E3 promises to bring news on lots of big games, and Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. for Switch is unquestionably one of the show's most anticipated titles. Nintendo has already said the fighting game will be the focus of its overall showing this year, so you can expect a lot of news and reveals during the event. In this feature we're rounding up important details about the game like what we know about it so far, what's confirmed for E3, and what we hope to see from the game at the show. Here we go!
What We Know So Far
During a Nintendo Direct in March, Nintendo officially announced a new Super Smash Bros. game for Nintendo Switch. Revealed by way of a really cool teaser trailer, the game is due to launch on Switch in 2018, though a specific date hasn't been revealed yet. The announcement video showed Inklings from the Splatoon series (who will apparently make their Smash debut with the new game), along with expected characters like Mario and Link.
The video also showed the silhouettes of characters like Samus, Donkey Kong, and Bowser, along with many others. The game, like all other Switch games, will be playable on your home TV or on the go via the tablet screen, allowing you to "settle it in Smash" wherever you are.
The last Smash Bros. game was released in 2014 for Nintendo Wii U and 3DS. It was a massive commercial success, selling more than 14 million units between both editions, while critics generally enjoyed the mascot fighting game as well.
What's Confirmed For E3
The new Super Smash Bros. for Switch is definitely going to show up during Nintendo E3 2018 pre-recorded briefing on June 12. And after that, you can expect Nintendo to share even more details about the fighting game during the Nintendo Treehouse livestream event. Presumably developers will stop by to show off the game and discuss it at length.
If you're attending E3 2018 yourself, you can play Smash Bros. in Nintendo's booth on the show floor (here's how to reserve a spot to avoid the lines). Additionally, there will be a Super Smash Bros. tournament held near the Los Angeles Convention Center, so we'll get to see pro-level play for the very first time.
What We Hope To See At E3
Given that we know almost nothing about the new Super Smash Bros. for Switch outside of the fact that it exists, E3 is poised to be a huge show for the game. We hope to see lots of gameplay and character reveals (here are our own predictions), along with details about whether or not it is a port of the Wii U edition as some are speculating that it may be. One possibility is that Nintendo goes the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe route and takes the Wii U Smash game but also packages in more characters, arenas, and other features. If Nintendo goes down this path, the Smash community's legions of dedicated fans will want to see lots of extra content and special features packed in to make the upgrade worthwhile. Nintendo could also wow fans and confirm the new Smash is a brand-new title built from the ground up for Nintendo Switch. We'll have to wait find out for sure.
If the new Smash launches after September (which it probably will), it may be one of the titles that requires a Nintendo Switch Online membership, and hopefully Nintendo clarifies how that all works regarding what content/features are behind a pay-gate and what's not. Given Nintendo's increased focus on DLC these days, Nintendo could also surprise and excite fans by announcing extra-content plans for the game, whether that comes in the form of extra characters or stages, or things like cosmetics. That being said, fans will be looking for any potential DLC announcements to stay on the player-friendly side and not wade into the microtransaction/pay-to-win category.
Another exciting thing to think about for the new Smash is guest characters. Nintendo's existing partnership with Microsoft for Minecraft cross-play, it would also be really cool to see a Microsoft character come to Smash Bros. for the first time. Even Phil Spencer is up for bringing Banjo and Kazooie to Smash, so we hope to see it happen.
Smash is a big-time competitive game, so we also hope to learn more about Nintendo's ambitions to help the game appeal to fighting game fans. Super Smash Bros. Melee for GameCube remains the gold standard for some in the fighting game community, and it will be interesting to see what tricks Nintendo has up its sleeve to push the new Smash as an eSport title.
