series, Crash Bandicoot seems most likely but Minecraft (don't kill me for saying this) probably could be added too as it is available on several Nintendo consoles and is also fairly popular.

 

[Deleted member]

I feel Bayo is the least safe because she only made it in because of the ballot. Cloud, Mega Man, Pac-Man and Sonic are all popular enough to remain.

I think the character that got in due to popular vote is popular enough to remain.

 

[Oasis Dealer]

If the 3rd party characters are being cut down, then Sonic and Bayonetta are basically guaranteed to stay. Pacman and Megaman are both fairly likely to return, and if Megaman comes back then I'd say Ryu has just as good of a chance. Cloud is really the only one I see being iffy on his chances.

However, I feel like we're going to see all of them make a return for this Switch version. If this game is going to be built off of Smash 4, then I feel like Sakurai and his team are going to try and bring back every character for this. For people that may have missed out on playing these characters on the Wii U, this gives them another chance to play them. It's also just weird thinking that they created these amiibos for them only to potentially not get used, especially for characters like Ryu or Cloud (Especially with how late his amiibo came out).

I feel like after this Switch release is when the thought of them being cut should happen. For now though, I think everyone is safe for the time being.

 

[Animegamingnerd]

I feel Bayo is the least safe because she only made it in because of the ballot. Cloud, Mega Man, Pac-Man and Sonic are all popular enough to remain. The veterans and Corrin will also probably stay. I don't see too many more series being introduced bit I can see more characters from the represented series like Tails or Mrs. Pac-Man. If they introduced a new series, Crash Bandicoot seems most likely but Minecraft (don't kill me for saying this) probably could be added too as it is available on several Nintendo consoles and is also fairly popular.

If anything Bayonetta is the most safe since Nintendo saved 2 from cancellation, port 1 and 2 to the switch, and are publishing 3.

At this point she is basically a second party character, since while Nintendo doesn't the rights to her they do own the rights to 2 of the 3 Bayonetta games.

 

[NitrusVirus]

Here, we just get Inklings with no third party character. Could be nothing, but something to at least keep in mind.

To be fair it was a teaser, not a trailer, likely to hype up their E3 direct.

Also to address the Goku **** that people are saying for some reason, characters who dont originate from a video game aren't considered. It's pretty common sense... but also, I think if Megaman does return they'd be really likely to make him into Megaman X this time around.

 

[SmashChu]

To be fair it was a teaser, not a trailer, likely to hype up their E3 direct.

True, but it was also the first character announcement as well which normally had only been done in the first trailers. As I mentioned, it may mean nothing but it is at least something to keep in mind.

 

[aliensalmon]

I hope they all return!

 

[Deleted member]

Call me crazy, but I'm predicting a substantial increase in third party characters.

This is not unreasonable. Even if we get an enhanced port, multiple third-party additions alongside the six we got in Smash 3DS & Wii U are plausible. WIth Nintendo's improving relationship with third-parties, they will want to emphasize that however possible and a large roster of third-parties reflects on that. Two, even three new third-parties are not unlikely. In fact, we could hear about the first third-party newcomer as soon as E3.

I must have missed something, why is it that Cloud has such a little chance of returning?

In general I'd like there to be less 3rd party characters, I felt like the game began to lose its focus a little bit with how much its DLC relied on using other companies' character for hype. Sonic, Mega Man and Pac-Man are musts, beyond that I don't think the others are necessary.

Because people assume that because Final Fantasy has little contents that means they may not allow him back for the main game, ignoring that DLCs have much less of a budget than the main game. True, licensing from Final Fantasy must be particularly expensive but if they can get Cloud as DLC, what's to stop him from coming back if fan demand got him in? It's not a Snake situation where one can hypothesize that the favor to Kojima was a one-time deal. Frankly, I'll be surprised if he doesn't come back and that goes for everyone else even if there are cuts.

Sonic is 100% returning due to him being the only veteran Third Party in SSB4.

I also expect Bayo to return due to Bayo 3, and Nintendo's interest in the franchise.

Megaman can easily return, as can Pacman, though it depends if the company would want to have them again. (they probably will thou.)

I'm not so sure about Cloud, or Ryu. Ryu has slightly better chances than Cloud, and can probably make it in if Capcom wants to bring him back, but Cloud is probably going to get cut. (Square Enix probably will begin preparations for FFVII Remake Marketing, and I'm pretty sure PS will veto the character.)

Stop asking for Snake, he probably won't come back.

As for new 3rd parties, I believe Ubisoft will be the ones to throw their hat in the ring. (Has incredible relationship with Nintendo/can be first third party outside of Japan) IF this is the case and Ubisoft does throw their hat in the ring, it's either Rabbids or Rayman. I can't see the Rabbids in smash yet, but I definitely can see Rayman. So that is my pick for Third Party.

Why shouldn't fans ask Snake back? Just because a character may look impossible doesn't mean we can't want or request his return.

If anything Bayonetta is the most safe since Nintendo saved 2 from cancellation, port 1 and 2 to the switch, and are publishing 3.

At this point she is basically a second party character, since while Nintendo doesn't the rights to her they do own the rights to 2 of the 3 Bayonetta games.

Bayonetta is owned by Sega which means she is a third-party, no ifs, ands, or buts. Why can't people understand this?

 

[MugenLord]

I don't see any of the 3rd party characters going anywhere. Each and every last one of the generated too much hype and I believe with their inclusion they will push so many units at launch. Final Fantasy 7 Remake is still in development and Square Enix relationship is looking really strong with Octopath Traveler and The World Ends with You Remix coming to the switch. I can't see them not allowing Cloud to return back for another Smash game.

 

[Superyoshiom]

I don't really want any new third parties, to be quite honest. Smash 4 at launch hit the perfect sweet spot, with three iconic characters that meant a lot both to Nintendo and gaming. Cloud and Ryu, while not necessarily Nintendo icons, were gaming icons, so their inclusion made sense. I feel that Bayonetta was really just pushing it though.

 

[Megadoomer]

I don't really want any new third parties, to be quite honest. Smash 4 at launch hit the perfect sweet spot, with three iconic characters that meant a lot both to Nintendo and gaming. Cloud and Ryu, while not necessarily Nintendo icons, were gaming icons, so their inclusion made sense. I feel that Bayonetta was really just pushing it though.

Third party characters tend to generate a lot of excitement; I can't see them not adding new ones. The amazement and shock generated by additions like Snake, Sonic, Cloud, or Bayonetta isn't going to be replicated with a Nintendo character, with a handful of exceptions.

Plus, they serve as a gateway to get more people interested in Smash. If Dixie Kong got announced next, the people who like Donkey Kong and the people who like Smash/Nintendo would (obviously) overlap pretty heavily. Meanwhile, if someone like Crash Bandicoot was announced, then you'd get interest from a wider variety of groups. Fans of Crash Bandicoot, obviously, but also Playstation owners (or people who used to own Playstation consoles) who would be interested because it's a game where Crash Bandicoot and Cloud Strife can fight alongside or against each other, on top of Nintendo/Smash fans who would obviously be interested in new characters.

I'm not saying that characters should be added in without rhyme or reason, but it makes sense to add a few more of them.

 

[8-peacock-8]

Yeah, I feel the SEGA group is safe. Megaman is probably safe as well. Not sure about anyone else but Pac-Man and Ryu are more likely then Cloud.

Personally i'm feeling that Cloud might get replaced with someone like, for example, Bomberman or someone else i'm not even considering.

I also feel that if the returning third parties aren't on the base roster, they have a good chance of coming back as DLC later.

 

[Deleted member]

Personally i'm feeling that Cloud might get replaced with someone like, for example, Bomberman or someone else i'm not even considering.

I...would actually be very okay with that. Bomberman would be pretty sweet.

I don't think there'll be too many more 3rd parties though, and to be honest, I dunno if I really want there to be. Smash reveals are more fun when they're Nintendo characters for me personally, but to each their own. I guess there just aren't too many 3rd party character ideas that would excite me, outside of some indie characters that don't have a chance anyway, lol.

 

[LEGOfan12]

Final Fantasy has a long history on Nintendo consoles, and while that may not apply to Final Fantasy 7 specifically, it's still far and away the most popular/well-known game in the franchise, with Cloud easily being the best-known protagonist. If any other Final Fantasy lead, like Terra or Cecil, made it in, the majority of responses would be wondering why Cloud wasn't included instead.

People would riot if Cloud did not return. He's far too popular and loved of a character to get cut. His trailer was trending. He was probably the most-popular newcomer.

 

[Quillion]

I personally think two per third party company is a good number. Keep Mega Man and Ryu. Keep Sonic and Bayonetta. Bring in another Square Enix character to stand with Cloud. Bring in another Konami character to stand with a returning Snake (preferably Simon Belmont). Bring in another Namco character to stand with Pac-Man (I'd say Chosen Undead at this point).

 

[Morbi]

I personally think two per third party company is a good number. Keep Mega Man and Ryu. Keep Sonic and Bayonetta. Bring in another Square Enix character to stand with Cloud. Bring in another Konami character to stand with a returning Snake (preferably Simon Belmont). Bring in another Namco character to stand with Pac-Man (I'd say Chosen Undead at this point).

I was thinking about that the other day. Would I prefer they diversify third parties, or would I rather they double down on some of gaming's biggest. I personally expect Goku over a Konami character (realistically, if we got a fourth, it would be Ubisoft); however, adding Sora on the Square Enix side, especially if Kingdom Hearts 3 is coming to the Switch, would be amazing. I do not even like his character, I just feel like it would be huge. Other than that, I wonder if Namco would bring in Soul Calibur or Tekken... or other, I suppose. But I prefer another Ryu-esque character.

A lot of the smaller third party characters are cool. But I feel as though their legacy to gaming is a bit more important for third party characters. Or if you have a monetary investment in the case of Bayonetta.

 

[Mario123311]

I just want to add that supposedly Namco didn't get a second character in Smash 4 because, being co-developer: they already had a huge profit share. I feel at most, Pac-Man, Sonic and Mega Man are garuenteed but I'd hope they didn't cut the others... Hell, I even warmed up to Cloud.

I was thinking about that the other day. Would I prefer they diversify third parties, or would I rather they double down on some of gaming's biggest. I personally expect Goku over a Konami character (realistically, if we got a fourth, it would be Ubisoft); however, adding Sora on the Square Enix side, especially if Kingdom Hearts 3 is coming to the Switch, would be amazing. I do not even like his character, I just feel like it would be huge. Other than that, I wonder if Namco would bring in Soul Calibur or Tekken... or other, I suppose. But I prefer another Ryu-esque character.

A lot of the smaller third party characters are cool. But I feel as though their legacy to gaming is a bit more important for third party characters. Or if you have a monetary investment in the case of Bayonetta.

If Ryu returns, I really don’t see the need to include another traditional fighting game character. I remember a rule going around before the ballot was “No fighting game characters” or something and that’s Ryu was the only exception.

Just give me my Klonoa. I want more platforms/mascoty-secondary third parties.

 

[Deleted member]

I personally expect Goku over a Konami character

What?!

No, seriously. Goku (unless you mean the Yuyuki one, then I'm sorry) has no chance of being added over any video game character ever.

EDIT: Okay, maybe this was a joke that just went over my head.

If Ryu returns, I really don’t see the need to include another traditional fighting game character. I remember a rule going around before the ballot was “No fighting game characters” or something and that’s Ryu was the only exception.

The "no fighting game characters" rule was simply people misinterpreting one of Sakurai's statements.

 

[Morbi]

What?!

No, seriously. Goku (unless you mean the Yuyuki one, then I'm sorry) has no chance of being added over any video game character ever.


The "no fighting game characters" rule was simply people misinterpreting one of Sakurai's statements.

That is more or less my point. It is just not going to happen. No offense intended, but anyone who genuinely expects a Konami character are slightly delusional or do not understand even the most simple of business related concepts.

 

[Quillion]

That is more or less my point. It is just not going to happen. No offense intended, but anyone who genuinely expects a Konami character are slightly delusional or do not understand even the most simple of business related concepts.

Just because Konami's reputation is in the crapper doesn't mean that they can't have more characters in Smash. At least Smash can celebrate what Konami once was instead of how they are now.

 

[Crystanium]

Unpopular opinion, but I'm hoping the majority of 3rd Party characters don't return. Three is a good number.

I'm with you on that. Now it'd be nice if a lot of Mario, Fire Emblem, and Pokémon characters were discarded as well.

 

[Megadoomer]

I'm with you on that. Now it'd be nice if a lot of Mario, Fire Emblem, and Pokémon characters were discarded as well.

There aren't really "a lot" of Mario or Pokemon characters that could be discarded, and even Fire Emblem seems questionable. At best, you could drop one, maybe two characters (and that's extremely questionable) for each of those franchises before people would get up in arms about it, and even if it was just one, plenty of people would still be upset/annoyed.

Take Pokemon for example - if Lucario or Greninja are removed, then it's way too unbalanced in favour of generation 1. Pikachu, Charizard, and Mewtwo are easily the most popular Pokemon, so there's no logical reason to take them out, and Jigglypuff is fairly easy to remake since there's a lot of overlap between her and Kirby, so there'd be no reason for them to exclude her if they have the time to put her in.

 

[Crystanium]

There aren't really "a lot" of Mario or Pokemon characters that could be discarded, and even Fire Emblem seems questionable. At best, you could drop one, maybe two characters (and that's extremely questionable) for each of those franchises before people would get up in arms about it, and even if it was just one, plenty of people would still be upset/annoyed.

Take Pokemon for example - if Lucario or Greninja are removed, then it's way too unbalanced in favour of generation 1. Pikachu, Charizard, and Mewtwo are easily the most popular Pokemon, so there's no logical reason to take them out, and Jigglypuff is fairly easy to remake since there's a lot of overlap between her and Kirby, so there'd be no reason for them to exclude her if they have the time to put her in.

I don't care if people would get up in arms about it. It's not fair that other fans have to be disappointed that a character they've long wanted to never show up. When it comes to Mario characters, there are 7 characters, 9 if you include Yoshi and Wario. And let's face it, those characters are part of the Mario universe. The same can be said with Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong as well, if you want to get technical. TLoZ has 5. I see no reason for Toon Link. That's like having Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr., or Mario and Dr. Mario. The game may as well be Super Shigeru Bros.

There are 6 FE characters. What's the point of those? Lucina is Marth with different properties. Roy has been slightly altered, but he's similar to the aforementioned characters. As for Pokémon, I couldn't care less if it's in favor of the first generation. And actually, Greninja is the most popular Pokémon as of 2016. I won't be surprised if the original twelve were here to stay with the rest of the roster being rotated with new characters every time. Aside from these franchise, mostly everyone else (excluding Kid Icarus and Kirby) either has one or two characters from their series.

 

[AlphaSSB]

I'm with you on that. Now it'd be nice if a lot of Mario, Fire Emblem, and Pokémon characters were discarded as well.

Fire Emblem, I can agree with. Way over-saturated in my opinion. Marth, Ike, Robin, and either Roy or Corrin woulf make for a nice four.

I'm going to have to disagree with you on Mario and Pokemon. I think the number of characters those series have is fitting. Wouldn't even mind it if, say, Captain Toad and Decidueye joined the fray. After all, Mario and Pokemon are two of Nintendo's largest series.

 

[Tollhouse]

Unpopular opinion, but I'm hoping the majority of 3rd Party characters don't return. Three is a good number.

I agree with this. We had more than enough 3rd party characters already in smash 4. I doubt we'll have more than what smash 4 had let alone end up with that same number of 3rd parties.

 

[Crystanium]

Fire Emblem, I can agree with. Way over-saturated in my opinion. Marth, Ike, Robin, and either Roy or Corrin woulf make for a nice four.

I'm going to have to disagree with you on Mario and Pokemon. I think the number of characters those series have is fitting. Wouldn't even mind it if, say, Captain Toad and Decidueye joined the fray. After all, Mario and Pokemon are two of Nintendo's largest series.

If there are going to be more Mario and Pokémon characters, then I expect equal promotion of other franchises. Popularity shouldn't be the sole reason for making new characters for those franchises every time. Super Smash Bros. isn't just about popularity, either. Who was aware of the Mother series, except the very few who played Mother 1 and 2? What was the demographic for Fire Emblem in North America before Melee? If anything, Super Smash Bros. introduces the unknown and the unpopular. There's no reason for the entire Mario cast to be in Super Smash Bros. Such numbers are incredibly high, as are the number of Pokémon in their own series.

Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser are honestly the only characters necessary. And you could just drop Luigi if it had to be limited to three characters per series. With more characters, there's not enough time to develop characters in a balanced manner. The number of characters also affects the tier list considerably, since characters who would be low-tier in one game would likely be bumped up in the next. Consider Samus. She's 8th out of 12 in Super Smash Bros. Pikachu is 1st of 12. So 1-(8/12) puts her at 33%. Melee, she's 62%. Brawl, she's 16%. Sm4sh, she's 33%. (Miis weren't considered.)

So, Samus is currently in the same rank as she was in the original game. She's considered low mid-tier right now, likely due to the bigger roster. She was low-tier in the original. A big roster could bring a character up or down on the tier list. A smaller roster might not have as many characters as people might hope, but a smaller roster allows for a better balance. My opinion is unpopular, and if I had it my way, a lot of characters would be discarded and replaced. If popularity matters, then a lot of characters should be discarded anyway, due to their small fanbase.

 

[KingBroly]

Cut Ryu and Bayonetta, bring back Sonic, Mega Man, Pac-Man and Cloud. Keep it to 1 per company.

 

[YoshiandToad]

Sonic and Pac-Man should be safe just due to being such massive prominant video game icons.

Honestly Ryu and Megaman are pretty big too...although unpopular opinion: I honestly think Ryu's a bigger gaming icon than Megaman is, so if they did hypothetically have to cut one of Capcom's characters I'd actually prefer Megaman to get cut, man.

 

[Megadoomer]

Sonic and Pac-Man should be safe just due to being such massive prominant video game icons.

Honestly Ryu and Megaman are pretty big too...although unpopular opinion: I honestly think Ryu's a bigger gaming icon than Megaman is, so if they did hypothetically have to cut one of Capcom's characters I'd actually prefer Megaman to get cut, man.

Ryu might be more prominent (mainly because Capcom keeps pumping out Street Fighter games and leaves Mega Man off to the side), but I don't think anything that Ryu's done in Smash is going to match up to this reaction:

 

[YoshiandToad]

Ryu might be more prominent (mainly because Capcom keeps pumping out Street Fighter games and leaves Mega Man off to the side), but I don't think anything that Ryu's done in Smash is going to match up to this reaction:

It's less prominence(although I cannot deny Megaman gets screwed whilst Street Fighter gets the love) and more Ryu IS fighting games. Whilst Smash is full of platforming, it's also a fighter so I honestly feel like Ryu deserves to keep his spot. Chances are both he and Megaman will remain in.

Megs is ridiculously popular with the Smash fanbase, maybe the sheer lack of anything Megaman related from Capcom adds to that hype.
I think only Sonic ever garned a reaction as large as that in the past, and MAYBE Snake's reveal just due to the fact it was the first non Nintendo character in the Nintendo All Star fighter. I doubt even Banjo-Kazooie getting revealed could get as big a reaction as that.

 

[Sobayaki]

I would like to see Pac and Megaman be in the next game because they have a sort of Nintendo charm to them even though they aren't nintendo.

 

[InauspiciousPio]

I actually feel like Crash has a chance now that the remake trilogy is on Switch. It would make for a pretty hype E3 reveal, not to mention I'm sure Activision and Nintendo both would love all the advertising that it would give the Switch port of the trilogy.

Yeah, I'm with others here; if we're getting cuts to the guest characters, Cloud's gonna go. I have a feeling that whole situation was more Nintendo asking for him rather than SE pushing for him to be in, especially since FF7 has never been on a Nintendo console (TBH his inclusion still makes no sense to me, lol).

Sonic & Bayo are 100% safe. Nothing to worry about on that front for those who like them.

Ryu is probably safe. Capcom loves to shove SF in people's faces every opportunity they get, so I'm confident he'll stay. Mega Man has a new game coming out so I'm sure they'll let him stay to hype people up for that.

Pac Man is probably gone. I just don't see him staying when Bamco isn't helping out this time.

Nice signature.

Imagine if they replace Ryu with Akuma; that way they can promote Tekken and Street Fighter simultaneously.

I think all of the third party characters are safe. Hopefully they won't be DLC, but I'd buy them again regardless.

I’m actually not against this. Akuma is one of my favorite SF characters, and I’m all up for some more SF love in Smash. But then again, replacing the face of Street Fighter in Smash with Akuma seems unlikely. It would be nice though.

 

[Velvet Rebirth]

Put in Darth Vader? Hehe.

Well that's most certainly a pipe dream, but I'd personally settle for Joker, from Persona 5.

 

[InauspiciousPio]

Put in Darth Vader? Hehe.

Well that's most certainly a pipe dream, but I'd personally settle for Joker, from Persona 5.

Bro Vader would be dope. He might be too op though. I’d settle for Boba Fett if Vader isn’t an option.

 

[PixelSun]

I'm still hoping / dreaming that Snake will return with his MGSV Outfit. The only one I think that is never going to return is Cloud for the same reason others replied here: "FFVII was represented poorly". Whatever, let's just hope that all of the 3rd party characters will return in Sma5h

 

[Radical Bones]

Might be an unpopular opinion around these parts but I'd prefer to keep third party characters at 3-4 so we don't take away from the fact this is a Nintendo game. Just my opinion though. Mega Man and Sonic are perfect. Pac Mac is iconic. Ryu, Cloud and Bayo seem more like Snake to me... potentially a one time deal.

 

[Velvet Rebirth]

Might be an unpopular opinion around these parts but I'd prefer to keep third party characters at 3-4 so we don't take away from the fact this is a Nintendo game. Just my opinion though. Mega Man and Sonic are perfect. Pac Mac is iconic. Ryu, Cloud and Bayo seem more like Snake to me... potentially a one time deal.

I would have to disagree with that. Frankly there isn't much more Nintendo has to offer with simply first party franchises. Aside from Inkling, probably the most popular first party request I've seen is Spring Man from ARMS, and reception for that game has mostly just been "decent". If this guy is the popular one, who else could we possibly add to really make the roster pop out from other games?