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6. The examples on this page are listed in roughly chronological order. If possible, attempt to continue this trend.--> | 6. The examples on this page are listed in roughly chronological order. If possible, attempt to continue this trend.--> | ||
[[File:GrinchLeak.png|thumb|175px| | [[File:GrinchLeak.png|thumb|175px|A hoax photo of ''Ultimate''{{'}}s supposed finalized banner of the roster that contained several characters that would not be playable in ''Ultimate''; dubbed "The Grinch Leak" due to being shown with advertisements for the then-upcoming movie.]] | ||
Like many other games, the ''{{b|Super Smash Bros.|series}}'' series has had various | A '''rumor''' is a statement or story that gains traction within popular discourse but lacks sufficient verifiable evidence to be confirmed or denied. Like many other games, the ''{{b|Super Smash Bros.|series}}'' series has had various rumors spread about it, usually through the internet, and sometimes magazines. Most of the time, rumors claimed to contain information concerning [[List of Super Smash Bros. series characters#Playable character|playable character]]s, though rumors concerning other aspects of gameplay, such as development scheduling, can also appear. | ||
Rumors typically have no more than hearsay as evidence, though some can contain true information, or even fabricated information that coincidentally becomes true with later developments. Rumors can be proven true or false on arrival via fact-checking or by waiting for relevant information from official sources, though the vast majority are proven false. That being said, rumors that are later proven true tend to receive concrete evidence later on, shifting it into the realm of [[leak]]s. Some false rumors are intentionally created to give the creator attention or just cause commotion, with some going as far as to fabricate evidence, with instances of this nature being defined as a hoax. | |||
While rumors about the ''Smash'' series are innumerable, this article documents only especially notable rumors, whether for being well known and widely spread, for being from a notable source, or for other noteworthy reasons worth mentioning. | |||
==Common/Recurring rumors== | ==Common/Recurring rumors== | ||
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Many character selection screens for ''Melee'' also made the rounds, though these screens were less credible due to the ability to quickly distribute images on the internet being unfeasible during ''Melee's'' release; by then, all the unlockables had been well-known. Some of these fake rosters, however, were merely made as jokes, including [http://web.archive.org/web/20070322232951/http://www.geocities.com/dewluigi2002/biggie.jpg a particularly famous image featuring over 108 characters and eight player slots]. The inability to easily customize the character roster for the original game has prevented fake rosters from appearing, as there are no empty spaces, and the game was released before the internet was widespread. | Many character selection screens for ''Melee'' also made the rounds, though these screens were less credible due to the ability to quickly distribute images on the internet being unfeasible during ''Melee's'' release; by then, all the unlockables had been well-known. Some of these fake rosters, however, were merely made as jokes, including [http://web.archive.org/web/20070322232951/http://www.geocities.com/dewluigi2002/biggie.jpg a particularly famous image featuring over 108 characters and eight player slots]. The inability to easily customize the character roster for the original game has prevented fake rosters from appearing, as there are no empty spaces, and the game was released before the internet was widespread. | ||
While extremely common, fake character rosters are relatively easy to debunk. Particularly low-quality rosters will often use art from various other sources, violating the trend in the series where all art is original to the games. For example, in the image to the right, Luigi's image is a mirrored version of [[mariowiki:File:Luigi Artwork - Super Mario 64 DS.png|his official artwork]] from ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Mario 64 DS}}''; adding to this, the hoaxed image features both three-dimensional models (such as for the aforementioned Luigi and the ''F-Zero'' character {{s|fzerowiki|Black Shadow}}) and two-dimensional illustrations (such as for [[Marth]] and ''Fire Emblem'' character {{s|fireemblemwiki|Micaiah}}). Furthermore, hoaxers have sometimes made various oversights while producing such images. A minor hoax, for instance, claimed to feature the character Agnès from {{uvm3|Bravely Default}} as a playable character, but the [[Media:AgnesSSB4rumor.jpg|faked images]] improperly spelt her name as "Agn'''é'''s", and her character portrait was different between the [[Media:AgnesRumorWiiU.jpg|two images given]]<ref>http://tieba.baidu.com/p/3346382609</ref> | While extremely common, fake character rosters are relatively easy to debunk. Particularly low-quality rosters will often use art from various other sources, violating the trend in the series where all art is original to the games. For example, in the image to the right, Luigi's image is a mirrored version of [[mariowiki:File:Luigi Artwork - Super Mario 64 DS.png|his official artwork]] from ''{{s|mariowiki|Super Mario 64 DS}}''; adding to this, the hoaxed image features both three-dimensional models (such as for the aforementioned Luigi and the ''F-Zero'' character {{s|fzerowiki|Black Shadow}}) and two-dimensional illustrations (such as for [[Marth]] and ''Fire Emblem'' character {{s|fireemblemwiki|Micaiah}}). Furthermore, hoaxers have sometimes made various oversights while producing such images. A minor hoax, for instance, claimed to feature the character Agnès from {{uvm3|Bravely Default}} as a playable character, but the [[Media:AgnesSSB4rumor.jpg|faked images]] improperly spelt her name as "Agn'''é'''s", and her character portrait was different between the [[Media:AgnesRumorWiiU.jpg|two images given]].<ref>http://tieba.baidu.com/p/3346382609</ref> | ||
==Rumors about ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''== | ==Rumors about ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''== | ||
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1. This article exists to document NOTABLE rumors. As such, any rumors added to this page must have a substantial degree of notability for them to stay. | 1. This article exists to document NOTABLE rumors. As such, any rumors added to this page must have a substantial degree of notability for them to stay. | ||
2. Check to see whether or not the rumor is on the page in the first place. | 2. Check to see whether or not the rumor is on the page in the first place. | ||
3. Notability of rumors should involve either having significant speculation and/or spread in the community (such as large threads on SmashBoards or coverage by notable gaming-related | 3. Notability of rumors should involve either having significant speculation and/or spread in the community (such as large threads on SmashBoards or coverage by notable gaming-related news sites), or have a notable characteristic that differentiates them from other rumors. An example of the former would be the Grinch Leak from Ultimate (which not only caused widespread debate throughout SmashBoards and social media sites about its legitimacy up to the release of Ultimate, but was also covered by mainstream gaming sites), while an example of the latter would be the Lucina rumor for Smash 4 (as it was the first faked leak that utilize mods, which would become a common trend for faking leaks of varying effort). | ||
4. If a rumor is confirmed to be a factual, it belongs on the List of leaks article (https://www.ssbwiki.com/List_of_leaks), not here. | 4. If a rumor is confirmed to be a factual, it belongs on the List of leaks article (https://www.ssbwiki.com/List_of_leaks), not here. | ||
5. If a rumor is removed and you believe it to be notable, outline on the talk page of this article for why you think it is notable. DO NOT IMMEDIATELY EDIT THE RUMOR IN QUESTION BACK INTO THE ARTICLE. | 5. If a rumor is removed and you believe it to be notable, outline on the talk page of this article for why you think it is notable. DO NOT IMMEDIATELY EDIT THE RUMOR IN QUESTION BACK INTO THE ARTICLE. | ||
6. The examples on this page are listed in roughly chronological order. If possible, attempt to continue this trend.--> | 6. The examples on this page are listed in roughly chronological order. If possible, attempt to continue this trend.--> | ||
===Non-playable characters hoaxes=== | ===Non-playable characters hoaxes=== | ||
Being able to play as characters such as [[Metal Mario]], [[Giant Donkey Kong]], {{SSB|Master Hand}}, or a [[Fighting Polygon]] was the main source of rumors during the game's era. As with other rumors of the time, the supposed criteria ranged from unusual (spinning the control stick 30 times) to ludicrous (completing the [[1P Game]] as every character in a specific order on Very Hard with a [[stock]] of one). Many videos on YouTube continue to claim these rumors, but all of these which supposedly work merely use [[Action Replay|cheat]] [[GameShark|devices]] to allow playability of these characters. | Being able to play as characters such as [[Metal Mario]], [[Giant Donkey Kong]], {{SSB|Master Hand}}, or a [[Fighting Polygon]] was the main source of rumors during the game's era. As with other rumors of the time, the supposed criteria ranged from unusual (spinning the control stick 30 times) to ludicrous (completing the [[1P Game]] as every character in a specific order on Very Hard with a [[stock]] of one). Many videos on YouTube continue to claim these rumors, but all of these which supposedly work merely use [[Action Replay|cheat]] [[GameShark|devices]] to allow playability of these characters. | ||
===Scrapped characters rumor=== | ===Scrapped characters rumor=== | ||
A popular rumor about ''Smash 64'' that came around long after its release was that several characters were planned to be playable in the game, but cut due to time and/or memory constraints. The characters most often rumored to have been planned but cut are [[Peach]], [[Wario]], [[Pit]], and [[Meowth]]. A page on the official ''Smash 64'' website claims that [[Bowser]], [[King Dedede]], and [[Mewtwo]] were indeed planned to be playable in ''Smash 64'', but the reason for their exclusion is not specifically stated<ref>http://games.yahoo.co.jp/qa/detail?qid=1090755405</ref> | A popular rumor about ''Smash 64'' that came around long after its release was that several characters were planned to be playable in the game, but cut due to time and/or memory constraints. The characters most often rumored to have been planned but cut are [[Peach]], [[Wario]], [[Pit]], and [[Meowth]]. A page on the official ''Smash 64'' website claims that [[Bowser]], [[King Dedede]], and [[Mewtwo]] were indeed planned to be playable in ''Smash 64'', but the reason for their exclusion is not specifically stated.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20150428102241/http://games.yahoo.co.jp/qa/detail?qid=1090755405</ref> Additionally, [[Marth]] was planned but cut due to time constraints, according to an interview from a book titled ''Making of Fire Emblem: 25 Years of Development Secrets''.<ref>[http://www.sourcegaming.info/2015/12/13/sakurai-fe25/ Source Gaming: "Sakurai Interview: Fire Emblem 25th Anniversary"]</ref> No sources, however, have been proven to support Pit, Meowth, Peach, Wario, or any other characters as having ever been planned to be playable in the game. | ||
==Rumors about ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''== | ==Rumors about ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''== | ||
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1. This article exists to document NOTABLE rumors. As such, any rumors added to this page must have a substantial degree of notability for them to stay. | 1. This article exists to document NOTABLE rumors. As such, any rumors added to this page must have a substantial degree of notability for them to stay. | ||
2. Check to see whether or not the rumor is on the page in the first place. | 2. Check to see whether or not the rumor is on the page in the first place. | ||
3. Notability of rumors should involve either having significant speculation and/or spread in the community (such as large threads on SmashBoards or coverage by notable gaming-related | 3. Notability of rumors should involve either having significant speculation and/or spread in the community (such as large threads on SmashBoards or coverage by notable gaming-related news sites), or have a notable characteristic that differentiates them from other rumors. An example of the former would be the Grinch Leak from Ultimate (which not only caused widespread debate throughout SmashBoards and social media sites about its legitimacy up to the release of Ultimate, but was also covered by mainstream gaming sites), while an example of the latter would be the Lucina rumor for Smash 4 (as it was the first faked leak that utilize mods, which would become a common trend for faking leaks of varying effort). | ||
4. If a rumor is confirmed to be a factual, it belongs on the List of leaks article (https://www.ssbwiki.com/List_of_leaks), not here. | 4. If a rumor is confirmed to be a factual, it belongs on the List of leaks article (https://www.ssbwiki.com/List_of_leaks), not here. | ||
5. If a rumor is removed and you believe it to be notable, outline on the talk page of this article for why you think it is notable. DO NOT IMMEDIATELY EDIT THE RUMOR IN QUESTION BACK INTO THE ARTICLE. | 5. If a rumor is removed and you believe it to be notable, outline on the talk page of this article for why you think it is notable. DO NOT IMMEDIATELY EDIT THE RUMOR IN QUESTION BACK INTO THE ARTICLE. | ||
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===Sonic and Tails hoax=== | ===Sonic and Tails hoax=== | ||
[[File:Sonictailshoax.jpg|thumb|400px|EGM's "proof" of Sonic and Tails appearing in ''SSBM'']] The Sonic and Tails rumor in [[Super Smash Bros. Melee|''Melee'']] remains one of the most infamous rumors not just in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series, but also in the world of video games. An April Fools' joke pulled by the gaming-themed magazine ''{{s|Wikipedia|Electronic Gaming Monthly}}'' said that Sonic and Tails could be unlocked after defeating 20 enemies in [[Cruel Melee]], then defeating the two in a two-against-one battle. The blurb also claimed that upon completing {{SSBM|Classic Mode}} with either of the two characters, the player would get a "special surprise". While ''EGM'' was famous for its [http://www.defunctgames.com/ivegotyournumber/15/egms-15-april-fools-day-pranks previous April Fools' Day pranks], such as the infamous [[wikipedia:Sheng Long|"Sheng Long cheat"]] in | [[File:Sonictailshoax.jpg|thumb|400px|EGM's "proof" of Sonic and Tails appearing in ''SSBM'']] The Sonic and Tails rumor in [[Super Smash Bros. Melee|''Melee'']] remains one of the most infamous rumors not just in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series, but also in the world of video games. An April Fools' joke pulled by the gaming-themed magazine ''{{s|Wikipedia|Electronic Gaming Monthly}}'' said that Sonic and Tails could be unlocked after defeating 20 enemies in [[Cruel Melee]], then defeating the two in a two-against-one battle. The blurb also claimed that upon completing {{SSBM|Classic Mode}} with either of the two characters, the player would get a "special surprise". While ''EGM'' was famous for its [http://www.defunctgames.com/ivegotyournumber/15/egms-15-april-fools-day-pranks previous April Fools' Day pranks], such as the infamous [[wikipedia:Sheng Long|"Sheng Long cheat"]] in {{uv|Street Fighter|Street Fighter II}} (which would later be referenced by {{SSB4|Ryu}}'s [[Ryu (SSB4)#Reveal Trailer|reveal trailer]] in ''Smash 4''), many readers still fell for the rumor. | ||
The rumor can be debunked through multiple pieces of evidence: | The rumor can be debunked through multiple pieces of evidence: | ||
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*In the screenshot claiming to show Sonic as a selectable character, Sonic's art is identical to [http://media.sonicscanf.org//gallery/sonic-the-hedgehog/sonic-adventure-dx.png one of his official renders from ''Sonic Adventure'' on the Sega Dreamcast]. In contrast, all other characters in the game have completely original art for their character select portraits. | *In the screenshot claiming to show Sonic as a selectable character, Sonic's art is identical to [http://media.sonicscanf.org//gallery/sonic-the-hedgehog/sonic-adventure-dx.png one of his official renders from ''Sonic Adventure'' on the Sega Dreamcast]. In contrast, all other characters in the game have completely original art for their character select portraits. | ||
*At the time of the production of ''Melee'', [[Sega]] and [[Nintendo]] were rivals both in the software and hardware businesses, making it unlikely that the two would work together to develop a game. | *At the time of the production of ''Melee'', [[Sega]] and [[Nintendo]] were rivals both in the software and hardware businesses, making it unlikely that the two would work together to develop a game. | ||
**A later interview conducted by ''[[wikipedia:Edge (magazine)|EDGE]]'' with former head of Sonic Team {{s|wikipedia|Yuji Naka}}, claimed that, on the topic of Sonic and Tails appearing in ''Melee'', " | **A later interview conducted by ''[[wikipedia:Edge (magazine)|EDGE]]'' with former head of Sonic Team {{s|wikipedia|Yuji Naka}}, claimed that, on the topic of Sonic and Tails appearing in ''Melee'', "{{file link|YujiNakaInterview.jpg|it was very close, but time constraints did not allow us to continue with the idea.}}" | ||
*There is no data on the game's disc relating to the duo, and they cannot be selected with the {{SSBM|debug menu}}. | *There is no data on the game's disc relating to the duo, and they cannot be selected with the {{SSBM|debug menu}}. | ||
*The method for unlocking the two simply does not work. Numerous videos have demonstrated getting more than 20 KOs in Cruel Melee, whether naturally or via exploits such as the [[Master Hand glitch]], does not unlock the duo, and in the early years of the rumor, an [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur-mLgupG5c infamous video] featuring {{SSBM|Pikachu}} getting 565 KOs in Cruel Melee effectively disproved the hoax. | *The method for unlocking the two simply does not work. Numerous videos have demonstrated getting more than 20 KOs in Cruel Melee, whether naturally or via exploits such as the [[Master Hand glitch]], does not unlock the duo, and in the early years of the rumor, an [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur-mLgupG5c infamous video] featuring {{SSBM|Pikachu}} getting 565 KOs in Cruel Melee effectively disproved the hoax. | ||
*Although subtle, EGM attempted to hint readers that the cheat was actually an April Fools' joke; previous jokes would feature a "1" and "4" in some way as to reference April Fools' Day, as the shorthand date for the day is 4/1 in America or 1/4 in Europe. Owing to this, the Notice commemorating Sonic and Tails being unlocked had the date as "4.1.2002". | *Although subtle, EGM attempted to hint readers that the cheat was actually an April Fools' joke; previous jokes would feature a "1" and "4" in some way as to reference April Fools' Day, as the shorthand date for the day is 4/1 in America or 1/4 in Europe. Owing to this, the Notice commemorating Sonic and Tails being unlocked had the date as "4.1.2002". | ||
The rumor rapidly spread following its publication, with rival publication ''{{s|wikipedia|Nintendo Power}}'' publishing an article about how the rumor was a hoax, and the page on ''Melee'' in Nintendo's website also writing about how the rumor was false. ''EGM'' would eventually confess in its next issue that the cheat was an April Fools' joke, and, like its previous April Fools' Day jokes, mock those who took it seriously. ''EGM'' later offered a contest where players who submitted video proof of getting 20 or more KOs in Cruel Melee could receive a free copy of ''[[wikipedia:Sonic Adventure 2|Sonic Adventure 2: Battle]]'', Sonic's first game on a Nintendo system. | The rumor rapidly spread following its publication, with rival publication ''{{s|wikipedia|Nintendo Power}}'' publishing an article about how the rumor was a hoax, and the page on ''Melee'' in Nintendo's website also writing about how the rumor was false. ''EGM'' would eventually confess in its next issue that the cheat was an April Fools' joke, and, like its previous April Fools' Day jokes, mock those who took it seriously. ''EGM'' later offered a contest where players who submitted video proof of getting 20 or more KOs in Cruel Melee could receive a free copy of ''[[wikipedia:Sonic Adventure 2|Sonic Adventure 2: Battle]]'', Sonic's first game on a Nintendo system. Due to the wide spread of rumors relating to ''Sonic'' characters, the FAQ on ''Melee''{{'}}s US website notified players that Sonic, along with Knuckles, was not a playable character.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/smashbros/comments/2huph9/here_have_an_old_faq_from_the_original_smash_bros/#lightbox</ref> | ||
[[Sonic]] later became a playable character in all Smash games starting with ''[[Brawl]]'', while Tails made a number of cameo appearances. | [[Sonic]] later became a playable character in all Smash games starting with ''[[Brawl]]'', while Tails made a number of cameo appearances. | ||
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===Toad hoax=== | ===Toad hoax=== | ||
[[File:Toadcharacterselect.jpg|thumb|left|"Proof" of Toad appearing on the Character Select screen.]] | [[File:Toadcharacterselect.jpg|thumb|left|"Proof" of Toad appearing on the Character Select screen.]] | ||
The Toad rumor, initially posted on [http://web.archive.org/web/20090831060903/http://geocities.com/demeterpictures/secret.html a small Geocities site] in November of 2002, stated that Toad could be unlocked as a playable character in ''Melee'' after obtaining a perfect score during the [[Ending Credits|credits mini-game]], which is played after completing any one-player mode; after hitting all the credits, the player would then have to clear Adventure Mode (with a requirement of "easily defeating" the {{SSBM|Yoshi}}s in the {{b|Mushroom Kingdom|Adventure Mode}} stage), after which they would be able to unlock him. The site also gave several fake screenshots depicting Toad in various in-game scenarios, propagating the rumor; it came to the point where the images had become more well-known than the site and the supposed method to unlock him, with explanations sometimes varying strongly from the original. | The Toad rumor, initially posted on [http://web.archive.org/web/20090831060903/http://geocities.com/demeterpictures/secret.html a small Geocities site] in November of 2002, stated that Toad could be unlocked as a playable character in ''Melee'' after obtaining a perfect score during the [[Ending Credits|credits mini-game]], which is played after completing any one-player mode; after hitting all the credits, the player would then have to clear Adventure Mode (with a requirement of "easily defeating" the {{SSBM|Yoshi}}s in the {{b|Mushroom Kingdom|Adventure Mode}} stage), after which they would be able to unlock him. The site also gave several fake screenshots depicting Toad in various in-game scenarios, propagating the rumor; it came to the point where the images had become more well-known than the site and the supposed method to unlock him, with explanations sometimes varying strongly from the original. | ||
The method was disproved by the same evidence as the Sonic and Tails rumor, because in addition to Toad's place on the character select screen defying the rule that all characters in a series should be grouped together, the screenshots of Toad were made by taking images from Toad when he was running around the Mushroom Kingdom of the Adventure Mode of the game. Inconsistencies with the actual gameplay surrounding Toad also debunked the rumor; the site says that Toad has no accommodations in All-Star Mode, has no trophies, and has no videos for his Ending Sequence after finishing a 1-Player game, unlikely occurrences in terms of game design. The site itself also contributed to the debunking of the rumor; it was hosted on {{s|wikipedia|GeoCities}}, a former web hosting site that allowed anyone to create their own pages, causing the rumor to be considerably less credible than the Sonic and Tails rumor (which was featured in a widely-read magazine). The site also featured some incorrect information; for instance, when speaking about the game's Adventure Mode, the site claims that the ordeal is similar to unlocking {{SSBM|Falco}} - Falco, however, is unlockable in [[Multi-Man Melee]], not in Adventure Mode. Numerous spelling and grammatical errors were also present on the page, such as the misspelling of "taunt" as "taught". Tool-assisted runs of a perfect score of the credits and a perfect score by {{Sm|Porkyz}} on February 2, 2021<ref>https://twitter.com/porkyz_falcon/status/1356698663410692097</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE3UFf-3kr4</ref> proved nothing is unlocked with a perfect score. | The method was disproved by the same evidence as the Sonic and Tails rumor, because in addition to Toad's place on the character select screen defying the rule that all characters in a series should be grouped together, the screenshots of Toad were made by taking images from Toad when he was running around the Mushroom Kingdom of the Adventure Mode of the game. Inconsistencies with the actual gameplay surrounding Toad also debunked the rumor; the site says that Toad has no accommodations in All-Star Mode, has no trophies, and has no videos for his Ending Sequence after finishing a 1-Player game, unlikely occurrences in terms of game design. The site itself also contributed to the debunking of the rumor; it was hosted on {{s|wikipedia|GeoCities}}, a former web hosting site that allowed anyone to create their own pages, causing the rumor to be considerably less credible than the Sonic and Tails rumor (which was featured in a widely-read magazine). The site also featured some incorrect information; for instance, when speaking about the game's Adventure Mode, the site claims that the ordeal is similar to unlocking {{SSBM|Falco}} - Falco, however, is unlockable in [[Multi-Man Melee]], not in Adventure Mode. Numerous spelling and grammatical errors were also present on the page, such as the misspelling of "taunt" as "taught". Tool-assisted runs of a perfect score of the credits and a perfect score by {{Sm|Porkyz}} on February 2, 2021<ref>https://twitter.com/porkyz_falcon/status/1356698663410692097</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE3UFf-3kr4</ref> proved nothing is unlocked with a perfect score. | ||
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===NeoGAF scrapped characters rumor=== | ===NeoGAF scrapped characters rumor=== | ||
Long after ''Melee''{{'}}s release in May of 2012, a NeoGAF user named cednym would post information about planned content for ''Melee'' that was [[Unused content (SSBM)|scrapped]], which he supposedly found in old [[Famitsu]] issues from 2002. Among the claims were several characters being planned for inclusion, which were: [[King Dedede]] being the character next inline for inclusion if [[Masahiro Sakurai]] could not receive permission from [[Intelligent Systems]] to use {{SSBM|Marth}}, as well as being considered for inclusion in the place of the six [[clone]]s; that Sakurai considered a [[Pokémon Trainer]] character using the second generation starter Pokémon, but there wasn't enought time and resources for such a labor intensive character; [[Wario]] was briefly considered as the {{SSBM|Mario}} clone, with low speed and high attack power, but Sakurai felt that Wario deserved better; [[Wolf]] was initially slotted as {{SSBM|Fox}}'s clone, but Sakurai felt he would be perceived as "a grey-colored Fox", so he went with {{SSBM|Falco}} for his | Long after ''Melee''{{'}}s release in May of 2012, a NeoGAF user named cednym would post information about planned content for ''Melee'' that was [[Unused content (SSBM)|scrapped]], which he supposedly found in old [[Famitsu]] issues from 2002. Among the claims were several characters being planned for inclusion, which were: [[King Dedede]] being the character next inline for inclusion if [[Masahiro Sakurai]] could not receive permission from [[Intelligent Systems]] to use {{SSBM|Marth}}, as well as being considered for inclusion in the place of the six [[clone]]s; that Sakurai considered a [[Pokémon Trainer]] character using the second generation starter Pokémon, but there wasn't enought time and resources for such a labor intensive character; [[Wario]] was briefly considered as the {{SSBM|Mario}} clone, with low speed and high attack power, but Sakurai felt that Wario deserved better; [[Wolf]] was initially slotted as {{SSBM|Fox}}'s clone, but Sakurai felt he would be perceived as "a grey-colored Fox", so he went with {{SSBM|Falco}} for his more distinct appearance; and Leif from ''Fire Emblem: Thracia 776'' was initially slotted as Marth's clone, but after Intelligent Systems shown Sakurai a preview of the upcoming ''Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade'', he thought Roy would be a better fit, with his fire properties making him stand out.<ref>https://www.neogaf.com/threads/next-super-smash-bros-discussion-thread-community-edition.448761/page-151#post-37915502</ref> While cednym provided no evidence to legitimize his post, these claims would proliferate within the ''Smash'' community as accepted information about ''Melee''{{'}}s development for several years after. In 2016, [[Source Gaming]] would attempt to find these old Famitsu translations or any other information to support these claims, in their endeavor to chronicle all characters that were ever planned or seriously considered for inclusion in any ''Smash'' game for their "''The Definitive List of Unused Fighters in Smash''" article. However, they could not find anything that corroborated any of cednym's claims, in fact they would only find information that contradicted it, such as Sakurai confirming that Wario was the character next inline for inclusion, not King Dedede, as well as Sakurai confirming that he wouldn't have been able to add a single unique newcomer in the place of the six clones, contradicting the claim that Dedede could have been included in their place. Eventually, {{Sm|PushDustin}}, the admin of Source Gaming at the time, would contact cednym directly for verification of his claims, where he would then admit that his post was entirely falsified.<ref>https://sourcegaming.info/2016/04/29/duflupdate/</ref> | ||
==Rumors about ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''== | ==Rumors about ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''== | ||
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1. This article exists to document NOTABLE rumors. As such, any rumors added to this page must have a substantial degree of notability for them to stay. | 1. This article exists to document NOTABLE rumors. As such, any rumors added to this page must have a substantial degree of notability for them to stay. | ||
2. Check to see whether or not the rumor is on the page in the first place. | 2. Check to see whether or not the rumor is on the page in the first place. | ||
3. Notability of rumors should involve either having significant speculation and/or spread in the community (such as large threads on SmashBoards or coverage by notable gaming-related | 3. Notability of rumors should involve either having significant speculation and/or spread in the community (such as large threads on SmashBoards or coverage by notable gaming-related news sites), or have a notable characteristic that differentiates them from other rumors. An example of the former would be the Grinch Leak from Ultimate (which not only caused widespread debate throughout SmashBoards and social media sites about its legitimacy up to the release of Ultimate, but was also covered by mainstream gaming sites), while an example of the latter would be the Lucina rumor for Smash 4 (as it was the first faked leak that utilize mods, which would become a common trend for faking leaks of varying effort). | ||
4. If a rumor is confirmed to be a factual, it belongs on the List of leaks article (https://www.ssbwiki.com/List_of_leaks), not here. | 4. If a rumor is confirmed to be a factual, it belongs on the List of leaks article (https://www.ssbwiki.com/List_of_leaks), not here. | ||
5. If a rumor is removed and you believe it to be notable, outline on the talk page of this article for why you think it is notable. DO NOT IMMEDIATELY EDIT THE RUMOR IN QUESTION BACK INTO THE ARTICLE. | 5. If a rumor is removed and you believe it to be notable, outline on the talk page of this article for why you think it is notable. DO NOT IMMEDIATELY EDIT THE RUMOR IN QUESTION BACK INTO THE ARTICLE. | ||
6. The examples on this page are listed in roughly chronological order. If possible, attempt to continue this trend.--> | 6. The examples on this page are listed in roughly chronological order. If possible, attempt to continue this trend.--> | ||
===Radio interview rumor=== | ===Radio interview rumor=== | ||
Shortly after ''Brawl'''s announcement, a rumor claimed that in a radio interview, Masahiro Sakurai confirmed that [[Ridley]], a [[Toon Link|cel-shaded Link]], and [[Bowser Jr.]] would be playable characters. Coinciding with this was the rumor of [[Young Link]], the [[Ice Climbers]], and [[Mr. Game & Watch]] being dropped. This was proven to be false; while {{SSBB|Toon Link}} does replace Young Link in ''Brawl'' as the second Link, Ridley appears as a [[boss]] instead of a playable character, Bowser Jr. only appears as a [[sticker]] and [[trophy]], and Mr. Game & Watch and the Ice Climbers returned as playable characters in ''Brawl''. | Shortly after ''Brawl''{{'}}s announcement, a rumor claimed that in a radio interview, Masahiro Sakurai confirmed that [[Ridley]], a [[Toon Link|cel-shaded Link]], and [[Bowser Jr.]] would be playable characters. Coinciding with this was the rumor of [[Young Link]], the [[Ice Climbers]], and [[Mr. Game & Watch]] being dropped. This was proven to be false; while {{SSBB|Toon Link}} does replace Young Link in ''Brawl'' as the second Link, Ridley appears as a [[boss]] instead of a playable character, Bowser Jr. only appears as a [[sticker]] and [[trophy]], and Mr. Game & Watch and the Ice Climbers returned as playable characters in ''Brawl''. | ||
Coincidentally, Bowser Jr. [[Bowser Jr. (SSB4)|was later playable in]] ''[[Smash 4]]'', with technical limitations of the [[Nintendo 3DS]] also causing the Ice Climbers to be cut from the game; despite this, Ridley did not become a playable character until ''[[Ultimate]]'', and Mr. Game & Watch still returned in every game after ''Brawl''. | Coincidentally, Bowser Jr. [[Bowser Jr. (SSB4)|was later playable in]] ''[[Smash 4]]'', with technical limitations of the [[Nintendo 3DS]] also causing the Ice Climbers to be cut from the game; despite this, Ridley did not become a playable character until ''[[Ultimate]]'', and Mr. Game & Watch still returned in every game after ''Brawl''. | ||
===''Animal Crossing'' characters rumors=== | ===''Animal Crossing'' characters rumors=== | ||
During the development of ''Brawl'', multiple rumors suggested that a character from ''Animal Crossing'', such as the generic playable character (termed an "Animal Crosser") or [[Tom Nook]], would be playable in ''Brawl''. A statement was reportedly made by Sakurai on the matter, which claimed that "On one hand, they have an innocent charm to them that could be ruined if they were in a fighting game"; the veracity of this statement, however, is disputed. Despite the lack of a playable character, ''Animal Crossing'' is strongly represented in ''Brawl'' by [[List of SSBB Music (Animal Crossing series)|some music tracks]], trophies, stickers, [[Mr. Resetti|an Assist Trophy]], [[Smashville|a stage]], and numerous cameos on said stage. | During the development of ''Brawl'', multiple rumors suggested that a character from ''Animal Crossing'', such as the generic playable character (termed an "Animal Crosser") or [[Tom Nook]], would be playable in ''Brawl''. A statement was reportedly made by Sakurai on the matter, which claimed that "On one hand, they have an innocent charm to them that could be ruined if they were in a fighting game"; the veracity of this statement, however, is disputed. Despite the lack of a playable character, ''Animal Crossing'' is strongly represented in ''Brawl'' by [[List of SSBB Music (Animal Crossing series)|some music tracks]], trophies, stickers, [[Mr. Resetti|an Assist Trophy]], [[Smashville|a stage]], and numerous cameos on said stage. | ||
An ''Animal Crossing'' [[Villager]] eventually became a playable character in ''Smash 4''; an [http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/26/4465706/masahiro-sakurai-discusses-mega-man-smash-bros-s-other-new-characters interview with Sakurai] also states that the Villager was considered for inclusion in ''Brawl'', but the idea was rejected because "he wasn't suited for battle". | An ''Animal Crossing'' [[Villager]] eventually became a playable character in ''Smash 4''; an [http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/26/4465706/masahiro-sakurai-discusses-mega-man-smash-bros-s-other-new-characters interview with Sakurai] also states that the Villager was considered for inclusion in ''Brawl'', but the idea was rejected because "he wasn't suited for battle". | ||
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Shortly after ''Brawl'' was released in America, [https://web.archive.org/web/20080703174210/http://press-nintendo.110mb.com/article-jsp-id-14788.htm a newspost] appeared on the internet, claiming that ''Brawl'' would feature four downloadable characters and two downloadable stages, as well as a new Wii Channel of "Wii Want More". The discovery of [[Beta elements (SSBB)#Scrapped characters|multiple unused character files]] present in the game also added credence to the rumor, under the assumption that the empty files rendered it easier to create add-on content. | Shortly after ''Brawl'' was released in America, [https://web.archive.org/web/20080703174210/http://press-nintendo.110mb.com/article-jsp-id-14788.htm a newspost] appeared on the internet, claiming that ''Brawl'' would feature four downloadable characters and two downloadable stages, as well as a new Wii Channel of "Wii Want More". The discovery of [[Beta elements (SSBB)#Scrapped characters|multiple unused character files]] present in the game also added credence to the rumor, under the assumption that the empty files rendered it easier to create add-on content. | ||
The rumor was quickly proven as false; Masahiro Sakurai himself stated that downloadable content would never be coming for ''Brawl'', as the Wii's flash-based internal hardware is incapable of patching or otherwise modifying a game based on a downloaded file. The supposed release date of 13 May 2008 also passed without a "Wii Want More" channel being released or announced. Additionally, in a vein similar to the Toad rumor, the site was hosted on 110MB, a hosting site where anyone on the internet can publish content. However, [[downloadable content]] would become a prominent part of subsequent games, starting with ''Super Smash Bros. 4''. | The rumor was quickly proven as false; Masahiro Sakurai himself stated that downloadable content would never be coming for ''Brawl'', as the Wii's flash-based internal hardware is incapable of patching or otherwise modifying a game based on a downloaded file; though ''{{iw|zeldawiki|The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword}}'' would later have a [[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Save Data Update Channel|Wii channel]] dedicated to fixing a bug that prevented game progression, this was not a proper downloadable patch, and instead fixed the user's save data for the game. The supposed release date of 13 May 2008 also passed without a "Wii Want More" channel being released or announced. Additionally, in a vein similar to the Toad rumor, the site was hosted on 110MB, a hosting site where anyone on the internet can publish content. However, [[downloadable content]] would become a prominent part of subsequent games, starting with ''Super Smash Bros. 4''. | ||
==Rumors about ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''== | ==Rumors about ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''== | ||
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1. This article exists to document NOTABLE rumors. As such, any rumors added to this page must have a substantial degree of notability for them to stay. | 1. This article exists to document NOTABLE rumors. As such, any rumors added to this page must have a substantial degree of notability for them to stay. | ||
2. Check to see whether or not the rumor is on the page in the first place. | 2. Check to see whether or not the rumor is on the page in the first place. | ||
3. Notability of rumors should involve either having significant speculation and/or spread in the community (such as large threads on SmashBoards or coverage by notable gaming-related | 3. Notability of rumors should involve either having significant speculation and/or spread in the community (such as large threads on SmashBoards or coverage by notable gaming-related news sites), or have a notable characteristic that differentiates them from other rumors. An example of the former would be the Grinch Leak from Ultimate (which not only caused widespread debate throughout SmashBoards and social media sites about its legitimacy up to the release of Ultimate, but was also covered by mainstream gaming sites), while an example of the latter would be the Lucina rumor for Smash 4 (as it was the first faked leak that utilize mods, which would become a common trend for faking leaks of varying effort). | ||
4. If a rumor is confirmed to be a factual, it belongs on the List of leaks article (https://www.ssbwiki.com/List_of_leaks), not here. | 4. If a rumor is confirmed to be a factual, it belongs on the List of leaks article (https://www.ssbwiki.com/List_of_leaks), not here. | ||
5. If a rumor is removed and you believe it to be notable, outline on the talk page of this article for why you think it is notable. DO NOT IMMEDIATELY EDIT THE RUMOR IN QUESTION BACK INTO THE ARTICLE. | 5. If a rumor is removed and you believe it to be notable, outline on the talk page of this article for why you think it is notable. DO NOT IMMEDIATELY EDIT THE RUMOR IN QUESTION BACK INTO THE ARTICLE. | ||
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===Palutena hoax=== | ===Palutena hoax=== | ||
[[File:Smash.4 - Palutena Rumor.png|150px|thumb|left|The purported images of Palutena.]] | [[File:Smash.4 - Palutena Rumor.png|150px|thumb|left|The purported images of Palutena.]] | ||
On 22 January 2014, two supposedly leaked images of [[Palutena]] in the 3DS version of ''Super Smash Bros. 4'' began to circulate on the internet. The veracity of the images were immediately questioned, though some observers noted that the model and poses used by Palutena were not seen in any previous photo, and unlike the Lucina rumor, no hacks available for ''Brawl'' could replicate the image seen. Of particular note is that after the two images were released, a series of [[Media:Smash.4 - Viridi Stage Hazard.jpg|''Kid Icarus'']]-[[Media:Kid Icarus WiiU Stage.jpg|related]] [[Media:Smash.4 - Colliding Projectiles.jpg|images]] were released on Miiverse, leading some observers to speculate that Sakurai was aware of the Palutena images. | On 22 January 2014, two supposedly leaked images of [[Palutena]] in the 3DS version of ''Super Smash Bros. 4'' began to circulate on the internet. The veracity of the images were immediately questioned, though some observers noted that the model and poses used by Palutena were not seen in any previous photo, and unlike the Lucina rumor, no hacks available for ''Brawl'' could replicate the image seen. Of particular note is that after the two images were released, a series of [[Media:Smash.4 - Viridi Stage Hazard.jpg|''Kid Icarus'']]-[[Media:Kid Icarus WiiU Stage.jpg|related]] [[Media:Smash.4 - Colliding Projectiles.jpg|images]] were released on Miiverse, leading some observers to speculate that Sakurai was aware of the Palutena images. | ||
[[File:PalutenaHoaxModels.png|99px|thumb|The models used in the hoaxed images.]] | [[File:PalutenaHoaxModels.png|99px|thumb|The models used in the hoaxed images.]] | ||
During the 2014 E3 event, Nintendo confirmed {{SSB4|Palutena}}'s inclusion in the game, and gameplay footage of her was also shown; despite this, several differences between the models used in the rumored photos and the actual game were observed, which led to debate over whether or not the images were legitimate in the first place. The images were finally revealed hoaxes in a thread on 4chan concerning the {{H2|Leak|ESRB leak}}; Mario and Palutena were created in an external program and these models were later digitally manipulated to resemble those from ''Super Smash Bros. 4''. | During the 2014 E3 event, Nintendo confirmed {{SSB4|Palutena}}'s inclusion in the game, and gameplay footage of her was also shown; despite this, several differences between the models used in the rumored photos and the actual game were observed, which led to debate over whether or not the images were legitimate in the first place. The images were finally revealed hoaxes in a thread on 4chan concerning the {{H2|Leak|ESRB leak}}; Mario and Palutena were created in an external program and these models were later digitally manipulated to resemble those from ''Super Smash Bros. 4''. | ||
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During the [[E3 2014]] demo and ensuing [[Smash-Fest]], people reported seeing many previously unrevealed [[Assist Trophies]], such as [[Shadow]], [[Tingle]], and [[Magnus]]. While these reports ended up being later confirmed by video evidence, one particular character implicated in these reports, [[Chunky Kong]] from ''Donkey Kong 64'', completely eluded any sort of video or photographic evidence. Despite the lack of evidence, people initially generally believed this report, as it came from multiple independent sources, that even fully described his effect as "slamming the ground to make bananas fall from the sky". However, [[Smash-Fest]] passed without any sort of video or photographic evidence of Chunky Kong, and with the lack of direct or indirect confirmation from Sakurai, it became doubted if these reports were entirely telling the truth. Chunky Kong later became a minor in-joke within the ''Smash'' community; with the lack of any sort of concrete evidence to prove the character's existence despite multiple claims to the contrary, the character was [[Media:ChunkyKongHoax1.png|jokingly]] [[Media:ChunkyKongHoax2.png|compared]] to {{s|wikipedia|Bigfoot}}, a famous North American {{s|wikipedia|cryptid}}. | During the [[E3 2014]] demo and ensuing [[Smash-Fest]], people reported seeing many previously unrevealed [[Assist Trophies]], such as [[Shadow]], [[Tingle]], and [[Magnus]]. While these reports ended up being later confirmed by video evidence, one particular character implicated in these reports, [[Chunky Kong]] from ''Donkey Kong 64'', completely eluded any sort of video or photographic evidence. Despite the lack of evidence, people initially generally believed this report, as it came from multiple independent sources, that even fully described his effect as "slamming the ground to make bananas fall from the sky". However, [[Smash-Fest]] passed without any sort of video or photographic evidence of Chunky Kong, and with the lack of direct or indirect confirmation from Sakurai, it became doubted if these reports were entirely telling the truth. Chunky Kong later became a minor in-joke within the ''Smash'' community; with the lack of any sort of concrete evidence to prove the character's existence despite multiple claims to the contrary, the character was [[Media:ChunkyKongHoax1.png|jokingly]] [[Media:ChunkyKongHoax2.png|compared]] to {{s|wikipedia|Bigfoot}}, a famous North American {{s|wikipedia|cryptid}}. | ||
After E3 2014 passed, with there still being no visual evidence of Chunky Kong despite the tens of hours of new gameplay footage being seen, the Chunky Kong Assist Trophy was generally regarded as a false report, though it was not known if it was intentionally falsified information, or inadvertently mistaken with another gameplay element. The rumor was ultimately proven completely false after both the Japanese release of {{for3ds}} and the American release of {{forwiiu}}, where Chunky Kong was still absent. About a month after ''Smash 4'''s release on Wii U, the poster who first reported the Chunky Kong Assist Trophy [http://smashboards.com/threads/k-rools-kremling-kutthroats-request-the-king-in-your-smash-club-nintendo-forms-today.324259/page-516#post-18244015 confessed to fabricating the claim]; he initially intended to use the false piece of information to help himself catch fake leaks, as well as see how many people would repeat his seemingly outlandish claim. | After E3 2014 passed, with there still being no visual evidence of Chunky Kong despite the tens of hours of new gameplay footage being seen, the Chunky Kong Assist Trophy was generally regarded as a false report, though it was not known if it was intentionally falsified information, or inadvertently mistaken with another gameplay element. The rumor was ultimately proven completely false after both the Japanese release of {{for3ds}} and the American release of {{forwiiu}}, where Chunky Kong was still absent. About a month after ''Smash 4''{{'}}s release on Wii U, the poster who first reported the Chunky Kong Assist Trophy [http://smashboards.com/threads/k-rools-kremling-kutthroats-request-the-king-in-your-smash-club-nintendo-forms-today.324259/page-516#post-18244015 confessed to fabricating the claim]; he initially intended to use the false piece of information to help himself catch fake leaks, as well as see how many people would repeat his seemingly outlandish claim. | ||
===Rayman DLC hoax=== | ===Rayman DLC hoax=== | ||
On February 14, 2015, multiple pictures taken of Ubisoft's Rayman supposedly in ''Smash 4'' were posted onto 4chan. The images were of Rayman's character select screen icon, his render, his character unlock splash art, and the main menu of ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U'' with a new sub menu for a shop. Several hours later, video footage of Rayman's icon in the character select screen being highlighted was posted onto YouTube, but it was later taken down by the uploader. Mewtwo could also be seen above Rayman in the video. A similarly-updated character select screen from the 3DS version also surfaced. Many observers initially believed the hoax, since the images and the video were seemingly error-free, were of reasonably high quality, had renders not seen in any official material, and featured video footage, which was considered near-impossible to fake. This rumor also lined up with a [ | On February 14, 2015, multiple pictures taken of Ubisoft's Rayman supposedly in ''Smash 4'' were posted onto 4chan. The images were of Rayman's character select screen icon, his render, his character unlock splash art, and the main menu of ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U'' with a new sub menu for a shop. Several hours later, video footage of Rayman's icon in the character select screen being highlighted was posted onto YouTube, but it was later taken down by the uploader. Mewtwo could also be seen above Rayman in the video. A similarly-updated character select screen from the 3DS version also surfaced. Many observers initially believed the hoax, since the images and the video were seemingly error-free, were of reasonably high quality, had renders not seen in any official material, and featured video footage, which was considered near-impossible to fake. This rumor also lined up with a previous rumor, where Matt Ryan, a manager of communications, marketing, and alliances at Nintendo of Canada, made a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiWdJcEEC7s#t=120 comment] suggesting that Rayman was in the game. | ||
Ultimately, the Rayman rumor was disconfirmed the next day in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaoB7lnOiXM YouTube video showing how the images and video were faked] by the user Artsy Omni, who revealed that he did it as a promotional stunt for his new web series, ''[http://smashifiedart.com/ Smashified]''. Artsy Omni was also the artist and author of another [http://hextupleyoodot.deviantart.com/art/Klonoa-for-Smash-459604523 previous high-quality fake] of {{s|wikipedia|Klonoa}} becoming [http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/633202-super-smash-bros-for-wii-u/69400428 a playable character], which was quickly debunked because of errors in the Japanese text. Artsy Omni would later apologize for disappointing numerous ''Smash'' players with his hoax, though work on ''Smashified'' has continued. | Ultimately, the Rayman rumor was disconfirmed the next day in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaoB7lnOiXM YouTube video showing how the images and video were faked] by the user Artsy Omni, who revealed that he did it as a promotional stunt for his new web series, ''[http://smashifiedart.com/ Smashified]''. Artsy Omni was also the artist and author of another [http://hextupleyoodot.deviantart.com/art/Klonoa-for-Smash-459604523 previous high-quality fake] of {{s|wikipedia|Klonoa}} becoming [http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/633202-super-smash-bros-for-wii-u/69400428 a playable character], which was quickly debunked because of errors in the Japanese text. Artsy Omni would later apologize for disappointing numerous ''Smash'' players with his hoax, though work on ''Smashified'' has continued. | ||
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In late August 2015, Tamaki, an employee from Unseen64, reported that a "reputable source" had informed him of a forthcoming announcement of a {{s|wikipedia|Shovel Knight}} [[amiibo]], and, by extension, an appearance of the character himself in ''Smash 4'', which would be compatible with said amiibo, and retailers would be giving out download codes of said character. {{s|wikipedia|Yacht Club Games}}, the developers of ''Shovel Knight'', did indeed [http://yachtclubgames.com/2015/08/shovel-knight-amiibo/ reveal] a Shovel Knight amiibo at [[PAX Prime 2015]], but [http://www.nintendo.com/amiibo/detail/shovel-knight-amiibo-shovel-knight-series said amiibo] was announced only as having compatibility with the [[Nintendo 3DS]] and [[Wii U]] versions of ''Shovel Knight''. Shovel Knight's amiibo was also shown to have a different base and packaging from the ''Smash'' series of amiibo. | In late August 2015, Tamaki, an employee from Unseen64, reported that a "reputable source" had informed him of a forthcoming announcement of a {{s|wikipedia|Shovel Knight}} [[amiibo]], and, by extension, an appearance of the character himself in ''Smash 4'', which would be compatible with said amiibo, and retailers would be giving out download codes of said character. {{s|wikipedia|Yacht Club Games}}, the developers of ''Shovel Knight'', did indeed [http://yachtclubgames.com/2015/08/shovel-knight-amiibo/ reveal] a Shovel Knight amiibo at [[PAX Prime 2015]], but [http://www.nintendo.com/amiibo/detail/shovel-knight-amiibo-shovel-knight-series said amiibo] was announced only as having compatibility with the [[Nintendo 3DS]] and [[Wii U]] versions of ''Shovel Knight''. Shovel Knight's amiibo was also shown to have a different base and packaging from the ''Smash'' series of amiibo. | ||
Despite these statements, Tamaki stated that Shovel Knight was still on the way according to his source, and was expected to come around the end of October or the beginning of November. The rumor was ultimately debunked following the [[Nintendo Direct#Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U - Final Video Presentation (December 15, 2015)|final DLC announcements]] on December 15, 2015, where Shovel Knight failed to make an appearance of any kind. In 2018, the source came out and explained that he had the Shovel Knight amiibo leaked to him, wrongly | Despite these statements, Tamaki stated that Shovel Knight was still on the way according to his source, and was expected to come around the end of October or the beginning of November. The rumor was ultimately debunked following the [[Nintendo Direct#Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U - Final Video Presentation (December 15, 2015)|final DLC announcements]] on December 15, 2015, where Shovel Knight failed to make an appearance of any kind. In 2018, the source came out and explained that he had the Shovel Knight amiibo leaked to him, wrongly "made the leap", as there were only Smash Bros amiibo available at the time, and gave Tamaki the info.<ref>https://www.twitter.com/Toadsanime/status/978650176847056897</ref> | ||
Eventually, [[Shovel Knight]] made it in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', but as an Assist Trophy. | Eventually, [[Shovel Knight]] made it in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', but as an Assist Trophy. | ||
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1. This article exists to document NOTABLE rumors. As such, any rumors added to this page must have a substantial degree of notability for them to stay. | 1. This article exists to document NOTABLE rumors. As such, any rumors added to this page must have a substantial degree of notability for them to stay. | ||
2. Check to see whether or not the rumor is on the page in the first place. | 2. Check to see whether or not the rumor is on the page in the first place. | ||
3. Notability of rumors should involve either having significant speculation and/or spread in the community (such as large threads on SmashBoards or coverage by notable gaming-related | 3. Notability of rumors should involve either having significant speculation and/or spread in the community (such as large threads on SmashBoards or coverage by notable gaming-related news sites), or have a notable characteristic that differentiates them from other rumors. An example of the former would be the Grinch Leak from Ultimate (which not only caused widespread debate throughout SmashBoards and social media sites about its legitimacy up to the release of Ultimate, but was also covered by mainstream gaming sites), while an example of the latter would be the Lucina rumor for Smash 4 (as it was the first faked leak that utilize mods, which would become a common trend for faking leaks of varying effort). | ||
4. If a rumor is confirmed to be a factual, it belongs on the List of leaks article (https://www.ssbwiki.com/List_of_leaks), not here. | 4. If a rumor is confirmed to be a factual, it belongs on the List of leaks article (https://www.ssbwiki.com/List_of_leaks), not here. | ||
5. If a rumor is removed and you believe it to be notable, outline on the talk page of this article for why you think it is notable. DO NOT IMMEDIATELY EDIT THE RUMOR IN QUESTION BACK INTO THE ARTICLE. | 5. If a rumor is removed and you believe it to be notable, outline on the talk page of this article for why you think it is notable. DO NOT IMMEDIATELY EDIT THE RUMOR IN QUESTION BACK INTO THE ARTICLE. | ||
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===Dante rumor=== | ===Dante rumor=== | ||
Shortly after the reveal of ''Devil May Cry 5'' at E3 2018, a 4chan user posted [https://boards.fireden.net/v/thread/424869809/#q424872463 a thread] claiming to have information related to the game and several other projects related to the franchise. | Shortly after the reveal of ''Devil May Cry 5'' at E3 2018, a 4chan user posted [https://boards.fireden.net/v/thread/424869809/#q424872463 a thread] claiming to have information related to the game and several other projects related to the franchise. Namely, that Dante, the protagonist of the series, would be a playable character in ''Ultimate.'' Throughout the year, several of the poster's claims would be verified, such as several story details, the existence of a training mode and the way that the character Nero purchases upgrades. Perhaps adding to the leak's credibility, a Netflix series based on the franchise was announced later that year, just as the poster had claimed. Users would go on to discover that [https://twitter.com/pg_kamiya/status/700571957658423297 a poll run by Hideki Kamiya], the original creator of the ''Devil May Cry'' and {{uv|Bayonetta}} franchises, asked fans which version of Dante they'd prefer to see collaborate with Bayonetta. Users pointed out that the date of the poll, early 2016, aligns with the period of time which Sakurai had stated early development on ''Ultimate'' had begun, and that the version of Dante that won the poll was the same version that the 4chan poster had claimed would be in the game. In early August, Matt Walker, the producer of Devil May Cry 5, [https://imgur.com/LVArqNC posted a suspicious tweet] that seemed to allude to something related to the Nintendo Direct that would air during that week. Later in the year, [https://www.reddit.com/r/DevilMayCry/comments/9i7inm/hideaki_itsuno_hideki_kamiya_together_at_tgs_2018/ Kamiya would meet up with Hideaki Itsuno, the current director of the Devil May Cry series] at TGS 2018, adding fuel to the rumors. Eventually, [https://i.redd.it/w70jqikzqsh11.png the rumor] had circulated enough that Walker [https://twitter.com/gypsyOtoko/status/1032867906839879680 took to Twitter to debunk Dante's presence in Smash]. | ||
As both ''Ultimate'' and ''Devil May Cry 5'' released, with Dante absent from the former and the latter being inconsistent with much of the original 4chan post, it's very likely that the original poster simply made several very lucky guesses that were bolstered by a series of coincidences. | As both ''Ultimate'' and ''Devil May Cry 5'' released, with Dante absent from the former and the latter being inconsistent with much of the original 4chan post, it's very likely that the original poster simply made several very lucky guesses that were bolstered by a series of coincidences. | ||
Additionally, [https://www.gameinformer.com/2019/02/08/devil-may-cry-director-says-if-smash-bros-fans-want-dante-ask-capcom-for-his-games-on Itsuno told the press that he'd prefer to see the ''Devil May Cry'' series debut on Nintendo consoles before considering Dante as a playable fighter in Smash.] On May 6th, 2019 a port of the original ''Devil May Cry'' was [https://www.polygon.com/2019/5/6/18534531/devil-may-cry-nintendo-switch-release-date announced] to be coming to Nintendo Switch, leading to further speculation following the comments made by Hideaki Itsuno. | Additionally, [https://www.gameinformer.com/2019/02/08/devil-may-cry-director-says-if-smash-bros-fans-want-dante-ask-capcom-for-his-games-on Itsuno told the press that he'd prefer to see the ''Devil May Cry'' series debut on Nintendo consoles before considering Dante as a playable fighter in Smash.] On May 6th, 2019 a port of the original ''Devil May Cry'' was [https://www.polygon.com/2019/5/6/18534531/devil-may-cry-nintendo-switch-release-date announced] to be coming to Nintendo Switch, leading to further speculation following the comments made by Hideaki Itsuno. | ||
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On October 24th, 2018, an image quickly circulated around the internet of the apparent final version of ''Ultimate''{{'}}s character banner; in it, [[Isaac]], [[Banjo]] & [[Kazooie]], [[Shadow the Hedgehog]], [[Ken Masters]], the Chorus Kids from {{uv|Rhythm Heaven}}, [[Geno]], and the [[Mach Rider]] can be seen. Images of the banner were apparently posted from an unknown artist's {{s|wikipedia|Snapchat}}, and quickly spread across the internet, before getting deleted by the original poster. It seems that the post was ''intended'' to be a leak, as a caption in the image reads "nique ninteno{{sic}} mdrrr", which translates from French as "fuck <!--Do not asterisk this out. SmashWiki is not censored.--> ninteno{{sic}} lolll" ("mdr" in French is short for "mort de rire", or "dying of laughter", an equivalent to the English "laughing out loud" or "lol"). The validity of the pictures of the banner was difficult to disprove, as, much like the [[ESRB leak]], renders of the new characters could not be found elsewhere on the internet. | On October 24th, 2018, an image quickly circulated around the internet of the apparent final version of ''Ultimate''{{'}}s character banner; in it, [[Isaac]], [[Banjo]] & [[Kazooie]], [[Shadow the Hedgehog]], [[Ken Masters]], the Chorus Kids from {{uv|Rhythm Heaven}}, [[Geno]], and the [[Mach Rider]] can be seen. Images of the banner were apparently posted from an unknown artist's {{s|wikipedia|Snapchat}}, and quickly spread across the internet, before getting deleted by the original poster. It seems that the post was ''intended'' to be a leak, as a caption in the image reads "nique ninteno{{sic}} mdrrr", which translates from French as "fuck <!--Do not asterisk this out. SmashWiki is not censored.--> ninteno{{sic}} lolll" ("mdr" in French is short for "mort de rire", or "dying of laughter", an equivalent to the English "laughing out loud" or "lol"). The validity of the pictures of the banner was difficult to disprove, as, much like the [[ESRB leak]], renders of the new characters could not be found elsewhere on the internet. | ||
The leak has been dubbed | The leak has been dubbed "'''the Grinch leak'''", as a previously unseen render of the {{s|wikipedia|Grinch}} can be seen in the bottom right corner in one of the pictures, and another render of the Grinch with his dog, Max, can be seen at the top of another picture. The particular renders are promotional{{fact}} material for the then-upcoming 2018 film ''{{iw|wikipedia|The Grinch|film}}'', which seemingly supported the leak's validity, as few believed that a constructor of a fake banner would also put in the time and effort to associate it with an unrelated film. A cropping error on the banner and some stray green pixels also existed where Isaac's location was in the Grinch leak, seemingly further supporting its validity. | ||
Hours after the leak's emergence and popularity, several fans noted that there were inconsistencies with an official picture of the background seen in the banner, as well as the fact that one could easily photoshop characters out of the picture entirely,<ref>https://smashboards.com/threads/smash-ultimate-discussion-warning-possible-spoilers-leaks.434391/page-5979#post-22581992</ref> and started to doubt its legitimacy.<ref>https://twitter.com/MrNantendo/status/1055206265964716042</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivL1yvVtpfA</ref> It was also revealed by French graphics company Marina PLV that the leaker used to work for them, and left the company in 2016<ref>https://www.facebook.com/MarinaPLV/posts/1070378256464354</ref>; this, while true, was countered by the fact that the company the leak came from is ACP-PLV, where the leaker currently works.<ref>https://nintendosoup.com/more-evidence-the-super-smash-bros-ultimate-character-leaks-are-real-have-surfaced/</ref> | Hours after the leak's emergence and popularity, several fans noted that there were inconsistencies with an official picture of the background seen in the banner, as well as the fact that one could easily photoshop characters out of the picture entirely,<ref>https://smashboards.com/threads/smash-ultimate-discussion-warning-possible-spoilers-leaks.434391/page-5979#post-22581992</ref> and started to doubt its legitimacy.<ref>https://twitter.com/MrNantendo/status/1055206265964716042</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivL1yvVtpfA</ref> It was also revealed by French graphics company Marina PLV that the leaker used to work for them, and left the company in 2016<ref>https://www.facebook.com/MarinaPLV/posts/1070378256464354</ref>; this, while true, was countered by the fact that the company the leak came from is ACP-PLV, where the leaker currently works.<ref>https://nintendosoup.com/more-evidence-the-super-smash-bros-ultimate-character-leaks-are-real-have-surfaced/</ref> | ||
In the Nintendo Direct on November 1, 2018, Ken and Incineroar were revealed as the final fighters in the base roster, contradicting the banner's rumored characters. Shadow and Isaac were shown in the direct, but as Assist Trophies, while Mach Rider, Geno, and the Chorus Kids were later revealed as Spirits. Additionally, Ken's artwork is slightly different than the leaked banner's<ref>[https://i.imgur.com/qm4vHcm.png]</ref> and in a completely different location. Banjo and Kazooie are the only characters in the leak that didn't make an appearance in the base game in any shape or form, although they were revealed as the third DLC fighter in the Fighters Pass Vol. 1 on June 11th, 2019. | In the Nintendo Direct on November 1, 2018, Ken and Incineroar were revealed as the final fighters in the base roster, contradicting the banner's rumored characters. Shadow and Isaac were shown in the direct, but as Assist Trophies, while Mach Rider, Geno, and the Chorus Kids were later revealed as Spirits. Additionally, Ken's artwork is slightly different than the leaked banner's<ref>[https://i.imgur.com/qm4vHcm.png]</ref> and in a completely different location. Banjo and Kazooie are the only characters in the leak that didn't make an appearance in the base game in any shape or form, although they were revealed as the third DLC fighter in the Fighters Pass Vol. 1 on June 11th, 2019. | ||
Much later in 2024, following a list of controversies from MysticDistance, who went by the name Midori on Twitter since 2022 and involving catfishing, grooming, and abuse, LunaTheTrip confirmed that he corroborated to the rumor. This also confirms the rumor was not done by one person, but as a group.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://x.com/LunaTheTrip/status/1801063091754401814|title=Luna on Twitter|date=June 12, 2024|accessdate=June 13, 2024|publisher=Twitter}}</ref> | |||
===Extra character slots datamine=== | ===Extra character slots datamine=== | ||
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===IAmShifty/Brew Elfen Ryu Hayabusa Rumor=== | ===IAmShifty/Brew Elfen Ryu Hayabusa Rumor=== | ||
On August 30th, 2019, a YouTube user by the name of IAmShifty posted a [https://youtu.be/JcwSKSy-nIY video] claiming that Ryu Hayabusa from the ''{{s|wikipedia|Ninja Gaiden}}'' series would be joining the Fighters Pass for ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. According to the user, Ryu would be the fourth character to be announced for the Fighters Pass. Previously, he had supposedly correctly [https://youtu.be/TKe4M3VuN6o?t=125 leaked] {{SSBU|Isabelle}}, {{SSBU|Ken}}, {{SSBU|Incineroar}} and {{SSBU|Piranha Plant}} as playable characters, in addition to [[Marx]] appearing as a boss character in the game. | On August 30th, 2019, a YouTube user by the name of IAmShifty posted a [https://youtu.be/JcwSKSy-nIY video] claiming that Ryu Hayabusa from the ''{{s|wikipedia|Ninja Gaiden}}'' series would be joining the Fighters Pass for ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''. According to the user, Ryu would be the fourth character to be announced for the Fighters Pass. Previously, he had supposedly correctly [https://youtu.be/TKe4M3VuN6o?t=125 leaked] {{SSBU|Isabelle}}, {{SSBU|Ken}}, {{SSBU|Incineroar}} and {{SSBU|Piranha Plant}} as playable characters, in addition to [[Marx]] appearing as a boss character in the game. | ||
IAmShifty's claim was proven false on the September 4th, 2019 Nintendo Direct when {{SSBU|Terry}} was revealed to be the fourth fighter in the Fighters Pass instead of Ryu Hayabusa. On October 15th, 2019 IAmShifty reiterated by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFiLAWUhehk claiming] that Ryu Hayabusa would be the fifth character in the Fighters Pass. This lined up with a leaker called Brew Elfen, who also claimed that Ryu would be the fifth character and who had [https://facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=726541694366622&id=100010323940226&_rdr previously leaked] Piranha Plant on November 1st, 2018. These claims were proven false by the January 16, 2020 presentation when {{SSBU|Byleth}} was revealed instead, and as of the conclusion of Fighters Pass 2 with {{SSBU|Sora}}'s announcement, Ryu Hayabusa nor any ''Ninja Gaiden'' content appeared in ''Ultimate''. | IAmShifty's claim was proven false on the September 4th, 2019 Nintendo Direct when {{SSBU|Terry}} was revealed to be the fourth fighter in the Fighters Pass instead of Ryu Hayabusa. On October 15th, 2019 IAmShifty reiterated by [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFiLAWUhehk claiming] that Ryu Hayabusa would be the fifth character in the Fighters Pass. This lined up with a leaker called Brew Elfen, who also claimed that Ryu would be the fifth character and who had [https://facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=726541694366622&id=100010323940226&_rdr previously leaked] Piranha Plant on November 1st, 2018. These claims were proven false by the January 16, 2020 presentation when {{SSBU|Byleth}} was revealed instead, and as of the conclusion of Fighters Pass 2 with {{SSBU|Sora}}'s announcement, Ryu Hayabusa nor any ''Ninja Gaiden'' content appeared in ''Ultimate''. |
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