Topic: The Legacy of Platform Fighters

It is very exciting to see that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has done so well over the course of its short life cycle thus far. I have no doubt it will be played for many years to come, as have all entries in the series before it. What I am curious to know is where you guys think platform fighters go from here. I am personally of the impression this will be the last mainline Smash title for a very long time, if not forever. Sakurai has poured his all into this franchise and at some point, you have to wonder how much bigger a roster could possibly get.

As the years have gone on, platform fighters have tried to make a name for themselves detached from the mainline Smash titles. There've been homages, like the Super Smash Flash games, and even some incredible mods like the wonderful Project M, but there hasn't been a whole lot of compelling, original content built for a game concept that is, as far as I'm concerned, wholly compelling. Slap City and Brawlhalla have taken some very solid swings at it, with Slap City itself being a fantastic couch experience. But as far as something that's made an attempt to push the capabilities of platform fighters, Rivals of Aether is the only thing we've really got outside of Smash.

Rivals has garnered a bit more popularity recently via it's character creation functionality (if you've ever wanted to play as Akuma in Smash, well, you can now if you own the game on PC), and it's a brilliant little competitive experience in a genre that's entirely monopolised by one game. All of it's characters break the Smash formula in one way or another, from aerial smash attacks to creating respawn points to smoke screens and body doubles, and so on.

So, what's next for the legacy of platform fighters? Do you feel there might be another mainline Smash release in the pipeline? Are you hoping for, as I am, another Nintendo-authorised platform fighter with all the finesse and polish of a Nintendo title, and all the balance and character insanity of a game like Rivals? Do you think the platform fighter genre will continue to succeed in Smash's wake, or is this a one-and-done ordeal? Do you have your own ideas for where platform fighters could head next in a mechanical sense? Curious to see what thoughts y'all have floating around regarding the subject!

@cryptologous I suspect the primary factor in whether another Smash game is made is the difference between what Nintendo thinks it spent on producing the game and what it received in sales, PR, prestige etc.

Given how well it's performed in the market and how positively it has been received, I suspect Nintendo will commission another Smash, for the Switch's successor.

The game creates profit, hype, e-sports attention... I'm sure others have said similar in the past in that Smash Bros. is the single best tribute to video games past and present on the market. They will not just retire it.

If Sakurai is done then someone else will take over. Maybe it will suffer for Sakurai's loss, maybe it improves. But it will continue. I doubt Sakurai's contribution can be overstated, but that doesn't mean someone talented can't come in, learn from the existing Smash games, and apply that to new characters, moves or modes.

I would like them to try a 3D version of the game. It would obviously have to be different, but the basic principal of a diverse roster of fighters and items would be fun to experience in a 3D space.

Then perhaps in two generations time they release a deluxe version of Ultimate, perhaps even throwing in some more characters to boot. Leave all the existing code in place, just put a fresh 4k skin on it. And I'd like them to improve the photo mode - make it usable at any time (rather than locked out during special moments) and let the camera be taken behind the action, rather than just stuck at the front.

@cryptologous
I would like to see ARMS sequel with more features such character edit / create your own fighter or Chibi Kickboxing games like K-1 Pocket Grand Prix GBA.
I have no interest at all with Smash Bros games.

@gcunit Yeah I wouldn't be surprised if the next step of Smash Bros was a 3D arena fighter. Namco-Bandai has a lot of experience in that genre with all the Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Jojo games they made. If Sakurai leaves they will probably take that direction.

I can’t even fathom how another Smash would be after Ultimate, especially considering they’ve said we’ll never get this roster again.
If anything, something like Powerstone gameplay would be fun.