In late January, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate received its fifth DLC fighter, Byleth from Fire Emblem: Three Houses. In the same day, Game Director Masahiro Sakurai revealed that the second wave of DLC fighters is in development and will feature six characters to be release sometime by December 2021. Since then, fans have been anxiously awaiting news of the next DLC fighter.
Fans have expected the announcements and releases for Fighter Pass Vol. 2 to occur as they did for the previous pass, with characters being revealed in short, fun teasers and later joining the game. But the COVID-19 pandemic might mean that the next character reveal won't happen anytime soon.
As with many other industries, many game developers are working from home right now. However, this seems to not be the case for those working on Smash Ultimate. Whether this is to prevent leaks or because moving to remote work would be impossible for the project is unclear, but either way, the teams seems to be carrying on in the Sora LTD. office for the time being. But there is one situation that would, without a doubt, put an end to production.
In a Famitsu column, Sakurai said, “If someone is found to be infected, the entire building will be closed down and development will be halted altogether.” While, for now, production is moving forward, it could be a matter of time before COVID-19 shuts down production. Japan currently has around 1,100 confirmed cases of the disease. Tokyo, where Sora LTD. is located, has around 140 confirmed cases, so it is entirely possible that someone in the company could become sick.
It is for this reason that Sakurai says he won't reveal any of the DLC fighters for the time being. If he did reveal who was next but Sora LTD. had to shut down production, that would mean that fans around the world will be forced to wait a long time for the new character. However, this doesn't mean that the next DLC character won't come out anytime soon. Since the team is still working on the characters, it is possible that Sakurai could do a same day reveal and release of the next fighter as soon as they're ready.
Regardless of what happens with Smash Ultimate's DLC, the COVID-19 pandemic has painted a somewhat grim future for the games industry. Important gaming events like E3, have been canceled due to the global crisis, and people who preordered Final Fantasy VII Remake on Amazon might not get their copies on the day the game launches since games are, rightly, considered non-essential orders.
At this rate, it is likely we will see more game releases and announcements delayed as a result of COVID-19. Hopefully, those working in the industry are taking the necessary precautions to stay healthy, but in any case, the severity of the situation and the uncertainty in the world is obviously affecting gaming. Sakurai's statement is just another indication that more bad news could be ahead and reinforces the importance of social distancing to stop the spread of the coronavirus.