Summary
Super Smash Bros. Ultimateis the most recent addition to the series, and it will likely remain that way for quite some time. The franchise has long been a staple for Nintendo, andUltimateis among the Switch’s highest-selling games, but there has never been a tremendous amount of urgency around consistent releases. As the face of the platform fighter genre and a gathering point for many popular franchises,Super Smash Bros. Ultimateis widely beloved, and fans are already awaiting a follow-up. Regardless, the next entry is unlikely to accompany the Switch 2’s launch.
It is not unusual forSmash Bros. games to have somewhat lengthy waits between them. WhileUltimatewas released approximately four years after its predecessor, there have been longer waits in the past. This makes sense, given both the scale of each game and the landscape of the fighting game genre. ModernSuper Smash Bros. games have huge rosters, and balancing a fighting game takes a lot of research and testing. Even with an extended development time and the ability to update its balance after release, overpowered characters likeSteve fromMinecraftstill make their way into games. Lengthy breaks between entries are also optimal for releasing new characters as DLC and providing incremental updates for each title.
Super Smash Bros. Has Never Been a Launch Title
Except forSuper Smash Bros. Melee, games in the series have always launched at least a year into each console’s life. Additionally, there is only ever oneSmashtitle on any given piece of hardware. This release strategy makes a lot of sense, because waiting several years between entries and avoiding the launch window allows newSmashgames to implement the changes from other franchises. For example,Link’s appearancehas changed acrossZeldagames, andSmash Bros. has been able to capture that.Ultimateupdated Link’s outfit and his bomb mechanics to reflect their design inBreath of the Wild. Given that launch titles are typically from big system-seller franchises, waiting until after the launch window allowsSmashto include the changes in each series for the coming generation.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is Still Popular
On top ofSmashgames typically avoiding each console’s release window, the current entry is still extremely popular. At the start of 2024, long after its launch,Super Smash Bros. Ultimatereceived new spirits. The fact that Nintendo saw it fitting to return to the game shows its lasting appeal. While it’s not impossible that a port ofUltimatecould come to the next-generation Nintendo console early in its life, it seems unlikely that the company will rush to put out a brand-new entry, especially considering the monstrous size ofSmash Ultimate’s roster.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate May Be Impossible to Top
The creator ofSuper Smash Bros.has made it very clear that achieving the huge roster size inUltimatewas no easy task.Masahiro Sakuraihas talked about the difficulty of not just developing each character but attaining the rights to them and keeping both Nintendo and the other companies involved happy. Because of all the rights involved, the existence ofUltimateis nothing short of a minor miracle. The result of this is that future entries may have smaller rosters or rely more heavily on first-party franchises. If this is going to be the case, it makes sense that Nintendo would want to leaveSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatein the limelight as long as possible.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimateis still popular, its roster might be impossible to pull off again, and the series seldom gets new entries around the release of a console. For all these reasons, it seems unlikely that a newSmash Bros.game will accompany the release ofNintendo’s next-generation system, but that’s actually for the best. The landscape of Nintendo’s series hasn’t changed all that much sinceUltimate’s DLC releases concluded. Waiting until later in the next console generation’s life will allow the next entry in the series to stand out more, which is a good thing for fans.
