Since it hit homes for the first time in January 1999, Super Smash Bros. has become one of the biggest staples of Nintendo’s console plans—and a best seller across four of its five releases. The franchise is currently in a state of limbo after the conclusion of Smash Ultimate’s post-launch content but recent rumors now have players hoping for something that might never come.
Smash Ultimate launched for Nintendo Switch in December 2023 and released consistent content updates alongside DLC characters up until the release of Sora from Kingdom Hearts on Oct. 18, 2021. That was quickly followed by what Nintendo called the “final” major update for the game on Dec. 1, 2021.
We have not seen any major updates for Ultimate since then and series creator Masahiro Sakurai has been very vocal over the last two years about how unsure he feels regarding Smash’s future. As recent as July, he objectively “can’t really imagine a Smash Bros. title without me” at the moment in a similar way to how he felt when the late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata gave him the mission to complete Ultimate.
Despite those concerns, a recent resurgence of reprints for Smash Bros. amiibo figures may point to something new on the horizon for the franchise.
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When will the Sora and Super Smash Bros. amiibo reprints release?
Collectors and Smash players are awaiting the release of Sora’s amiibo, which will be the final figure to be released for the Smash Bros. line of amiibo. It hasn’t even been officially revealed and isn’t listed on the official Nintendo website that shows off recent and upcoming amiibo releases.
We just saw the release of Pyra and Mythra amiibo in July, with Sora being the last one yet to receive one. With rumors of a September Nintendo Direct floating around, like they always do since it is a common timeframe for the showcase, expectations for a Sora amiibo reveal are being attached to it.
Even with no guarantee that an amiibo is on the way for Sora, it is expected because every other fighter has received one and it is assumed that when licensing a character for Smash, Nintendo also licenses the rights to make the figure of them along with it—though we have no confirmation on this and will have to wait for an official announcement.
What we do know is that there is likely a widespread restock for Smash amiibo coming soon since multiple images of the figures in updated packaging have been shared online. This is a rare occurrence that typically only happens when Nintendo wants to promote some type of Smash-related content.
There are also reports that Smash Gamecube controllers are being restocked, which most recently happened for the release of Ultimate’s second and final wave of DLC—Fighter’s Pass 2. None of this is inherently connected to a big new announcement of any kind, but the rumor mill is already churning.
Is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate getting more DLC or updates?
No information about new Smash Ultimate DLC has been officially shared and all of the messaging around the game since Sora released is that the game has concluded development. Even with all of these restocks coming in, it could simply be to make the amiibo and controllers easier to get for retail prices rather than a big announcement.
If there were to be an announcement, however, it is unlikely that it would simply be a Fighter’s Pass 3 or new DLC for Ultimate as it currently stands.
We could get an announcement that Smash 64 is coming to the Nintendo Switch Online service or simply get a glimpse at the Sora amiibo with a release window, which would drive up sales for other amiibo as they get the reprints. If Nintendo is actually ready to show off the successor console to the Switch that is rumored to be releasing in late 2024, however, now would be a great time to start hyping up that launch lineup.
Will there be a new Super Smash Bros. on the next Nintendo Switch console?
A Nintendo Switch 2, or whatever the company decides to call its sequel console, would already sell like wildfire since the current generation’s hybrid system has done so well. But every new piece of hardware needs killer apps to push people into actually buying the system at launch. Enter what might be Nintendo’s new strategy.
With the Switch, Nintendo took the Wii U’s best-performing game, Mario Kart 8, fine-tuned it, and bundled in additional content to rerelease it slightly after launch in April 2017—a little less than three years after the game’s initial launch in May 2014. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe would go on to be the system’s best-selling title, currently sitting at 55.46 copies as of June 2023 compared to just 8.46 million on the Wii U.
And, nearly five years after MK8 Deluxe was released on Switch, Nintendo started releasing DLC for the game that is still ongoing. So why couldn’t a similar Super Smash Bros.Ultimate Deluxe work for the next Switch system?
Will there be a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Definitive Edition?
There are no signs pointing to a Smash Ultimate bundle currently out there, but fighting games have been doing this type of release to drop slightly updated versions since the early 2000s—or even the arcade if you want to count games getting multiple cabinets.
Rereleasing games with all of the DLC combined into a single package that you can sell again for full price has become common practice for nearly every company in gaming over the last decade, be it a “Game of the Year” or some spin on “Definitive” edition. Nintendo is partial to the tagline of Deluxe and has done it with a number of Wii U ports since 2017 like New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe and Pikmin 3 Deluxe.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe launched just a few weeks after the Switch launched and is not only still getting DLC but is the best-selling title on the platform by more than 10 million units. Likewise, Smash Ultimate is the third title on that best-selling list at 31.77 million units and easily surpassed the Wii U and 3DS’ combined 15 million.
A Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Deluxe would allow Nintendo to bundle all 89 fighters along with hundreds of stages, music tracks, Spirits, Mii Fighter outfits, and other content into a single package to sell again for $70—jumping $10 from the original release already. It would also instantly make the Switch’s successor console a must-buy for thousands of players like me who dropped countless hours into the original game.
Then, if Sakurai’s recent comments about being open to “working with Nintendo however I’m able” hold true, he and his team could come back for another round or two of DLC. Maybe some reworks for certain fighters and additional content for the base game would be included too, but the main appeal would be adding to the already stacked roster with even more Nintendo and third-party representatives.
It would also keep Nintendo from having to reinvent the wheel for Smash since it is very unlikely that anyone but Sakurai would be able to pull something like Smash’s giant crossover off again with the same level of quality. Ultimate Deluxe gives the company a big hitter with tons of goodwill behind it and the potential to grow the Smash brand along with promoting its other titles through the product with more characters and events.
This article will be updated with more information about amiibo launches, restocks, and Super Smash Bros. news as those details become available.
Published: Sep 4, 2023 02:15 am