What if "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Deluxe" is a launch title for the next Nintendo console?

[Lord_Brand]

Thinking about it, a deluxe edition of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - maybe titled something like "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Round 2" - would be a brilliant choice of launch title for the next Nintendo system, as the majority of the work is already done. The idea would be base game + all current DLC. But, to help entice fans to buy the game, they could announce some new content for the Deluxe edition; not only additions to the base roster, but maybe new waves of DLC, perhaps new fighter passes outright.

For base roster additions, here's what I'm thinking:

Spoiler

Some of my additions are characters who previously appeared as Assist Trophies in Ultimate, designated as "Ascended Fighters" here and indicated with a (α). If any of these "Ascended Fighters" are chosen for a match, their corresponding Assist Trophy does not appear. SSBU's ATs are coded so that certain kinds will not show up in certain stages, like Alucard in the Wii Fit Stage, so this shouldn't be that great a programming leap.

My choices for the base roster are picked based on popularity, personal appeal, and most importantly, relative simplicity for ease of development time.

Waluigi (α)
The memetic man himself, finally making the leap to the playable roster (while still part-timing as an Assist Trophy, as all Ascended Fighters in this game do). Being a recurring regular of Mario's various spinoffs such as Kart, Party, and Sports (especially Tennis), his moveset contains plenty of references to these games and his abilities in them.

• Stage: Waluigi Pinball - Waluigi's popular track from Mario Kart DS, which here serves as a backdrop.

Dixie Kong
The next-most requested Donkey Kong fighter, completing the Country lead trio with DK and Diddy.

• Stage: Crocodile Isle - The setting of Donkey Kong Country 2, where Dixie Kong was introduced.

Ravenbeak
The formidable Chozo warrior from Metroid Dread.

Waddle Dee
The recurring bandana-clad supporting protagonist of the Kirby series who brandishes a spear with adorable finesse.

Krystal (α)
The once (and hopefully again in the future) leading lady of the Star Fox series.

• Stage: ThornTail Hollow - The main hub of Star Fox Adventures. Bomb Spore Plants grow on the stage and can be detonated with fire or by taking sufficient damage.

Octoling (ε)
An obvious choice for an Echo Fighter that the devs somehow missed. Or perhaps they simply didn't have the time to add this one. Either way, a great second choice to rep the Splatoon series.

• Stage: The Reef - One of the most iconic maps of Splatoon 2. The bridge can be a central feature of the stage.

Shadow the Hedgehog (ε)
I'm surprised the second-most popular Sonic character didn't get in as an Echo in SSBU itself. While Shadow's skillset may have become more distinct in recent years, the fact remains that he was effectively a Sonic Echo in his debut, so his appearance in SSBUD pays homage to that.

• Stage: Radical Highway - A nighttime stage with a city visible in the background. This was Shadow's introductory stage in Sonic Adventure 2.

Proto Man
Mega Man's older brother and first true rival. Like Mega Man, he uses Special Weapons, though his selection is different, and he has his shield to block frontal attacks.

• Stage: Wily Castle II - The successor to Wily Castle, based on the castle that appears in Mega Man 3. Just as Wily Castle features Yellow Devil as a stage boss, so too does Wily Castle II feature Mecha Dragon.

Chun-Li
The most iconic woman of the fighting game genre, and one of the most iconic women in video games. Like Ryu and Ken, she has input combos for her specials, as well as some other attacks.

• Stage: Shopping District

Alucard (α)
The half-vampire son of Dracula, who wields magic similar to that of his father in addition to swordplay.

• Stage: Dracula's Castle (Symphony of the Night) - A large stage set inside Dracula's Castle. Similar to Great Cave Offensive, different sections of the stage are themed after different areas Alucard explores in Symphony of the Night.

Mallow & Geno
Mario's iconic allies from Super Mario RPG, who tag team in the middle of battle. Mallow's specials pack a lot of punch and cover a good-sized area near him, making him good at scoring KOs, while Geno sports superior speed and attack range, making him good at catching up to foes and at needling them with attacks to build up their damage.

• Stage: Star Road - A stage that tours the world of Super Mario RPG. The tour begins at Bowser's Keep with Exor plunging into it, and the tour cycles through the major regions of the world map before returning to Bowser's Keep.

Shantae
The belly dancing, hair-whipping half-genie hero. On the ground Shantae can perform dances to transform, and the longer she performs the dance, the stronger the transformation will be. In the air, she transforms instantly, but her transformations have less power or duration.

• Stage: Scuttle Town - Shantae's home town. Numerous characters will watch the battle from the background.

What do you think? Have any ideas of what you'd like to see in a "SSBUD"?

[Hrothgar777]

Wouldn't Nintendo have to re-negotiate all the IPs they don't already hold in the event of another game? With that in mind, isn't it in their best interests to just sell expansion passes for Ultimate for as long as they can get away with it instead of doing this?

Edited May 10 by Hrothgar777

[Zapp Branniglenn]

I think whenever Smash Bros is confronted with the question "is this a New Game or an expansion of the old one", the answer every time is Yes with no elaboration. It's really just a question of marketing, rather than content. And for years the common wisdom was that people prefer to be sold new games. Meanwhile Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best selling game on the (close second) best selling nintendo system for seven years and running. I would still advise them to market it like it's a new game though. Because the Switch wasn't the Wii U. The Switch 2's audience will overwhelmingly be owners of the previous system with a much smaller appetite for 70 dollar ports.

It's also worth mention that no Smash Bros game has ever seen a re-release. Only the Virtual Console port of the first one on the Wii, which did not happen again for Wii U or (at time of writing) Switch. 

As for whether the new Smash is a launch title, I definitely think it will be one of the first games announced for the system. As that is a common pattern with new Nintendo hardware. They may not even have a trailer ready, but they've announced Smash Bros games like Brawl before anybody had even been hired to the project. And Smash 4's development started NINE MONTHS after its announcement so that they could wait for Kid Icarus to wrap. 

[Shanty Pete's 1st Mate]

I'd be a little disappointed by such a move, as it would essentially kibosh the notion of an original Smash entry for the new system. Still, I could see it working as a business move.

Definitely a fan of your ideas for new characters, including the "ascended" bit. Octoling and Shadow are obvious (but enticing) echo picks, while Shantae would be a welcome original fighter.

[PeaceOut]

If the name were actually "Ultimate Deluxe" I would be ashamed at the sheer redundancy. 

As for doing an Ultimate Round 2, I think it wouldn't really work. Ultimate is already a redo of Smash WiiU, remaking it a second time feels like a bad idea with lots of potential for it going wrong. If they did it well it would probably be brilliant, don't get me wrong, but it would be a difficult task.

[Etrurian emperor]

I think a new Smash will be a reboot of the series. After all its hard to go up from Ultimate so I think they'll thread new ground to avoid a new Smash being seen as a downgrade. I think we'd see a new gameplay style. 

[Lord_Brand]

But will it be Smash then?

Personally, I think it'd be a big mistake to abandon the series' signature gameplay. There's still a lot they can do with it, like give us a much more flexible custom fighter creator. If they switched over to, say, MOBA-style 3D combat a la League of Legends or Overwatch, they'd run the risk of looking like trend chasers while also yielding the throne to one of the series' current imitators like NASB or MultiVersus.

Not saying Nintendo can't have a 3D MOBA game, just that it'd be wiser to make it a separate IP or a spinoff of Smash rather than Smash 6 specifically.

Edited June 24 by Lord_Brand

[Shanty Pete's 1st Mate]

On 6/23/2024 at 10:06 PM, Lord_Brand said:

Not saying Nintendo can't have a 3D MOBA game, just that it'd be wiser to make it a separate IP or a spinoff of Smash rather than Smash 6 specifically.

Well, what if they were marketed as spinoffs?

Super Smash Dungeon - a Dungeon Crawler, duh! Featuring Zagreus from Hades.

Super Smash Puzzle League - a variety of time-based puzzle formats. Featuring Dr. Robotnik and his mean beans.

Super Smash Kart - Pretty self-explanatory! Featuring that icon of kart racing, Pink Gold Peach.

Would these games satisfy that "urge to Smash" that's so primal in Nintendo fans? Probably not! But they could allow for series and characters to crossover in unexpected ways, all underneath a familiar brand umbrella.