Talking Point: What's Next For The Super Smash Bros. Series?

Put Super Smash Bros Ultimate: Deluxe Edition on Switch 2, with all Fighters Pass content on cartridge.
Add a couple new modes (Smash Run? Master/Crazy Orders? All-Star?) too.
Easy peasy.

I think Smash Ultimate is just gonna get ported before we get a brand new Smash

Super Mega Ultra Ultimate Fantastical Smash Bros. Switch 2. SMUUFSBS2 for short.

Featuring over 2000+ fighters.

Well... First, make it possible to play the game with different language subtitles and voice-overs at the same time! Like, let's say... Tears of the Kingdom. You can play the game with English subtitles and Japanese voice-overs, for example.

New game, vastly cut back roster but it revamps the movesets of a ton of veterans. More focus on modes this time round as well, and hopefully the distribution of playable characters is weighted a bit more evenly as well. Sakurai will likely return in some form, could be anything really - he has very obviously spoken with nintendo about what the future of the series is, so its safe to say he will be involved to some capacity.

Personally i want a new game, but i think Nintendo goes Ultimate deluxe first. If they do that i want a final season pass with it with the last 5 character to finally fill the screen lol.
Also, If they add a dlc story mode, i will start throwing my money. I still play smash daily, and i love it.

New game with more characters, stages, etc like in the past.
I dont see why we can just keep going like how we have done before.
But maybe change it up with a new gimmick or something idk.

@The-Chosen-one Well if you going to reduce it like that, you can apply the same to all your favorite games.

@Vyacheslav333 I have a question and this is something that i have honestly never understood.
Why is it such a big deal if you can (or respectively cannot) listen to the Japanese or other languages VA's for the characters??
I really dont understand it because some people dont even speak other languages and they still make deals about it like i really dont understand it.

If they just re-release Ultimate with some more characters and a proper story mode. I'll take that.

But given Sakurai's work ethic. I'll highly doubt he'll do that.

I don't think Smash Ultimate is going to be ported to the next console. I swear I remember people saying they should port Smash 4 to switch before Ultimate was revealed.

Man, this is the best article NL has put out in a while, which is saying something, since all of these are so good. I think a better Story Mode (with cutscenes please) and the current roster and 16 new characters. I think a Super Smash Bros. Party mode would be cool, with board game maps and everything. I want Geno, Birdo, Toad, Callie & Marie, Judd, Salmonoid, Piplup, Meowscarda, Arceus, the four champions (revali!!!) and maybe get in third party characters such as Chell, Spider-Man, Imposter, Cuphead, Hollow Knight, and The Conductor

I never like smash bros games and I don't want to see another smash bros games again even the clones by 3rd party.

Smash only needs dlc like mk8 did. Add more fighters and stages. Next smash will be for next gen Nintendo.
There should also be an option for sakurai to return, but as a fighter.

It'll suck to not have as many characters in the next Smash game as Ultimate but if it means a more balanced roster with even more requested characters added to the roster then I'm all for it.

Ther will be a new Smash game and it'll be more of the same (not some massive franchise reboot, doing that to any multiplayer game is way too risky). Probably won't have as many characters as Ultimate but that's fine.

A small part of me wishes the next game will be a primarily single player experience, if only so we can have a dream Nintendo crossover with none of the current FGC-related baggage. But also that they port Ultimate with rollback netcode to make as many people happy as possible.

I wouldn't mind if they ported/built off Ultimate or went for an entirely new direction tbh!
Perhaps a more Tekken-style type of fighting game or a more story driven experience.

@GalaxicGlobe This reminds me of something I said years ago.

An old acquaintance of mine said they prefer Japanese because it's vastly superior. So I asked him "Do you speak Japanese?". "No" he responded.

"Then how can you tell the difference between an actual performance and someone just phoning it in?". He stopped talking to me after that.

With how much content they managed to pack into Ultimate, it just doesn't seem worth starting over from scratch again. Sure, there are still things they can add, but this is a rare case where I really would be fine with more of the same.

Super Smash Bros: Fire Emblem Edition. It's Smash Bros, but with only Fire Emblem characters. It's about time Nintendo catered exclusively to me.

I fully expect Smash to be rebooted with the next iteration. While a port of Ultimate with a few tweaks and all characters already in-game sounds nice, I feel like that would mean renegotiating rights and part of the reason people are concerned about the future of the series is because of the mess of rights issues it has to be. I say reboot with a massively trimmed down roster and all characters reworked from the ground up. And though I know it won't happen, give us another substantial single player mode.

@Anti-Matter Wow, that's very selfish.

JUST GIVE ME A 2ND SONIC CHARACTER ALREADY ENOUGH WITH THE RPG DRIVIL!

@Vexx234 @GalaxicGlobe It's so weird to me when people say "oh the voices are SO much better in Japanese!" but they're holding onto those subtitles for dear life. I believe they only think it's better in Japanese bc they are imagining the lines being delivered how they personally would want them delivered, rather than if they listened in English and they have to take what the actor actually presents to them.

I suspect Smash will get the MK8D treatment next gen. No main game on Switch 2, just Ultimate Deluxe with DLC included and even MORE Fighters Passes and that's all we get for the entire generation. I think they might need an entire generation to figure out what's next for Smash and we won't see Smash 6 until Switch 3/whatever's after Switch 2, it does seem like in situations where they're struggling to figure out what's next for an IP, they tend to skip a gen.

reboot at this point. I don't expect an ultimate style game (unless they make a DX version) again for a while as licensing is likely a nightmare. Even moreso considering many franchises that have characters won’t have a game to promote. Joker and Bayonetta for example or even Eleven/Hero. With Nintendo created characters that doesn’t matter as much but 3rd party will take a hit no matter what.

MORE. This series has always been about adding more and get on with the times as new iconic characters, music and stages come to the zeitgeist.
If they want to focus on something rather than just adding more characters.... then add a story mode.

People who want a tighter and smaller roster are delusional after having a "EVERYONE IS HERE".... what do you expect?
"YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTER IS NOT HERE!" kind of situation?
That will not happen.

@GalaxicGlobe Well... One of the reasons, is how voice actors/actress – seiyûs, are treated in Japan. There's a few seiyû/tarento agencies, that almost everyone knows about. Mausu Promotion, for example. And if we talk about the seiyûs themselves... They can voice the same one character for years! And they will voice that character not only in the games, for example, but in the anime adaptations and CD Dramas as well! I mean, look at the English dubs of Japanese video games and its' anime adaptations. For example, 1st Danganronpa game and it's anime adaptation. It has different cast! Only Makoto's dub voice actor, Bryce Papenbrook, reprised his role from the game in the anime adaptation. What's about original, Japanese cast? Well... There was only one strange and unexplained change. Jin Kirigiri, who was previously voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi in the 1st game, got replaced by Rikiya Koyama in the anime adaptation and anime sequel of the second game. Also, if you know some Japanese words (or even grammar?), you can tell the difference between the original script and localization. I can't speak Japanese, but I know and remember some words. And with that amount of knowledge, I can talk about how those localizations sucks. I'll repeat myself – playing the game with the original voice-overs can help you to find out the differences between original script and localization. And the last thing – in case of Japanese games' localizations/transcreations, not everyone is a native speaker of English language. Not everyone likes how it sounds. So, why I must be forced to play the game with English voice-overs?

Smash 6 needs an online mode that doesn't break the game. Ultimate's online was hamstrung by an old engine, so Smash 6 will need to be built from the ground up. This will require stripping down the roster significantly. But this is also an opportunity to redesign some characters who have needed it for a while. Done right, Smash 6 would be a more focused, better balanced game that is just as fun to play online as it is off.

@Bolt_Strike "it does seem like in situations where they're struggling to figure out what's next for an IP, they tend to skip a gen."

Cries in F-Zero ....A gen??!! It's been 3 generations man! 3 generations = 20 years!!! .. curls up and hugs a Blue Falcon

What could be interesting is if Mario Kart and Smash Bros. Would switch up their concepts. Smash Bros could have fewer but perfectly balanced Mario/DK character, but with a story mode as its main focus. And Mario Kart could have a crazy roster of racers and tracks. Imagine the Tomb Raider course, the Final Fantasy 9 course, the Ni No Kuni course. I’d be much more excited about that than all those reskinned new fighters they keep making fusses about.

@BlublacMH @Vexx234 If you know and remember some amount of Japanese words(and grammar), you can spot the inconsistencies between the original script and a localized one. Even without online researching, I can tell how localization of one game or another game sucks. Phantom Breaker: Omnia, for example. It's localization is one of the worst that I have ever seen in my life! I can't speak Japanese, yet I can tell that there's a lot of various inconsistencies between the original script and a localized one! But, you know what? English-speaking reviewers praised that lazy work! They praised that bs!

@Yoshif3 At least you have F-Zero 99. Well, until they eventually shut down the servers for that game. But you still have it for now.

@Anti-Matter
Do you like anything? Or do you only want to comment? Every article i read you find something to say. And it is always a complaint. If you don't like the article heading, don't read it.

There is not going to be a brand new smash bros. Keep dreaming on people.

@PersianZSR
I have completely different interest.
You can check my posts to see what stuffs I like to play.

I say they start over from scratch. As much as I love Ultimate and its predecessors, I think it would be so refreshing if we got a smaller roster that is more balanced and fine-tuned. I also want to see new kits for returning characters, so they play differently this time around. No clones or echoes. New stages. And Geno in base roster Then they could flood the game with DLC characters and stages since the base roster would be smaller. Could even be live service to be somewhat future proof

I have no idea. What about it getting fleshed out into a 3D arena brawler? They can start from square one again. The only place I see Ultimate going is continuing to grow the rosta etc. Has there been any word of Sakurai involved with the new Namco studio for third party games? I'll be honest, with how Sony have been talking, I wouldn't be surprised if that was a Playstation initiative.

@Fangleman32 I wouldn't talking about it if I had zero knowledge. Yeah, I like how Japanese language sounds. But, I'm trying to remember various Japanese words/suffixes/etc. as well. If I had zero knowledge, I wouldn't talking about how Japanese games' localizations/transcreations sucks. Also, compare treatment of Japanese voice actors/actresses(seiyûs) to the English ones. Compare seiyûs' popularity and recognition to the English ones.

What has to be realized is that this last incarnation of SSB was the swan song for the series. When it comes to the amount of fighters and stages nothing will ever really be able to top it. Fans will constantly be comparing any attempt to top this version. "It doesn't have this" or "why didn't they bring back character "X". There is going to have to be a complete over haul of the game to beat what is now. And when they do that, the fans are going to revolt. It's also why Nintendo held on to Mario Kart 8 for 8+ yrs. They are unsure how to top it. Some times rabid fans can KILL a beloved series by demanding TOO MUCH from it. A certain MOVIE series fan base comes to mind when I say that.

I figure they'll go the Deluxe route with whatever the next system is. I personally want the next game pared back to something like Melee with an exclusively Nintendo IP focus because I'm obsessed with maintaining my own internal delusion of Nintendo purity. But I also recognize that this is a borderline psychotic mindset and that normal people always love more options. Smash isn't really for me anymore and that's okay 👍

Smash will be back but probably not on the current switch. It will be bigger and badder than before with all new graphics and fighting styles and also an open world environment.

@Atomic77 Personally I wouldn't want it to be open world. At best juggling making an open world and fighting party game would make one part of the game will have to suffer.

But a semi-open sandbox that you can interact with other characters in a mini story mode would be fun. It would probably be someone new behind the wheel to bring back story mode.

That passion part of Sakurai seems gone now. World of Light was such a stepdown from Subspace.

@TheImperfectInsider I know but after X & GX the SNES game design of F-Zero just doesn't cut it for me anymore.

I need that high octane racing that was introduced with 3D F-Zero games ... so, I appreciate F-Zero 99 but I just don't count it as a reason not to release a "real" F-Zero .... it's a step though... I don't know if its in the right direction... but its a step...

@Yoshif3 You got a need it seems. A need for speed.

I play Smash daily, I’m casual hardcore. But I could do without Sakurai. He caught lightning in a bottle, sure. But then I feel he got kinda lazy. It disappoints me how he never overhauls characters like Mario (why does he still have FLUDD?). Just bolting more things on rather than re-inventing, which is usually the M.O. of Nintendo. I’m sure some bright young developer could keep what works but evolve it.

@OctolingKing13 dude its video game originating characters (and I dont mean specific canons of characters) only, spiderman aint eigibile. That's also WAAAAY too much stuff to do alongside keeping everyone, sakurai has said a future full entry would be scaled back

Im just going to say the next game needs to be smaller, not bigger. While Ultimate was a love letter to gaming, I don't want the series to be come bloated affairs, where devs end up with more characters than what to do with them.

Mortal Kombat kept doing this till they reached a point of having nowhere else to go but reboot.

While Im not saying the next Smash needs to be a hard reboot; A fresh, smaller roster with newer characters and only some returning ones would be nice. Like bring back the original cast of the first Smash, and then fill out a few more slots with all new characters from Nintendo's verse.

Ultimate imo is going to be Sakurai's magnum opus. Something that is cemented in gaming history forever. The next best stage is to start fresher and smaller.

I'm shocked at how many people here think Smash Ultimate is getting an enhanced Switch 2 port over a new entry. People need to stop assuming Nintendo will follow the exact same footsteps of the Switch with Switch 2.

I’m betting a reboot. A lot of veteran fighters need a refreshed move set and not have so many clone characters.

My ideal new Smash would pare down the roster to around 20-30. Mix of old and new fighters, all Nintendo. Rethink the characters’ move sets, maybe change up the core fighting mechanics. Then add some new options & really beef up the single player campaign. Make up the value loss of the smaller roster with more robust features and modes.

I would rather have a new game, but the more I think about it, the more likely a Smash Ultimate DX is, and I'd be OK with it. We'll see.

Whenever there IS a new game, the roster will be inevitably scaled back, but they can make up for it with new character move sets, a more ambitious Story Mode and the return of trophies. The game will have to be pretty different than what came before yet still be Smash. One thing I will absolutely not lose sleep over is whether Sakurai is Director or not. The series can live without him just like Kirby. I understand Sakurai has trust issues but he can easily fill the role of an influential advisor or mentor.

They should do a Sega all stars version of smash with online cross play with ultimate.

I'd be happy with a delux version with visual improvements and maybe a wave 3. Wish they would do more brand new stages though, i was a bit disappointed most of ultimate were stages from previous versions.

Or even more mii fighter alternatives like cuphead. Would be cool if they included a voices from the characters too

How about some technical under the hood improvements like rollback netcode?

I don't think there will be another Smash like the previous ones. See? that's why the Switch 2 needs backwards compatibility!
If there will be another Smash game, I think it's going to be something completely new and different, kinda like the competitive battles in Kid Icarus Uprising which somewhat felt like a 3D Smash Bros game. And maybe Sakurai can remain as an advisor at least.

Completely agree with others saying Ultimate Deluxe to Switch 2 as the next step. Add like 2-3 echo fighters or new characters and a new mode and there you have it!

@Vexx234 Yeah i really dont get it.