Nintendo finished up its Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) Direct video event today by revealing that the next entry in its multiplayer fighting game series is dropping December 7. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is hitting the Switch before the end of the year, and it is bringing along with it every character who has ever appeared in a Smash game up to this point.
“At E3, we’re showing how Nintendo Switch continues to redefine play, with the broadest range of games people can enjoy together anytime, anywhere,” Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said. “Fans who’ve debated which Super Smash Bros. fighter is the best now have the chance to settle their differences once and for all, pitting familiar faces against fresh challengers on stages both new and old. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!, and the arrival of Epic’s Fortnite on Nintendo Switch demonstrate the strong momentum Nintendo Switch continues to have through 2018 and beyond.”
This is Nintendo’s major holiday release, and it is going all out to satisfy fans of the franchise with several tweaks that are direct responses to longtime requests. That includes the inclusion of Metroid villain Ridley as a playable character … still no Waluigi though.
Nintendo also revealed that the game supports the GameCube gamepad and 8-player battles. But those features came among a neverending list of other improvements to every character, which should give diehard Smash lovers plenty to dig into when it debuts.