UPDATE: We’ve since been contacted by French gaming site NintendoActu who have reported that the person who captured the footage, who shall remain nameless in this article for the sake of privacy, worked at the marketing group in question. Supposedly the group is indeed working with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate assets, which lends some credibility to the leak.
MAJOR POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD REGARDING THE FINAL SUPER SMASH BROS ULTIMATE ROSTER!
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is no stranger to “leaks”, and most of them are as fake as they come, but this latest discovery has everyone going “hmm.”
Originally posted to SnapChat and then promptly shared around the web, the leak shows what appears to be the final Super Smash Bros. Ultimate banner. With some sleuthing, seven characters can be made out – Shadow, Banjo Kazooie, Isaac (Golden Sun), Ken, Mach Rider, Geno, and Rhythm Heaven’s Chorus Kids.
Now it’s easy to dismiss this as yet another blurry “leak”, but it’s worth noting that a few points are in its favor, most of which are collated over on Resetera. For starters, the leaker didn’t fully obscure their own name, which led internet detectives to discover they work for a French marketing firm that handles displays for various companies – including Bandai Namco, the co-developer of Smash Ultimate. You can see a full run-down here, but be warned for some NSFW language.
There’s also the fact we’ve yet to see the blank Battlefield background of the marketing banner before, and details are revealed for various characters that haven’t been uncovered before (like the tip of Greninja’s tongue.)
However, the true key to potentially validating the leak is an unusual one – The Grinch. Various marketing materials for the upcoming movie are scattered around the pertinent Smash info, including a render of the Grinch’s back which can’t really be found elsewhere on the internet. This suggests the leaker at least works at a job where they’d have access to such marketing materials.
With all that said, it’s still possible a fake leaker simply printed off their mock-up and took it into their workplace to add an air of authenticity, but outside of that it still seems like one of the most extensive leaks we’ve seen in quite some time. At least we’ll know whether or not it’s true soon enough, as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launches in just over a month on December 7th.
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Written by Tom Brown
Whether it’s an exciting new entry in a series long established or a weird experiment meant only for the dedicated, Tom is eager to report on it. Rest assured, if Nintendo ever announces Elite Beat Agents 2, he’ll be there.
