'Smash Ultimate' DLC Characters Release Date Could Be Revealed Tonight

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate finally launches on December 7 (tomorrow!), but Nintendo might have one more surprise announcement before that. The Japanese gaming giant is set to reveal “something special” at the Game Awards tonight, and there’s reason to believe it could have something to do with Smash Bros. Ultimate’s DLC characters.

It all started on November 30 when a Twitter video showing a conversation between Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé and Game Awards creator/host Geoff Keighley hit the internet. In the video, Keighley accuses Fils-Aimé of trying to steal his thunder by releasing Smash Bros Ultimate a day after the video game awards show. In response, Fils-Aimé promises Nintendo will announce “something special” at the event.

Just those two words were enough to send Nintendo’s entire fanbase into a frenzy in an effort to figure out what Fils-Aimé might mean. With Smash Bros. Ultimate all-but released there’s not much left to reveal on that front. The only real mystery at this point is the game’s upcoming downloadable content, which will introduce an additional five characters over the course of the next year.

https://twitter.com/BoundaryBreak/status/1068682697365745664

So far, the only character we know is coming to Ultimate post-release is Piranha Plant. The fighter is set to launch after the game comes out, and is included free for anyone who pre-ordered the latest Smash Bros. We still don’t know exactly when Piranha Plant will release, but it’s possible Nintendo could reveal that detail at the Game Awards. Fils-Aimé might even announce that the new character will actually be available right at launch.

Beyond Piranha Plant, there have been plenty of leaks surrounding who the future Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC characters could be. Popular rumors include Geno (Super Mario RPG), Banjo-Kazooie, someone from Minecraft, or Sora from Kingdom Hearts.

Now here’s where things get a little sketchy. A recent leak shared on 4chan’s anonymous discussion boards claims to know that Nintendo will reveal one new DLC character at the Game Awards. According to the leaker, Nintendo has been sharing different details with different people in an effort to crack down on leaks, but the new fighter will allegedly be one of these six characters: Banjo, Sora, Slime (Dragon Quest), Luminary (Dragon Quest), Zeraora (Pokémon), or someone from Chrono Trigger.

“One of these are going to be revealed at the Game Awards,” the leaker claims, “and I bet the rest will not be making it into the game at all.”

So basically, don’t assume this whole list of characters will show up in Super Smash Bros.’s DLC. Honestly, even just one of these heroes showing up is probably a stretch given the questionable source of this information, but we wouldn’t rule it out entirely either.

Of course, it’s possible Nintendo could announce something else entirely, either instead of or in addition to its Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC plans. One popular guess is a trailer for the long-promised Metroid Prime 4, which our leaker also claims is definitely happening. It might even be that “core Pokemon RPG” Nintendo has been teasing for a while.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launches December 7 TOMORROW for Nintendo Switch.

*Related video: Watch the Original ‘Super Smash Bros.’ Commercial from 1999 for N64