Director Masahiro Sakurai has revealed the final two Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC characters will be announced at E3 2021 and Tokyo Game Show 2021.
In Sakurai’s Famitsu Column #629 (translation: Kody Nokolo and Robert Sephazon [1, 2]) he had contemplated how much he enjoyed his time off during Golden Week, how long he would be able to work for, and considered early retirement. Nonetheless, Sakurai stated that as long as he can work, he will do his best to entertain people, as well as his reasons for doing so.
However, Sakurai also revealed information about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. While the Nokolo and Sephazon translation states both fighters will be released this year; Ryokutya2089 (a Japanese blog dedicated to sharing information from Japanese gaming print magazines) claims Sakurai stated the DLC characters would be announced around E3 2021 and the Tokyo Game Show 2021.
The paraphrased Japanese sentence via Ryokutya is “E3あたりで１キャラ、TGS付近で１キャラ公開かなぁ” (DeepL: “I wonder if one character will be revealed around E3 and one around TGS.”) Machine translation on top of paraphrasing can cause issues; for example the word “封切り” can mean release or premiere (translation: Google Translate).
Sakurai also reportedly stated that the DLC will finalize the game, with definitely no more fighters coming. He also stated he would still continue to work on video games after Smash Bros. was finished.
The announcement of a DLC character usually proceeds roughly a month before the character is released; matching with both the claims of the announcement dates, and all of them being released before the year’s end (Tokyo Game Show 2021 begins September 30th).
Fighters Pass Vol. 2 has thus far included Min Min from ARMS, Steve from Minecraft, and Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII, and Pyra and Mythra from Xenoblade Chronicles 2. While all bets are off, who would you like to see make the final cut? Sound off in the comments below!
You can find the full rundown (via Nintendo) below.
New characters and stages join the entire legacy roster!
Gaming icons clash in the ultimate brawl you can play anytime, anywhere! Smash rivals off the stage as new characters Simon Belmont and King K. Rool join Inkling, Ridley, and every fighter in Super Smash Bros. history. Enjoy enhanced speed and combat at new stages based on the Castlevania series, Super Mario Odyssey, and more!
Having trouble choosing a stage? Then select the Stage Morph option to transform one stage into another while battling—a series first! Plus, new echo fighters Dark Samus, Richter Belmont, and Chrom join the battle. Whether you play locally or online, savor the faster combat, new attacks, and new defensive options, like a perfect shield. Jam out to 900 different music compositions and go 1-on-1 with a friend, hold a 4-player free-for-all, kick it up to 8-player battles and more! Feel free to bust out your GameCube controllers—legendary couch competitions await—or play together anytime, anywhere!
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now for Nintendo Switch. In case you missed it, you can find our thorough review for the game here (we highly recommend it!)
Image: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate official website
