The holiday season of 2001 had a new contender in the gaming sector. Microsoft’s Xbox was touted as a powerhouse that could rival a computer — at the time. The company proved that claim easily with showing off Halo, a game that was originally being made for Mac computers. This new console would cement Microsoft’s place in the North American gaming market, as well as cause broken hearts when kids would find an Xbox under the Christmas tree, instead of a GameCube with Super Smash Bros. Melee. Thanks, Mom and Dad.
How oddly fitting that now the Twitter accounts of Twitter Gaming and Halo are teasing the idea of Master Chief, or any Spartan-II member, could be apart of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
If you could bring any character in to Smash, who would it be?
We will rate your choice accordingly.
— Twitter Gaming (@TwitterGaming) April 2, 2019
— Halo (@Halo) April 2, 2019
Stirring up multiple fandoms, this could all be one big joke or simply a wish. The tweets just skirted April Fools’ Day, by both being tweeted on April 2nd. (On that note, we’d jokingly like to point out that Best Buy hasn’t leaked a render or a Halo game on Switch yet.) We’re at a crossroads of how feasible this could be, and I would argue that John-117, Nicole-458, a different Spartan soldier, or even a “brand new” character from the franchise could be in SSBU.
For years, fans have discussed the similarities between Halo and Metroid – storylines, mechanics, tropes and conventions, etc. From there, fandom crafted a variety of fanmade media, notably Haloid (a video made by Monty Oum) sold the idea of how a mashup could happen on a broad scale. Throw in the rumors of a Halo DS prototype being pitched around (which failed), a crossover with Dead or Alive 4 by including Nicole-458, and inclusions in other games (Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Killer Instinct: Season Three and Forza Horizon 4); the jump to the Switch in some capacity isn’t far-fetched. Nintendo and Microsoft’s current relationship has never been better, and we’ve seen even more progress this year thanks to Cuphead being ported over.
One other factor that I’ve yet to mention is that the Halo franchise has been “retooling” itself. Halo 5 wasn’t as well-received as Microsoft hoped (the game’s storyline has split fans), and 343 Industries is promising to fix that with Halo Infinite, the next game in the Reclaimer arc — treating it as a spiritual reboot. With other teams in the company focusing on bringing Halo: The Master Chief Collection to PC and adding Halo: Reach into the PC and Xbox One versions, why not even play together in more ways? Perhaps via the Nintendo Switch?
The entire Halo: The Master Chief Collection being ported to the Switch would be ideal, but Master Chief could be argued as Microsoft’s Mario. This is a big order, and what would Nintendo have to trade? Possibly, they wouldn’t. The Xbox line hasn’t sold well at all in Japan. Certain exclusives have helped boosted sales Halo 3 sold “okay” — but these were short-term gains during the Xbox 360 era. Bring Halo to the Switch and have a fighter slot in SSBU? Microsoft can make a sizable dent and profit just from game sales thanks to a user base of over 8 million. Nintendo and Microsoft would have to agree to financial percentages, yet regardless of the amount, this could increase sales of other Halo media — such as the novels, graphic novels, and shows.
We will all find out within the year if this is feasible or not, as we have four SSBU fighter slots to be revealed. Here’s hoping that — if a slot goes to a Spartan — we’ll see the announcement at E3 this year.
Leave a Comment
Written by Jennifer Burch
Illustrator, designer, writer and big Nintendo geek, you can find Jennifer with an N3DS within reach 24/7. As the oldest of three, she has survived many Mario Party, Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart sessions intact in addition to getting her brothers hooked on some really weird games. (Cubivore anyone?)
