The era of the Nintendo Switch 2 is here, which means that fans are excited for a potential new entry in the Super Smash Bros. series to arrive. However, there’s a fear that the series might have peaked with the previous entry, and that what comes next might be a huge disappointment, even if it plays things extremely safe.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Nintendo Switch was nothing short of a marvel, featuring a packed roster of eighty-nine characters, consisting of some of the most beloved icons in gaming history. Wii Fit Trainer is also there. It’s one of the top-selling games on the system, becoming the best-selling fighting game of all time. This means that any future entries will have some colossal shoes to fill, a task that may be impossible.
How Can a Future Super Smash Bros. Game Top Ultimate?
“Everyone Is Here” Is Something Nintendo Can Only Say Once
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is notable for fulfilling the most popular fan requests over the years. Not only did it bring back the entire roster from the series, including characters that had been missing since Super Smash Bros. Melee, such as Pichu, but it also featured highly requested heroes and villains. These included characters who were more important to the history of gaming than in terms of mainstream appeal. Sure, Jonesy from Fortnite would have made headlines, but characters like King K. Rool, Banjo, and Simon Belmont are important to the history of gaming as a whole, and their inclusion means something to the diehard fans.
By the end of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC, fans got to play as nearly all of the highly requested people they’d been begging for years. Yes, Geno and Sans were Mii Fighter costumes, but at least their presence was acknowledged. It was arguably the best Smash Bros. game ever, and the roster is almost perfect, so where does the team go from here?
If a new Super Smash Bros. game is made, who would be a worthy addition to the roster to get fans excited? There are some games that are currently hits, which people might be excited to see included in Super Smash Bros., such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. However, will those same fans still be excited in three or four years, when a new game could be released?
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has featured so many iconic video game characters that there isn’t much left that would truly excite fans. What could match the excitement of Sora again? A FromSoftware boss? A Fortnite character? Lucia and Jason from Grand Theft Auto 6 acting as new iterations of the Ice Climbers?
The roster of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is so packed that there are only a few titans of the industry that could get fans excited. The problem is that it means getting other companies on board, and today’s friend could be tomorrow’s enemy.
From a technical standpoint, there’s not much the Nintendo Switch 2 can do to elevate the next entry, outside of more reliable multiplayer. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate still looks incredible for what it is, and it’s not as if ray-tracing and fancy effects are going to be an exciting addition. After all, for players, fighting games are all about the gameplay, and boosting the visuals is only impressive for a short time, as they’re more focused on what they’re doing than how everything looks.
Super Smash Bros. Is Relying Heavily On Third-Party Support
Disney Isn't Known for Its Generosity When It Comes to Using Its Content
There’s no denying that the most exciting characters in Super Smash Bros. series since Brawl are the ones that come from third-party studios. Sonic, Solid Snake, Cloud Strife, Sephiroth, Ryu, Ken, Joker, Kazuya, Terry Bogard, Banjo & Kazooie, Hero, Sora, Bayonetta, Mega Man, Steve, Simon & Richter Belmont, and Pac-Man are all owned by different studios, to say nothing of the various stages, boss monsters, and Assist Trophies that belong to third-party groups.
While companies like Capcom, SNK, Konami, Bandai Namco, Disney, PlatinumGames, Microsoft, Sega, and Square Enix signed off for their characters to appear in the past, there’s no guarantee that they’ll do so again. If Disney decides that it doesn’t want Sora in the next Super Smash Bros., then it’s going to make that title look worse than its predecessor.
It’s not as if Nintendo is pumping out fresh first-party titles with characters that will fill the holes. What new Nintendo characters could even appear in a new Super Smash Bros. title? The Ring-Fit Trainers? The toothpaste-haired protagonist of Fire Emblem Engage? Could Smash Bros. add Zelda characters, or maybe mechanics like Princess Zelda copying items like she does in Echoes of Wisdom? The cow from Mario Kart World?
Nintendo can always tap into the well of classic characters, and there’s always going to be fresh Pokémon to add to the roster, but even that has a finite number of things that fans will care about.
The next Super Smash Bros. game is going to have to rely heavily on third-party companies, not only to keep the previous impressive roster, but to add new faces that will get people excited. Securing a Sony representative would be a significant achievement, but the company is unlikely to cooperate, considering it’s in direct competition with the Nintendo Switch 2. This means the next game is relying on elements outside of Nintendo’s control.
Nintendo Doesn’t Want Super Smash Bros. to Thrive As An Esport
Nintendo Might Be Right On This One
It’s no secret that Nintendo despises the competitive scenes for its biggest titles, working to stifle them at every point. Companies like Valve pump money into their game tournaments, knowing that it inspires interest. Meanwhile, Nintendo doesn’t want them around, as it’s always eager to promote the next big thing, and not keep hanging around with old games that they’ve already paid for.
It’s hard to fault Nintendo for this stance, considering the sheer number of controversies surrounding the Super Smash Bros. community over the years, some of which involve truly reprehensible behavior. By not having any official involvement in the scene, Nintendo shields itself from criticism whenever a new scandal breaks.
This stance means it’s difficult for Super Smash Bros. to grow as an Esport, which is something that will continue on into the Nintendo Switch 2 era. Nintendo is hyping up all these features that make the Switch 2 a great system for playing with friends, such as GameChat, but in reality, it doesn’t prioritize organized competitive play. It’s hard to imagine the Switch 2’s mouse functionality playing a big role in Smash Bros.
With Nintendo unwavering in its Esports stance, this means the Super Smash Bros. competitive scene will always be grassroots and reliant on outside companies. If Nintendo wanted to, it could create some truly amazing competitive scenes for its titles, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to change, and the next Super Smash Bros. will pay the price.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Could Elevate Smash Bros. in Other Ways
Maybe It's Time for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to Get an Upgrade
The future of Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo Switch 2 may lay in its past. The most obvious way of doing this involves a definitive and improved version of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, one featuring all the DLC, with perhaps a few extra bits thrown in. More importantly, if Nintendo is charging for it, then it would mean technical improvements. Many fans would be willing to pay for a patch that adds rollback netcode to the game, especially since the current online infrastructure isn’t ideal.
Another way would be to add the old Super Smash Bros. games to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass, as they’re notably absent. Chances are, people wouldn’t be too excited for the original entry on the Nintendo 64, outside of online multiplayer, but it would still be an interesting curio for those who never experienced the first entry in the franchise.
What would be really exciting is the addition of Super Smash Bros. Melee, which would be possible via the GameCube app on Nintendo Switch 2. This is one of the most highly anticipated games for the service (alongside Eternal Darkness and Mario Kart: Double Dash), and it would be a massive deal for the community if it were to appear.
Playing Super Smash Bros. Melee at tournaments is a whole ordeal, as it requires old TVs and hardware to function at a level that competitive players find acceptable. A Nintendo Switch 2 port that emulated the old-school presentation and technical performance would be a huge boon for people who are sick of using antiquated tech. Throw in a seamless online multiplayer mode and there would be lots of players wavedashing on Nintendo Switch 2.
If Sakurai is busy with Kirby Air Riders, then fans likely won’t see another Super Smash Bros. game for a while, unless another team is handling it. It’s unlikely that the next entry could live up to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but sprucing up the older games might keep fans happy during this generation, even if the future entries disappoint. After all, nothing can take Super Smash Bros. Ultimate away from fans.
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