The future of Super Smash Bros. is in doubt, and it may stay that way for quite some time. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate created an awfully tough act to follow, and from the sounds of things, there aren't any concrete plans to follow it up just yet. Super Smash Bros. doesn't need another entry right away, of course; Smash Ultimate is still highly popular, even though it has stopped receiving updates, and it may have been able to immortalize itself in the way of Smash Melee. Still, that means Ultimate is buying time for brainstorming about the next Smash game, and perhaps the best part to reconsider is the roster.
While it seems likely that no Smash game will ever truly satisfy everyone with its list of playable characters, every Smash game remains an exercise in improving the options available to fans. The sixth generation of Smash may need to cut back on Smash Ultimate's huge roster, but to make up for that, it could look to other platform fighters for inspiration. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl has recently proven the value in sating fan demand by casting a wide net when it comes to playable characters, and MultiVersus seems poised to do the same. The next Smash game ought to let down its hair a little by focus on adding some niche or goofy characters.
The Power of Rosters in Platform Fighters
The developers and publishers of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl weren't exactly household names among gamers when the platform fighter was announced, but the game's roster has launched them to stardom. Naturally All-Star Brawl features a variety of Nickelodeon greats like SpongeBob, Aang, and Ren & Stimpy, but the game also opts for a few less obvious characters. Nigel Thornberry is something of a meme sensation, so he joined the roster instead of another character from The Wild Thornberrys, and Hugh Neutron from Jimmy Neutron will seemingly do the same later this year. In this way, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl has displayed an incredible amount of awareness about its fans and offered something for everyone, helping the game succeed.
MultiVersus hasn't released yet, but the official Warner Bros fighting game looks like it borrows All-Star Brawl's approach to roster diversity. Fans of MultiVersus offers various DC superheroes for comic book fans, Bugs Bunny and Tom & Jerry for lovers of classic cartoons, Adventure Time's Finn and Jake for Cartoon Network fans, and even a version of Scooby-Doo's Shaggy Rogers inspired by the Ultra Instinct Shaggy memes. MultiVersus could have focused on any one of these successful niches, but by pulling surprising characters from all kinds of franchises, MultiVersus holds a broad appeal and a fun energy that gives fans good reason to be excited.
Super Smash Bros. Should Show More Awareness
As goofy as the MultiVersus and All-Star Brawl rosters look at a glance, they're actually extremely canny. Both games clearly know that including highly demanded characters is a great way to win over potential players. Super Smash Bros. could stand to do the same. Sometimes fans get their demands met, like when Kingdom Hearts' Sora made the cut with the help of fan demand, but generally Smash opts to focus on iconic video game protagonists, leaving a lot of fun and interesting secondary characters or franchises in the dust.
Hopefully the next Smash game has room for some deeper cuts and weirder additions. Nintendo still has plenty of IPs to tap into, whether it finally makes Isaac from Golden Sun playable or acknowledges Rhythm Heaven through a fighter. Smash could also add a few funny but charming characters from Nintendo's core IPs, like The Legend of Zelda's Tingle or Super Mario's Waluigi. Any and all of these additions could make the next Super Smash Bros. game distinct from Ultimate by broadening the game's appeal and representing Nintendo IPs in a more varied light. Niche or goofy characters are gambles that paid off for Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl and MultiVersus, and they may yet pay off for Smash.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now for Nintendo Switch.