Super Smash Bros. Ultimateis quickly nearing the end of its second Fighters Pass. Now that Mythra and Pyra have released, fans are eager to see who the last two guests in the Switch’s highly successfulSmashentry will be. On top of that, fans are wondering whether this is really the end of the line. Nintendo has yet to turn around and say that it’s going to release a third wave of DLC, but considering how successfulSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateis, it wouldn’t be surprising. There’s still a lot of famous characters that fans really want to see joinSmashtoo. There really doesn’t seem to be any better opportunity than a game with the tagline “Everyone is here.”
It’s certain thata third Fighters Passwould really excite fans, and it’d sell well too. The question is whether or not it would be a good thing forSmash, as a franchise, in the long term.Smash Ultimateis intentionally designed to be the definitiveSuperSmash Bros.game, bringing the whole franchise together under one roof and updating everything to modern standards. What, then, would any future iteration of theSmashfranchise look like? If Nintendo decides to keep expandingSmash Ultimate,how can any future game live up to its legacy?
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Truly the Ultimate Super Smash Bros.
The intention has clearly been to makeSmash Ultimatea crowning achievement for the franchise all along. Nobody expected every single character to come back for a newSmashgame and then some, but Nintendo andSmashdirector Masahiro Sakuraidefied expectations and delivered a real blockbuster of a game. That’s why it makes sense that Nintendo pushed for a second wave of DLC fighters, and why a third wave would be certainly believable. If the game is already supposed to be the ultimateSmashtitle, why not lean into the name and expand the game for years on end?
The answer to that is what it might mean forSmashlong-term. Odds are the nextSmashgame won’t repeatUltimate’s sweeping design, so it’ll inevitably downsize and go back to a more traditional blend of old and new. However, that might not be able to match whatSmash Ultimatehas been doing. Fans are loving thebreadth of options inSmash Ultimate, so any future game with less coveted characters and nostalgic stages might feel like it’s missing something.
What’s more, fans are wondering ifSmash Ultimatewill be Masahiro Sakurai’s last time working on theSmashfranchise. These games are his brainchild, but after working on them for more than twenty years, it’d be understandable if he wanted to retire and pass the game on to a new generation of developers. It’s hard to say for sure if that would happen, especially considering the fervor with whichSakurai is working onSmash Ultimate.If he did leave the franchise, the nextSmashgame will constantly be compared to Sakurai’s own work.Smash Ultimatewill be a daunting act to follow as arguably one of Sakurai’s greatest works.
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Making Ultimate Count
Frankly, though, Nintendo can probably makeSmashwork in the long run by continuing to supportSmash Ultimatefor now. There’s a lot of things it could add into a newSmashgame that would draw fans back to a new game, even if it’s smaller thanUltimate.For instance, fans are dying to see a story modelikeBrawl’s Subspace Emissary.
World of Light inSmash Ultimatewas a similar venture, but it didn’t have enough plot to sate many fans. ASmashgame with another true story mode would delight many fans. Plus, there’ll always be characters that don’t make it intoSmash Ultimate. A future game with unique guest fighters of its own would definitely appeal to many potential fans, no matter the guests.
In the meantime, another year or so ofDLCs forSmash Ultimatewould be more than welcome. Unless a third Fighters Pass emerges, there’s only two invitations left to go around, which isn’t many by any measure. Fans are still crossing their fingers for so many guests, from Sora, to Dante, to Crash Bandicoot, to Master Chief. Hopefully Nintendo has realized by now that, if it plays its cards right, it might be able to strike a balance betweenSmash Ultimate’s success and success inSmash’s future.
Super Smash Bros Ultimateis available now for Nintendo Switch.
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