Nintendo has finally officially unveiled their Nintendo Switch 2. As of right now, we can only say for sure Mario Kart will be on the new system, but we’ll very likely discover more of the Switch 2 library in April during the scheduled Nintendo Switch 2 focused Direct.
It just so happens that Masahiro Sakurai has been working on a secret game project since April 2022. He apparently whipped up the proposal for this project “at lightning speed” back in July 2021 when he was still juggling the development of the Kazuya and Sora DLC for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Based on the timing of everything, it seems extremely likely that Sakurai’s upcoming game will be for the Switch 2. Many are already speculating that this will be the next entry in the Super Smash Bros. series.
While Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was the best-selling game on the Switch with over 64.27 million sales, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate crossed a new milestone with its 35.14 million sales, cementing its place as the third best-selling game on the Switch.
With all of this in mind, it’d definitely be in Nintendo’s best interests to continue their tradition of releasing a new iteration in the Super Smash Bros. franchise for every console since the Nintendo 64. After all, the Switch 2 is going to need a strong library of first-party games to continue the success set forth by its predecessor.
Of course, it’s difficult to imagine how Masahiro Sakurai and Nintendo will be able to follow up on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It ultimately will boil down to getting a strong selection of iconic characters for the roster. A character like Halo’s Master Chief could be a good candidate.
Is Master Chief even feasible for Super Smash Bros. though? Over the years, this has felt like an impossible scenario even for the Super Smash Bros. series. Fortunately, there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that it could finally happen.
With Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, we technically already have characters that required collaboration from Microsoft. Rare’s Banjo-Kazooie joined as DLC on September 4, 2019 while Minecraft’s Steve was added on October 13, 2020.
Having said that, Banjo-Kazooie and Steve at least have a history on Nintendo platforms. Halo’s Master Chief has always been on the Xbox and PC platforms.
Despite this, there have been plenty of rumors spanning from 2004 to 2007 that suggested that the Halo series would be dropping on the Gameboy Advance and Nintendo DS. We’ve even seen footage that showcased an early prototype of what Halo would look like on the Nintendo DS.
For whatever reason, this concept never became a reality. To this day, the Halo series has remained exclusive to the Xbox and PC platforms.
However, this could be changing in the near future. Microsoft has been pushing to have more of their first-party projects appear on other platforms in an effort to expand audiences, likely due to the poor performance of the Xbox Series (they no longer report console sales earnings seemingly for this reason).
Back in November of last year, Microsoft released an ad that classified the PC, Samsung Smart TV, mobile phones, Steam Deck, Amazon FireTV Stick, and Meta Quest as an “Xbox.” Effectively what this meant is that there would be less exclusivity of the Xbox Series going forward.
Phil Spencer of Microsoft also stated that he sees no “red lines” for porting games to the PlayStation. Considering that Microsoft seemingly has an even better relationship with Nintendo, it’s hard to imagine this not applying to the Nintendo Switch 2.
Indeed, Phil Spencer has already declared that he’s “really looking forward” to supporting the Nintendo Switch 2 with Xbox games. With this, Master Chief and the Halo series may finally appear on a Nintendo console.
It certainly helps that Halo Studios Community Director Brian Jarrard openly expressed support of Master Chief joining Super Smash Bros. back in 2021. This is quite similar to how Phil Spencer openly supported the idea of Banjo-Kazooie becoming playable in Super Smash Bros. years before it actually happened.
As a longtime fan of both games, it would be amazing to have a Chief/Smash announce today. Nothing is happening that I’m aware of, but maybe momentum this week can open a door. If you agree, maybe we can *politely* express our excitement to @XboxP3 and @thetruebowser
— Brian Jarrard (@ske7ch) June 15, 2021
If this ever happens, Master Chief would probably be prohibited from using realistic weaponry. Fortunately, he also has access to plenty of energy-based firearms and futuristic equipment to fight with. These tend to fit well in Super Smash Bros.
Ultimately, it feels like Master Chief’s odds of becoming playable in Smash have gone from being outright impossible to very plausible in recent years. Should the next Smash entry feature Master Chief like this, it will surely break the internet.
As of right now, it’s not even confirmed if a new Super Smash Bros. title is even being worked on for the Switch 2 right now. We’ll just have to wait and see how things play out from here.
Source: Event Hubs
