Nintendo Switch Rumors: ‘Super Smash Bros.’ Hinted By Reggie Fils-Aime

Could a Nintendo Switch Super Smash Bros. release date happen? According to a possible slip of the tongue by Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime, it just might.

Fils-Aime was asked about Nintendo’s online subscription details, making a bold step to join the trend set by Sony and Microsoft when the almost literal gaming giant said something he might not have intended to. It could easily have been a theoretical statement and unrelated.

The first indication that fighting games could hit the Nintendo Switch came from a leak by Hori, listing some accessories the hybrid console would have at launch. One of those accessories was an arcade stick, the kind of thing arcade purists prefer to use for games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. It just feels more natural to older gamers.

Of course, Nintendo has their own fighting game franchise, taking elements from Capcom’s Power Stone series and pitting a collection of their own characters against each other. In previous installments, Smash Bros. has even used characters from third-party developers, such as Mega Man, Solid Snake, and Ryu. It’s unknown if the first two would make it into a Nintendo Switch port of Super Smash Bros. since the creators of those characters have left their respective companies.

There is another Metal Gear in the works, but creator Hideo Kojima is no longer involved. He has moved on since the cancellation of Silent Hills and is currently working with Guillermo del Toro and Norman Reedus on Death Stranding for Sony.

It was Time who questioned Fils-Aime on the Switch’s online subscription details and release dates when the Nintendo head man dropped a possible hint.

“[Our] overall proposition will not look the same as our competitors. But what we will do, is we will recognize what consumers like about our competitors, we will look to do it in a way that has a Nintendo flair to it. And we will look to make sure that in the end, we’ve got this robust, online environment that not only works well for our games, like Splatoon and Mario Kart, and Smash Bros., but that also works great for our third party developers.”

You will notice that Reggie only said Smash Bros. was one of their online-friendly games but didn’t state it would be coming to the Switch. He also later mentioned Animal Crossing, another title which hasn’t been announced for the hybrid console. The biggest hint that Animal Crossing might make it in is the inclusion of the villagers in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

For now, this is all speculation, and Reggie Fils-Aime has yet to backtrack or clarify anything. The fact that he mentioned Smash Bros. multiple times could indicate that it wasn’t a mistake. He could have been intentionally revealing it.

As for the online subscription details which led to Nintendo’s fighting game franchise being mentioned twice, again it’s a bold move on their part. Requiring gamers to pay for a multiplayer experience could put a damper on the Switch’s sales and send many back to the 3DS. To this day, the trend started by Microsoft and Sony has led to a minor disappointment for older gamers who remember paying only once for a multiplayer experience. You bought the game and another controller, and that was it.

If Super Smash Bros. does come to the Nintendo Switch, it might be a good idea for them to offer a fully fleshed out variety of single player options. Arcade and story modes are a must-have, something Capcom learned the hard way with the release of Street Fighter V.

What do you think about Smash Bros. possibly coming to Nintendo’s latest console? Did Reggie Fils-Aime intentionally drop that hint?

[Feature Image by Nintendo]