Last October, I wrote an op-ed for this very website presenting my case for a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. At the time, I thought it was a slam dunk; of the top 10 best-selling games on the original Nintendo Switch, Smash Bros.--which is currently still the third best-selling Switch 1 game ever as of June 30--was the only one to not see any Switch 2-related update, let alone a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.

Today, with the latest Nintendo Direct behind us, that fact remains true, to the point that Nintendo's own website doesn't list Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on its list of "free updates for select Nintendo Switch games." Nearly five years after Sora's reveal trailer, and his addition to the game, which marked the final update to Ultimate, Smash Bros. has become a dormant franchise.

There were some Switch 2 Editions revealed during the Nintendo Direct, so Nintendo hasn't reached the end of the well yet. Here are the games that did add "Nintendo Switch 2 Edition" to their names.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52Fei-sLLQc&pp=ygUIcGlrbWluIDQ%3D New Nintendo Switch 2 Editions

Six games are now getting the Switch 2 bump after today's Direct: three first-party titles and three third-party games.

The first one revealed with Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Definitive Edition, which will include all Expansion Pass DLC, improved visuals and frame rate, more enemies on screen during battles, and a new ultra-hard Calamity Mode. While the name says "Definitive Edition," Nintendo describes it as an "enhanced Nintendo Switch 2 version."

Next was perhaps the most surprising of the three first-party upgrades: Pikmin 4. Voice commands for the dog Oatchi and a new Dandori Academy mode will be added to the game on November 12.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was the third first-party game to receive the Switch 2 Edition treatment. The upgraded version will add a new hero called Shimmer, and a Hero's Vault mode where players fight through waves of enemies in order to enhance the party's abilities.

On the third-party side, The Witcher 3's upcoming Remastered Edition will hit Switch 2 in September, while cozy sim Palia will add seasonal updates, community events and new Echo Expeditions with its Switch 2 Edition in December. Finally, Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII Reunion, which originally launched for Nintendo Switch in 2022, joined the Switch 2 Edition family today at the end of the Direct.

An Ultimate omission

All of those games getting new enhanced editions is cool! The Switch 2 has proven to be a very viable platform for the resurgence of older games. However, there is a glaring hole where the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Nintendo Switch 2 Edition should be standing, and it's puzzling to say the least. What, if anything, could be holding Nintendo back?

Now, the existence of an all-new Smash Bros. was rumored in the lead-up to today's Direct, along with a new Nintendogs and 3D Mario. None of those things happened, so who knows if those "leaks" had any credibility. However, even if this is true, and the next Smash will be something new, a Switch 2 Edition of Ultimate still makes sense, if for no other reason, than to buy Nintendo time.

To quote myself in that op-ed from last year, with a Switch 2 edition, "Nintendo can push back the clock on that question until [Smash Bros. lead Masahiro] Sakurai–or perhaps an unnamed successor–can figure it out."

It's possible that Nintendo was waiting for Sakurai to be finished with Kirby Air Riders. The Direct said that the two new Amiibo figures coming to Air Riders are the last ones, so that work may finally be ending. Or, if someone new is taking the reigns, that extra time could allow Nintendo and the new lead to figure out what the future of Smash Bros. looks like.

There is a possible explanation, though, to why Nintendo would leave its highly successful fighter tied up, and the binding is all red tape. It's likely that, even if Nintendo wants to update Ultimate, doing so would be a logistical nightmare in terms of licensing.

I don't know what those initial contracts said, obviously, but if consideration for future updated editions wasn't built into the agreements for some of those characters, then getting them back wouldn't be possible without a new agreement. Some of those parties have gone through major changes, and opening up negotiations may be impossible--Banjo-Kazooie and Minecraft's Steve in particular could be tough, considering Xbox's renewed penchant for keeping Xbox things on Xbox.

Whatever the reason, Smash Bros.'s lack of presence on Switch 2, even this early in the console's lifespan, is glaring. With every Nintendo announcement that doesn't include Smash Bros., be it an Ultimate Switch 2 Edition or a brand-new game, that void will only grow larger.