Considering the release windows for Super Smash Bros. 64 (January 1999), Super Smash Bros. Melee (November 2001), Super Smash Bros. Brawl (January 2008), Super Smash Bros. 4 (September 2014), and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (December 2018), there’s been an average of about 1,815 days between the release of every entry of the Smash series. With that said, it’s been 1,817 days since Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was released.
As of right now, there’s been no official word that the next entry of the Super Smash Bros. series is even being worked on. However, there have been plenty of rumors surrounding the next Nintendo console that is to follow after the Nintendo Switch.
Since the debut of the series on the Nintendo 64, Super Smash Bros. has been playable on every console (and the Nintendo 3DS). Considering the success of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Nintendo Switch (over 32.44 million sales) and the overall success of the series (over 73 million series lifetime sales), it’s extremely likely that Nintendo will want a new entry on the Nintendo Switch follow up.
Whatever the follow up to the Nintendo Switch is, we’ve heard rumors about it even though it hasn’t been officially announced yet. If these rumors turn out to be true, then it will essentially be an upgraded version of the Nintendo Switch.
Supposedly, the “Switch 2” was shown behind closed doors to game developers at Gamescom 2023. An upgraded port of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Matrix Awakens tech demo were shown off on this new console.
It’s estimated that Nintendo’s next console will use Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling technology to achieve improved graphical quality and frame rates. Rumors also suggest that some games will have virtually no load times on this new console potentially thanks to the T239 processor.
Coincidentally, it would seem that the developers behind Super Smash Bros. 4, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mario Kart 8, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe over at Bandai Namco are now hiring to fill positions with those experienced with action games, some of which are of the “side-view” variety. This game development studio within Bandai Namco is now known as Studio 2/Studio S, and it appears to exist for the purpose of contract development for Nintendo.
Of course, we’ve also been hearing murmurs about backwards compatibility for the Switch follow up. If that’s the case, then it simply won’t be enough for Nintendo to just port Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to the new console. Instead, they could be working on a “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Deluxe.”
We’ve previously heard from Masahiro Sakurai, Director of the Smash series, that even he himself is unsure of where the series can go after Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. On multiple occasions, Sakurai has noted that he believes that Smash Ultimate’s theme of “Everyone Is Here” could only happen once.
However, a “Deluxe” port of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate could be the perfect loophole that allows Sakurai and Nintendo to continue expanding upon the greatest roster that gaming has potentially ever seen. When we last left off, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate had a roster of 86 fighters that consisted of Mario, Sonic, Snake, Mega Man, Ryu, Cloud, Bayonetta, Simon Belmont, Joker, Hero, Banjo-Kazooie, Terry Bogard, Steve, Sephiroth, Kazuya Mishima, Sora, and many others.
There are still plenty of intellectual properties and characters that could still be represented in a Smash entry’s roster. Should a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Deluxe be developed, it would be a good idea for the developers to add a number of additional combatants to entice fans into picking up the new title.
Additionally, we could also receive two or three packs of DLC fighters over the course of several years. Though Super Smash Bros. Ultimate did a good job of surprising fans with its reveals, we never did see a character poll like we did during the era of Super Smash Bros. 4’s DLC.
This would be similar to how Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continued to add racers, tracks, and other content over the course of several DLC waves to what was started with Mario Kart 8 for the Nintendo Wii U. Needless to say, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best-selling title on the Nintendo Switch with over 57 million units sold, so there is certainly value in going this route for Super Smash Bros. as well.
It really feels like the stage is set for Nintendo to develop Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Deluxe with a roster consisting of over 100 characters. Once Nintendo announces its newest console (likely in 2024), it should theoretically just be a matter of time until the next entry in the Smash series is also announced. We’ll just have to keep waiting until then to see how things unfold.