Ever since details on the game wererevealed back at E3 2018,it was made clear thatSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatewas to be the most ambitious game in the series yet, mainly by bringing back every single character from pastSmashgames. Moving forward, the game even brought fans some of the most fan-requested characters in the entire history ofSmash, first and third-party alike, but the game has continued to deliver on many other fronts as well.
Aside from just characters,Super Smash Bros. Ultimatehas brought a wide variety of content to players in the forms of new quality of life improvements, timed-events, and much more. Director Masahiro Sakurai has clearly givenSuper Smash Bros.Ultimatehis all, truly making it the definitiveSmashgame to date, but moving into 2021, it’s clear that the game isn’t quite done delivering new content just yet.
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Challenger Packs 9-11
Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii Uquite literally changed the game by finally adding DLC characters after its release, and since then, DLC fighters have been a core part of the series. With the announcement of a 2nd Fighters Pass practically immediately after the completion of the first one, the floodgates forSuper Smash Bros. UltimateDLC fighter rumors, speculation, and leaksopened up once again, with 6 more character slots to be filled. And with 3 of those slots already being taken by Min Min, Steve/Alex, and Sephiroth, there are 3 more to go in Fighers Pass Vol. 2. Not only will these 3 Challenger Packs bring new characters, but also stages, music tracks, and likely new Mii Costumes to be released separately.
Challenger Packs 9-11 will mark the addition of fighters 79, 80, and 81, and speculation for who could fill those slots is at an all-time high. While many fans expect to seeanother Bandai Namco repin the form ofTales of Symphonia’s Lloyd Irving, who has yet to make a reappearance in theSmashseries after appearance as a Mii Costume inSmash for 3DS and Wii U, there are plenty of other contenders. From long-time fan-requested characters like Crash Bandicoot and Rayman to oddballs likeDoom’s Doom Slayer andFortnite’s Jonesy, the list goes on. But, if there’s one thingSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatehas taught fans, it’s that thatSmashis unpredictable.
Over the years,Smashfans have made a habit of developing fan rules, such as if a character is added to the game as a Mii Costume, Assist Trophy, or Spirit, they’ll never be released as a playable fighter. While most fan rules developed over the years have held true, the release ofMin Min completely shattered the Spirit fan rule,both having a Spirit in the game and later being added as the game’s 7th DLC fighter. However, players will just have to wait and see if any other characters with Spirits may break the curse, such as the highly requested Paper Mario, Mach Rider, or Shantae.
New Amiibo
Although Sakurai and his team seem to be pumping out new DLC fighters forSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateat an insane pace, it seems that the toys-to-life Amiibo figures for the new characters take a bit longer to develop. Although Joker and Hero were released in the Spring and Summer of 2019 respectively, their Amiibo were only justreleased a few months ago in October 2020,well over a year after each character was released. However, fans can expect to see plenty moreSmash UltimateAmiibo in 2021.
At the end of the Sakurai Presents Steve & Alex showcase, the director announced thatAmiibo figures for Banjo & Kazooie, Terry, and Bylethwould release sometime in 2021. The release of these 3 Amiibo figures will round out the Amiibo for the 1st Fighters Pass, likely leading into the production of Amiibo figures for the characters from the 2nd Fighters Pass. Although a concrete release date was not announced for these 3 figures, it still gives somethingSmashand Amiibo fans to look forward to going into 2021. However, there is some speculation surrounding the release date of these new Amiibo.
Back in October 2020,an official Tweet made by Nintendonoted that the Banjo & Kazooie, Terry, and Byleth Amiibo would release in Fall 2021. However, the Tweet was later deleted confusing fans even more than that distant date. While Fall 2021 certainly seems like an unnecessarily far away release date for the Amiibo figures, it’s important to take into account that COVID-19 has had an incredible impact the production of all sorts of products, especially those related to video games. Otherwise, another likely explanation is that Nintendo internally uses Fall 2021 as a placeholder release date, and it was accidentally used in one of their Tweets by an unsuspecting employee. Either way, fans can definitely expect to see some moreSmashAmiibo in 2021.
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Spirit Board Events & Tournaments
Super Smash Bros. Ultimatehas been able to keep the game feeling fresh for many with a constantbarrage of Spirit Board Eventsand in-game Tournaments to compete in. Ever since the game’s release, Spirit Board Events have given players the opportunity to obtain all kinds of Spirits, aiding them in either their local multiplayer brawls or their journeys throughSmashUltimate’s World of Light campaign. Additionally, new DLC fighters have brought new Spirits along with them, such as the release of Steve & Alex bringing newMinecraftSpirits, and Sephiroth bringing newFinal Fantasy 7Spirits along with him as well. These newer Spirits and the Spirits to be released with the next few DLC fighters are sure to appear in more Spirit Board Events in 2021.
Much like Spirit Board Events, countless officialonline Tournaments with various themeshave been made available to players ever sinceSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate’s release. While tournaments have focused on a plethora of themes such as an abundance of Mushroom items or fighters with electric special attacks, some tournaments have even yielded physical rewards, such as the recent tournament commemoratingSuper Mario’s 35th anniversary, which awarded 35 players a special collector’s coin. WithPokemon’s 25th anniversary andZelda’s 35th anniversary coming up this year, it is likely that fans will also have the chance to compete in online tournaments featuring those series for the chance to snag some neat rewards.
Fighters Pass 3?
AlthoughUltimatehas already released significantly more DLC thanSuper Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U, fans are always hopeful that the hype train never has to come to an end. While a 2nd Fighters Pass with 6 characters instead of 5 was already a surprise, Sakurai has almost taughtSmashfans to expect the unexpected. While the director stated last February that there areno plans for a 3rd Fighters Pass,times change, and so doesSmash. For years, Sakurai stated that Ridley couldn’t make it intoSmashbecause he was too big, and look at him now. With the money-making machine thatSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatehas become, it’s hard to believe that a 3rd Fighters Pass hasn’t at least been considered.
Of course, another Fighters Pass would mean the development of 5-6 more DLC fighters, and the director has made it clear just how much time and effort goes into creating each new fighter forSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. So, yet another Fighters Pass would mean a lot more work for Sakurai and his team, not to mention they didn’t even have a break between the development ofSmash for 3DS and Wii UandSmashUltimate. So,while a 3rd Fighters Pass may be unlikely,it seems that, with Sakurai and theSmashteam, slim chances never mean zero, though only time will tell.
For now, it’s clear that players ofSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatehave a lot to look forward to in 2021, from new DLC fighters, to new Amiibo figures, to new in-game events. But as players continue toenjoy the recently released Sephiroth,they can rest easy knowing that an abundance of newSmash Ultimatecontent is coming their way in the new year.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimateis available now on Nintendo Switch.
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