Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[Alphine Agnitio]

I've been playing Persona 3 Reload and Persona 4 Golden recently(friend reccomended me the series) and honestly I know the P3 protag is probably unlikely because gestures vaguely at P3's themes and how you summon a Persona in that game by shooting yourself but I think one of the main cast of P4 would be fun as an additional Persona char

 

[Kirbeh]

I've been playing Persona 3 Reload and Persona 4 Golden recently(friend reccomended me the series) and honestly I know the P3 protag is probably unlikely because gestures vaguely at P3's themes and how you summon a Persona in that game by shooting yourself but I think one of the main cast of P4 would be fun as an additional Persona char

"For his neutral special he- WAIT?! Put that down!"

P4A exists without the P3 characters needing to summon that way. So, if they really wanted to, I think they could add him in without the Evoker just fine.

I'd be down for Yu as well. He and Mitsuru are my P4A mains already. Plus, in the case of any character already featured in P4A there's an existing moveset they can translate over rather than needing to start from scratch.

 

[superprincess]

I'm genuinely very surprised that people are shocked at Sakurai's statement that his work on Smash Ultimate is over. We were never promised any new content or balance patches beyond Sora, and nothing even hinted at it really.

Also, even though I'd hate it if the next game was an Ultimate port, it's worth to note that just because Sakurai stated that his work on Ultimate is done, that doesn't mean an Ultimate Deluxe or something can't happen. It probably won't, but it could. "Ultimate Deluxe" would be a different work from Ultimate.

It's been way too long since Ult though. MK8D happened less than 3 years after the original. Let it go.

As for the title speculation, I really don't expect them to do "Infinite" or something, that's too generic of a buzzword. Although they could opt for that if there's no obvious selling point. A synonym for fight I also don't see happening... "melee" and "brawl" were pretty much the only ones that sound cool. If the next game has a story mode, maybe the title could be something plot-related? Brawl could very well be named "Super Smash Bros. Subspace" and no one would bat an eye.

 

[Ivander]

I'm genuinely very surprised that people are shocked at Sakurai's statement that his work on Smash Ultimate is over. We were never promised any new content or balance patches beyond Sora, and nothing even hinted at it really.

I don't think people are so much shocked, as much as they are more like "Oh well." Some are obviously joking around and others were mostly just keeping a window open just in case, but I doubt most are actually shocked.

 

[fogbadge]

I'm genuinely very surprised that people are shocked at Sakurai's statement that his work on Smash Ultimate is over. We were never promised any new content or balance patches beyond Sora, and nothing even hinted at it really.

Also, even though I'd hate it if the next game was an Ultimate port, it's worth to note that just because Sakurai stated that his work on Ultimate is done, that doesn't mean an Ultimate Deluxe or something can't happen. It probably won't, but it could. "Ultimate Deluxe" would be a different work from Ultimate.

It's been way too long since Ult though. MK8D happened less than 3 years after the original. Let it go.

it's just how they act, you'll get used to it

 

[Dinoman96]

As for the title speculation, I really don't expect them to do "Infinite" or something, that's too generic of a buzzword. Although they could opt for that if there's no obvious selling point. A synonym for fight I also don't see happening... "melee" and "brawl" were pretty much the only ones that sound cool. If the next game has a story mode, maybe the title could be something plot-related? Brawl could very well be named "Super Smash Bros. Subspace" and no one would bat an eye.

The funny thing about these kind of discussions is that it's kinda overlooking the original Japanese names for these games.

Melee = DX
Brawl = X
For Wii U/3DS = For Wii U/3DS (welp)
Ultimate = Special

Funny how Melee has technically been "Smash Deluxe" all along lol

 

[SPEN18]

Wow, so no February Direct and rampant speculation of a March reveal for the next hardware were making it seem like the Switch was totally toast, with a release in time for Holiday 2024 seemingly making a ton of sense to start the next generation. But now we have reports about a possible delay to 2025 (!). If true, this raises some questions.
Do we think they can sell the ~16mil Switches required to pass the PS2? Is the lineup for the second half of 2024 going to be left barren?
Ngl I'd personally not mind waiting a while longer for the next thing (I still have plenty of Switch games to catch up on playing, after all). But lol I had been thinking about making a post about the precarious future of the Switch and now it seems possible that they eke a little more juice out of this system.
Of course the reports are unconfirmed but Polygon and The Verge have articles out.

 

[Noipoi]

Wow, so no February Direct and rampant speculation of a March reveal for the next hardware were making it seem like the Switch was totally toast, with a release in time for Holiday 2024 seemingly making a ton of sense to start the next generation. But now we have reports about a possible delay to 2025 (!). If true, this raises some questions.
Do we think they can sell the ~16mil Switches required to pass the PS2? Is the lineup for the second half of 2024 going to be left barren?
Ngl I'd personally not mind waiting a while longer for the next thing (I still have plenty of Switch games to catch up on playing, after all). But lol I had been thinking about making a post about the precarious future of the Switch and now it seems possible that they eke a little more juice out of this system.
Of course the reports are unconfirmed but Polygon and The Verge have articles out.

Pokémon Day’s coming up in just over a week, it’s highly likely they reveal a game that’ll take this year’s holiday slot.

But still, that’s just one game at the end of the year. I feel like we need just a few more first party titles to make 2024 not feel like a wasteland.

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

Pokémon Day’s coming up in just over a week, it’s highly likely they reveal a game that’ll take this year’s holiday slot.

But still, that’s just one game at the end of the year. I feel like we need just a few more first party titles to make 2024 not feel like a wasteland.

#WoopersWeep

 

[fogbadge]

Pokémon Day’s coming up in just over a week, it’s highly likely they reveal a game that’ll take this year’s holiday slot.

But still, that’s just one game at the end of the year. I feel like we need just a few more first party titles to make 2024 not feel like a wasteland.

they’re releasing a remaster of one of their most critically acclaimed games I think they’ll be fine

 

[HyperSomari64]

they’re releasing a remaster of one of their most critically acclaimed games

Oh, yeah! The game we always asked for:

 

[NintenRob]

I almost wonder if they'll holding off on a proper direct to reveal the next system, which means they may want to wait until after Super Princess Peach to do it

 

[Noipoi]

they’re releasing a remaster of one of their most critically acclaimed games I think they’ll be fine

You think Paper Mario is enough to carry the whole of 2024?

 

[fogbadge]

View attachment 384974

You think Paper Mario is enough to carry the whole of 2024?

you’ve never played ttyd I take it?

 

[Noipoi]

you’ve never played ttyd I take it?

Nope. Excited to try it out for the first time.

But no matter how good it is, I highly doubt that any one game is enough to carry the company through an entire fiscal year.

 

[fogbadge]

Nope. Excited to try it out for the first time.

But no matter how good it is, I highly doubt that any one game is enough to carry the company through an entire fiscal year.

Yes I suppose even one Nintendo best loved can’t do that. But what reason do we have to think it’s all they’ve got? Nintendo usually keep their cards close to their chest and we probably won’t know about other games until later on

I think the internet goes through this every year. We’ll know soon enough

 

[Swamp Sensei]

View attachment 384974

You think Paper Mario is enough to carry the whole of 2024?

Yeah.

It's going to sell one TTYDillion copies.

 

[Guynamednelson]

Yeah.

It's going to sell one TTYDillion copies.

You may be ****posting, but given that the SMRPG remake outsold the original game:

Super Mario RPG Switch remake has already surpassed the original game's lifetime sales

Nintendo should be pleased with how Super Mario RPG is performing on Switch as the remake has already outsold the original. As part of today’s financial results, we learned that the game has sold 3.14 million units. Believe it or not, that’s actually above what the SNES version did in its...

nintendoeverything.com

I wouldn't be surprised if history repeats itself with TTYD.

 

[Hadokeyblade]

View attachment 384974

You think Paper Mario is enough to carry the whole of 2024?

IT IS FOR ME

 

[superprincess]

I hope the Switch is put to bed this year. I absolutely adore its games, but the hardware is actually garbage imo. I'm ready for something new.

Also, sorta unrelated but not really, I've been playing a lot of SF6 on PS5 lately and wow... its attention to detail puts Smash to shame. The characters literally feel alive. Smash's are like empty soulless husks in comparison. And that kinda degrades Smash's crossover appeal imo. The roster is big, sure, but sometimes gives me a MUGEN vibe with the lack of soul in some characters.

 

[Shinuto]

In respect to the indie discussion, and as cliche as it is to say, Undertale is so far beyond every other candidate that it's really not a contest. I'm fairly certain that if we get any character from an indie game, it will be Sans. I do specify Sans because he's easily the most popular choice and the one who they opted to make into a costume in the first place... one that inevitably sold the best out of any Mii Costume... but if you wanna slot in Frisk or Papyrus or whoever then go ahead.

Undertale's worldwide success is immense. It is so popular in Japan that, as cited in Toby's recent newsletter, they're simultaneously developing the Japanese translation of the next chapter of Deltarune presumably for a same day release. Toby Fox has reached somewhat of a minor celebrity status with a Famitsu column talking about localized games. I would go as far to say that out of any of the big western pulls right now (minus maybe like, Fortnite or Apex Legends?) Undertale has the most Japanese appeal. That's not even taking into account its standing against other indies... like, just in general. Shovel Knight and Shantae are left in the dust, I'm sorry to say. What they have currently is the extent of what I'm seeing for them moving forward.

I think Sans has a great chance of being playable. If he's not, I think Undertale will still see a significant increase in representation some way or another. It's one of the most notable and widely popular success stories of the last decade, in a game that probably serves to add more contemporary third party characters, and Toby Fox is in great standing with Nintendo and Sakurai already. And Undertale, in its eight years, has not really dipped in popularity whatsoever. I agree that indie games sometimes have a bit of a "shelf life", Shovel Knight support is not what it used to be, but Undertale is about as relevant now as it was when it released due to great branding, its viral presence and the rollout of its sequel.

It would be very difficult to argue such a persistent and definitive game in the online landscape between both western and Japanese audiences being a flash in the pan... I could definitely understand it during Ultimate, but now a whole four years later I think Undertale has made more than enough of a case for itself as an evergreen classic. That doesn't confirm Sans or an Undertale character in its own right, but I think it ought to be considered when weighing our options for "indie reps". One of the perks of an indie character is that negotiations are dealt with on a smaller scale, but most of the available characters are also on a smaller scale of notoriety or international appeal. That's why it's easy to get those ATs and spirits in, but I don't know if they perceived our current indie representation to be of a necessary scale. If Undertale is just as easy logistically and about 5x as popular, then that's a slam dunk I think. I take issue with the idea that it ought to remain at this supplemental level simply because it's classified as indie - by all other means, it's as popular as several third parties already playable.

Side note, this is neglecting the likes of Reimu when discussing Japanese popularity. Undertale and Touhou naturally have a lot in common, and even share the role of its music being a staple of rhythm arcade machines now. Both are wildly popular. I personally don't think Reimu has the necessary official western presence to be a strong contender but I figured it was worth pointing out I kinda put her in her own little box outside of the typical indie talk.

Undertale is absolutely NOT still as relevant as it used to be, Deltarune is being rolled out at a snail's pace and outside these discussions I BARELY see it brought up anywhere recently.

You're vastly overblowing Undertale's status here.

 

[Mushroomguy12]

You think Paper Mario is enough to carry the whole of 2024?

Well, there is the Peach game and the Luigi's Mansion 2 remaster as well.

 

[Louie G.]

Undertale is absolutely NOT still as relevant as it used to be, Deltarune is being rolled out at a snail's pace and outside these discussions I BARELY see it brought up anywhere recently.

You're vastly overblowing Undertale's status here.

I don't really want to argue so I'm just going to leave it at this, but you must just not be looking in the right spaces. Or if you want to mince words, perhaps it's not currently sitting at its peak but it still cultivates a great amount of attention and appreciation. Obviously it's a bit of an exaggeration to say a game is getting just as much discussion as it did when it first came out, but it's more than enough to contradict the idea that Undertale is at all waning or no longer relevant. The degree of fanart, remixes, viral videos and fan projects and so forth still being pedaled out eight years later is commendable.

Undertale / Deltarune is irrefutably still pulling more buzz than the likes of Shovel Knight or Shantae in the present day, it's not especially close. It is also tremendously popular in Japan, where it gets a dedicated orchestra celebration and rhythm game collaborations and remixes with ZUN, that is absolutely true. It is completely more exciting and palatable to Japanese audiences than a large majority of the other western characters we talk about. If discussion arose within Smash HQ regarding indie characters and / or western characters with the greatest universal appeal, Undertale is undoubtedly going to be one of the hottest topics in the room.

 

[GoldenYuiitusin]

Well, there is the Peach game and the Luigi's Mansion 2 remaster as well.

You just reminded me that the latter exists.

 

[cashregister9]

With these Switch 2 delay rumors Nintendo really does need some way

to get information

directly to us

if only...

 

[EarlTamm]

I've been playing Persona 3 Reload and Persona 4 Golden recently(friend reccomended me the series) and honestly I know the P3 protag is probably unlikely because gestures vaguely at P3's themes and how you summon a Persona in that game by shooting yourself but I think one of the main cast of P4 would be fun as an additional Persona char

There are two characters from P3 that can dodge the Evoker issue since they don't use the same imagery when summoning (Won't name them since I don't know how far you are and I don't want to spoil), and one of those two already has a lot going for them if they really want to put in a P3 character.

 

[Scrimblo Bimblo]

They can't kill the Switch until they release Metroid Prime 4

What I wouldn't give for a remaster of F-Zero GX too...

 

[Oracle Link]

Btw i had a bath thought!
You know Temple this Huge Stage?
You know how its only vaguely based on the temple in adventure of link? Also that its somewhat outdated graphically? But that its amazing to play on?
How about they throw in some cameos into the Background! This would also be the perfect choice to have some classic 2d zelda Rep?
Octoroks, tektite, moblins? Throw em in there! perhaps grandma impa because she doesnt make sense to be playable but still deserves rep!
And than my idea of the Dark Temple (Temple but evil and mirrored) would have a HUGE Pig ganon in the background!


Also speaking of Undertale/ deltarune Im really curious?
For anyone who hasnt played UT/ DR (or atleast hasnt meet sans) what do you think the Meme Skeleton is like?
Beacuse i had a unique opinion shaped by fanart (honestly thats a similar situation to my misunderstanding regarding adult goku)
So what do you think sans does ETC. (please put it in spoilers to keep the impressions fresh)

 

[fogbadge]

You know how its not based on anything canonical?

it's based on the temples from the adventure of link

 

[Oracle Link]

it's based on the temples from the adventure of link

Yeah i know that but the similarities are small i mean temple doesnt even have an elevator?
The only thing it has in common with AOL is that it is a 2d temple with the same music (and perhaps other details?)

Also whats your actual opinion on that post? like you got caught on a semantic instead of actually disscussing my idea?

Also also dont really assume i dont know anything about zelda i know like most of things (except for some spinoffs) of course i dont know every dungeon or line of dialouge but chances are if its trivia i know it! Im an autist with a huge zelda fixation i played the oracles when i was like 4 or so!
And while i definitly havent beaten every zelda game (some were to hard for me) i know them! (and a lot of zelda stuff in smash) i for example know almost all alt costume origins!

 

[fogbadge]

Yeah i know that but the similarities are small i mean temple doesnt even have an elevator?
The only thing it has in common with AOL is that it is a 2d temple with the same music (and perhaps other details?)

Also whats your actual opinion on that post? like you got caught on a semantic instead of actually disscussing my idea?

Also also dont really assume i dont know anything about zelda i know like most of things (except for some spinoffs) of course i dont know every dungeon or line of dialouge but chances are if its trivia i know it! Im an autist with a huge zelda fixation i played the oracles when i was like 4 or so!
And while i definitly havent beaten every zelda game (some were to hard for me) i know them! (and a lot of zelda stuff in smash) i for example know almost all alt costume origins!

well then stop acting as if you don't know

 

[Oracle Link]

well then stop acting as if you don't know

I Will stop that disscusion Now! Bye!

 

[Verde Coeden Scalesworth]

There's a reason it doesn't have an elevator. ...It was removed in the finished version. Likely due to programming issues(Melee was rushed). Also could possibly be for balance reasons.

It also had extra brown-colored platforms. Considering its size, it's probably not a bad thing they're gone. It would make the place even more awkward.

That said, it felt more like it was a mix of OOT and Zelda II anyway. With some MM put in. It's a somewhat generic design, and Zelda II temples didn't have any kind of mountain terrain(though it does outside the dungeon, and being an outside place, this does fit), but MM did have more varied Temple designs outside of purely a theme. Overall, it's a neat stage and quite fun. ...And bad for tourneys, yes. XD

 

[superprincess]

I like the creative liberties taken with Temple. It is pretty clearly inspired by Zelda II, but the overall aesthetic is "Smash-ified" which I like a lot.

I do miss when stages were more like that to be honest. I don't love the straight up model ports with some extra platforms sprinkled in, like Delfino Plaza (I know its model was updated in Ult, but it was a port before), New Donk City Hall, or Great Plateau Tower.

 

[Gorgonzales]

I like the creative liberties taken with Temple. It is pretty clearly inspired by Zelda II, but the overall aesthetic is "Smash-ified" which I like a lot.

I do miss when stages were more like that to be honest. I don't love the straight up model ports with some extra platforms sprinkled in, like Delfino Plaza (I know its model was updated in Ult, but it was a port before), New Donk City Hall, or Great Plateau Tower.

It will never not bother me that they didn't use the festival version of New Donk City. That was the easiest slam dunk in the world and they didn't go for it. It's a lot more unique and visually appealing to me and I'm guessing a lot of other people, and it really stands out to me as Odyssey's "wow" moment (in the sea of other wow moments that game had. Seriously, Odyssey is a bloody gorgeous game)

 

[superprincess]

It will never not bother me that they didn't use the festival version of New Donk City. That was the easiest slam dunk in the world and they didn't go for it. It's a lot more unique and visually appealing to me and I'm guessing a lot of other people, and it really stands out to me as Odyssey's "wow" moment (in the sea of other wow moments that game had. Seriously, Odyssey is a bloody gorgeous game)

View attachment 385002

I remember my most wanted stage before NDC Hall was revealed was an Odyssey tour of sorts, that'd transition between a few kingdoms, with the Odyssey ship taking you from place to place. Suffice to say, NDC Hall disappointed me. It's not a horrible stage, and I appreciate the Pauline and Captain Toad cameos, but Odyssey had so much more potential, and like 98% of it went untapped. Making the NDC stage take place at nighttime during the festival would be such a small but impactful touch, and they didn't even go there... which is also weird because Pauline's performance was heavily marketed.

 

[Quillion]

I hope the Switch is put to bed this year. I absolutely adore its games, but the hardware is actually garbage imo. I'm ready for something new.

Also, sorta unrelated but not really, I've been playing a lot of SF6 on PS5 lately and wow... its attention to detail puts Smash to shame. The characters literally feel alive. Smash's are like empty soulless husks in comparison. And that kinda degrades Smash's crossover appeal imo. The roster is big, sure, but sometimes gives me a MUGEN vibe with the lack of soul in some characters.

SF6 kinda has to have more detail since the camera is closer up. Even if Nintendo's next console is PS5-level powerful, they wouldn't implement much detail into the Smash characters because with the camera, they frankly wouldn't need to.

 

[Garteam]

The Smash game that "Exceeds" even Smash Ultimate. I'd think it be best to do it now when Nintendo's Relations with other companies is the best it's ever been, they have all that Switch (and Movie) money, Nintendo I.Ps are probably at their most valuable in a long time, along with Sakurai still being on board for the Series, and Bandai Namco still on board for Development. I wouldn't wait if the idea is possible now because there might not be a later to even achieve it

And I know Longterm it won't be feasible to keep doing it, unless Technology makes Game Development much easier in the future. I just think the circumstances are right to do it now

If there's any game where it makes sense to dump a ton of the Switch's profits into it to balloon up the budget, it's Smash. The series is a massive system seller, intrinsically celebratory of previous successes due to being a crossover, subject to higher development costs due to the variable of licensing, and is currently facing an incredibly tough act to follow in Ultimate.

 

[CannonStreak]

So, it was confirmed that Sakurai was done with Smash Bros. Ultimate with the Sora amiibo. I know it is late, but I have something to say about this...

Aside from there not being a need for a Smash Bros. Ultimate Deluxe for reasons, I'd say it makes sense that Sakurai is neither making an enhanced port of the game nor continuing Ultimate itself. To me, I think it makes more sense to work on a new game, whether it is Smash Bros. or not. In terms of Smash Bros., though, I do think Sakurai is the kind of person to not make ports of existing Smash Bros. games and just focus on different, all new games in the series altogether. Though Sakurai not making ports of existing games could change at any time, I still think that Sakurai is not much of a port person like the makers of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as well as the makers of the Street Fighter games, with all that series' different versions. So with that, it makes sense to assume, even before that announcement, that he was never making a port of Smash Bros. Ultimate, let alone continuing it.

 

[Quillion]

So, it was confirmed that Sakurai was done with Smash Bros. Ultimate with the Sora amiibo. I know it is late, but I have something to say about this...

Aside from there not being a need for a Smash Bros. Ultimate Deluxe for reasons, I'd say it makes sense that Sakurai is neither making an enhanced port of the game nor continuing Ultimate itself. To me, I think it makes more sense to work on a new game, whether it is Smash Bros. or not. In terms of Smash Bros., though, I do think Sakurai is the kind of person to not make ports of existing Smash Bros. games and just focus on different, all new games in the series altogether. Though Sakurai not making ports of existing games could change at any time, I still think that Sakurai is not much of a port person like the makers of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as well as the makers of the Street Fighter games, with all that series' different versions. So with that, it makes sense to assume, even before that announcement, that he was never making a port of Smash Bros. Ultimate, let alone continuing it.

If anything, he'll definitely be open to reusing the assets of Ultimate to save on dev work for the next game considering Ultimate itself did that with Smash 4.