What We Know About Smash 4: Debunking Myths and Confirming Facts

We do not know much so far about the upcoming games in the Super Smash Bros. series. Because the franchise is so huge, rumors have been flying around all over the place, and it’s time someone put them in their place. I’ve compiled a list of all the information we know so far about the game, and there is very little of it.

• The game will be for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS
• The two versions of the game will be different
• The two versions of the game will connect in some way
• The game will be a change of direction from the previous installments in the series
• Sakurai studied Street Fighter IV for ideas
• It will be co-developed by Namco Bandai
• The game will take longer than some fans expect
• Capcom characters are possible
• The roster will be smaller than fans hope
• “It’s fun making skills for new characters”
• Sakurai would like to bring back retro characters
• There will not be many third-party characters
• We won’t get any news for a long time

The game will be for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS – This is common knowledge, really. It was announced at E3 2011, and if you didn’t know it before, I don’t know where you’ve been hiding, but at least you know it now.

The two versions of the game will be different – Again, this was announced at E3 2011, but it’s something a lot of fans seem to forget. What we do not know is how different they will be, or in what respects. There are rumors that the 3DS version will focus on single-player and the Wii U version will focus on multiplayer. While it is a strong possibility, it is just a rumor, and should not be taken as fact.

The two versions of the game will connect in some way – Again, announced at E3 2011, but we don’t know how or for what purpose. A likely assumption is some sort of cross-play. There have been rumors around the internet that the 3DS version will have a character creator, where you can bring your creations over to fight on the Wii U version of the game. It is, however, just a rumor and should not be taken as fact.

The game will be a change of direction from the previous installments in the series – Sakurai will focus on gameplay more than he will on the sheer volume of content.

Sakurai studied Street Fighter IV for ideas – Sakurai tweeted this picture in the Summer of 2011, saying that he found something about it helpful. He could be referring to the idea of diagonal moves in Smash Bros. Other rumors have it that he’s referring to using rectangular hitboxes as opposed to the spheres used in the past.

It will be co-developed by Namco Bandai – Namco Bandai was chosen for their experience in creating balanced fighting games after 17 years with the Tekken series. It is likely that this choice was made after fans’ complaints of Brawl being unbalanced. There have been conclusions that Namco Bandai characters will be included in the roster, but that is up to Sakurai, who has not yet asked for the rights to any Namco IPs.

The game will take longer than some fans expect – The game was announced in June 2011, but it did not begin development until March 2012. Game development takes a long time, even more so for triple-A games. Personally, I would not expect either version of the next Smash to be out any time before 2014.

Capcom characters are possible – IGN asked Sakurai about Capcom characters in the next Smash game, to which he replied that it is not “entirely out of the realm of possibility,” but it might be difficult to make “characters from a completely different universe to fit with the style that has been dictated by Nintendo’s characters in a fighting game.” It has been done with Snake, one of the most unexpected revelations for the series over the years, so I have no doubt that if they wanted a Capcom character, they could make it work. Remember that this information neither confirms nor denies the intentions of getting a Capcom IP. If they do, remember that Mega Man is not the only possibility. Sakurai could choose Ryu and/or Ken to show the influence Street Fighter had on the new Smash game, or he could choose someone else entirely, such as Viewtiful Joe, or Amaterasu. Do not jump to any conclusions about this.

The roster will be smaller than fans hope – Sakurai told Nintendo Power in an interview that “In terms of quantity, we’ve probably already reached the limit of what’s feasible. I think a change of direction may be what’s needed.” This re-iterates the directional change mentioned before. This could mean several cuts to make way for newcomers. It could also mean that a few veterans will be cut for the addition of several newcomers. Also possible is a small number of newcomers with no cuts whatsoever. It’s also entirely possible that development goes better than expected, and Sakurai decides that more characters are possible without sacrificing the balanced gameplay that Namco Bandai creates. Again, this is purely speculation. However, the inclusion of new character s highly likely, given the next point:

“It’s fun making skills for new characters” – This is a quote taken from Sakurai, as reported about a week ago. It doesn’t outright confirm that Smash 4 will include any new characters, but it is heavily implied.

Sakurai would like to bring back retro characters – In an interview about Kid Icarus Uprising, Sakurai was asked about “breath[ing] new life into forgotten franchises.” His response was, “I am planning on doing my best to bring old characters back in Smash Bros. From that perspective, I am probably in the most fortunate position in the world.” Given the attraction in Nintendo Land and his recent cameo in Samurai Warriors 2, one could easily expect the inclusion of Takamaru. Once again, this is speculation, not fact.

There will not be many third-party characters – In an interview about third-party characters, Sakurai said, “I think Snake and Sonic joining were fantastic. It made many fans happy, and it broadened the Smash Bros arena. However, introducing more non-Nintendo characters willy-nilly will lose the focus of the game, so I also recognise the need to narrow it down.” My guess as to what his quote meant is that the number of third-parties will be 3 to 5, but this is nothing but more speculation.

We won’t get any news for a long time – In response to constant speculation and even personal pestering from the fanbase, Sakurai announced that information for the next Smash won’t be coming for a while. His language even seems to imply that most of the game’s secrets will be kept until after release, so don’t take for granted the prospect of another Smash DOJO!!. You shouldn’t expect a trailer or really any news at all for quite some time, but according to Sakurai, the wait will be worth it.

Debunking More Rumors

There are several rumors floating around the internet that don’t stem from any official news. Here is a list of ones I’ve found, as well as reason not to believe them. There is no proof against any rumor, but given ambiguity, anonymity, and general lack of supporting evidence, these rumors should be treated as nothing less than fake unless proven otherwise

Veteran fighters will have new moves – I reported this myself just today. We’re still investigating the credibility of this claim, but it seems legitimate for the time being, and I fully expect it to end so. This fact is as vague as any others in the “known” list, but in conjuncture with the picture of Ken from earlier in the article, it would appear that Sakurai is implementing diagonal attacks, in addition to the traditional four directions possible before. Personally, I would expect these to only be used with the A button, in order to prevent failed recovery attempts on special moves, but yet again, this is speculation. Decloning of certain characters is ever more possible with this potential addition, but keep in mind that nothing is definite. Keep in mind once again, that nothing is known beyond “veteran characters will have new moves,” and it still may be slightly fabricated. It’s nothing to get riled up about, regardless, because no major overhauls are likely, outside of perhaps a few clone characters. As soon as further discoveries are made regarding this rumor’s validity, this article will be updated to reflect it.

Leaked Newcomers for Super Smash Bros. Universe
An image was leaked last December that included the name, logo, and planned newcomers for the game. For reference, the newcomer list was as follows:

King K. Rool

Ghirahim

Saki Amamiya

Ridley

Palutena

Krystal

Shulk

Zoroark

Little Mac

King Hippo

The Prince of Sablé

Professor Layton

Mega Man

Slime

Sonic the Hedgehog

Why Sonic was included is beyond me. The roster and name are both rather realistic, leading to the rumor being believable, but the validity of this rumor comes into question when you ask why the name, logo, and roster of the game would have been decided before the game had even entered pre-production. If you see it, do not believe it. Several aspects of the rumor are likely possibilities, but regardless of the coincidence, the rumor does not hold truth.

Geno, Isaac, and Mega Man

Supposedly coming from Twitter and deleted just minutes later, Sakurai “confirmed” via a response tweet, that Smash 4 would include 2 of the 3 following characters: Geno, Isaac, and Mega Man. Unfortunately, the screencap the one user who “saw” the post was Photoshopped. An analysis of the picture’s issue can be found here. While 2 of those 3 is a reasonable request, we shouldn’t get our hopes up, and we certainly shouldn’t think this goofy tweet to be real, either.

Super Smash Bros. Memories
This rumor actually stems from us. We received an anonymous tip that the 3DS version of the game would focus on retro characters and would be subtitled Memories, while the Wii U version would focus on modern characters. It’s not a ridiculous notion, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that is exactly the “difference” that Sakurai wants to make between the games. However, the tip had no source and is most likely bogus. We tried to stress that readers should keep skeptical, but it appears not to have worked, because several online Smash fans still believe it to be true, and some harbor resentment against us for posting it in the first place. I’m here right now to announce that its truth has no backing evidence and is likely false.

Super Smash Bros. Strife
An image was revealed online, claiming to be leaked, with a game screen showing the name Super Smash Bros. Strife. This is a guaranteed fake, because the logo looks and awful lot like the Melee title screen. It also says 2011, even though the game has not yet been released. Not to mention that it had the HAL logo in the corner, despite the fact that the game is being developed by Namco Bandai.

Still in Question

Halibuton’s Leaked Information – A user on GameFAQs by the name of “Halibuton” created a thread in which he reveals certain details of Smash Bros. 4 that he claims to have heard while working for Namco. Some of his claims contradict earlier “facts,” which lend a hand to proving that this is nonsense, but what Sakurai means by “not many” or “waiting” could be less than we think. Halibuton claims to be the primary source, so there’s no way ye to confirm or deny his rumors. While they seem like hogwash, every claim he makes is done with the utmost of confidence, and he doesn’t dip away afterwards; he stays in the thread and continues to explain himself and discuss these claims with the fans. If he’s a liar, he’s nothing if not dedicated. I encourage you to read through the thread to make your own decisions—There’s a decent amount of evidence pointing in both directions for him, so we’ll see where this goes.

So that’s all there is for now. Hopefully this clears up whatever confusion about which rumors have any strength and which do not. If there’s anything I missed, be sure to let me know in the comments, and I’ll do what I can to work it in.

Credit goes to ChetRippo on DeviantArt for the article banner.