While Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is bringing back every character who has been in the series, plus a small amount of new characters, nothing has been said on the amount of stages that are returning. However, Bill Trinen and Nate Bihldorff from Nintendo of America have confirmed that not all of them are coming back. [Thanks, Famitsu!]
The game currently has 75 stages sighted through character screenshots, trailers, and the Smash Bros. Ultimate section of the Nintendo Direct at E3 2018, but Famitsu had a Q&A session with Bill Trinen and Nate Bihldorff, where they confirmed the above fact, among others. Here are the highlights below:
Q: Are there any single player modes?
A: What was shown today was just a tiny part of the game. Of course, there are other modes to the game.
Q: Will there be a beta test in order to test server stress?
A: There are currently no finalized plans for a beta or a demo. However, we hope to announce some news about a beta sometime within this year (2018).
Q: Are there any pro players involved with the balance changes in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate?
A: Regarding the game design, Sakurai-san is in charge of tweaking the character parameters. The version seen at E3 is not the final version, and will continue to be changed.
Q: Will stages change between Docked Mode and Handheld Mode, like how stages differed between the Wii U and 3DS versions?
A: Stages will not change between Nintendo Switch playstyles. While not every stage from past titles are making a return, many of them are coming back. Stages from the 3DS version will be returning with upgraded graphics, as you may have seen today.
Q: Can the game be played with just one Joy-Con? Furthermore, will the Gamecube controllers be sold again?
A: You can play with just one Joy-Con, and you can play Smash Bros. portably with one Joy-Con for each person as well. As for the Gamecube controller, you can use the ones sold for the Wii U through the Wii U Gamecube controller adapter, but we are also planning to sell versions of the adapter and controllers with the new logo as well. However, Gamecube controllers are only usable in Docked Mode.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will be available for Nintendo Switch on December 7, 2018.
