Ever since it was announced, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was determined to establish a reputation as an extraordinarily ambitious crossover venture. Years later, Smash Ultimate has only gone further to prove that it's an unprecedented union of video game franchises. There's tons of fighters in the game that nobody thought would make it there, from classic Nintendo antagonists like Ridley and King K. Rool and highly demanded fighters like Banjo and Kazooie, as well as Minecraft's Steve and Alex. The second Fighters pass for Smash Ultimate is winding down, but fans are holding out hope that Nintendo will announce a third pass and keep the crossover going.
Many famous video game companies have come up with representatives by now. For instance, Square Enix just added another Smash representative with Sephiroth, to the delight and surprise of many. However, there's still a lot of really influential studios that don't have a fighter in Smash yet. One of those is Bethesda. It can't be denied that Bethesda is one of the most successful developers of RPGs in the industry, so frankly it's surprising that Smash Ultimate doesn't have a single fighter from its franchises yet. Microsoft has established connections to Smash, though, and Bethesda is now a Microsoft affiliate. If Nintendo pulls through and delivers another Fighters Pass, Bethesda's new ties to Microsoft might help it get into Smash.
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Microsoft has plenty of clout in the video game industry -- it's responsible for the Xbox, after all. That's why it's not surprising that Microsoft has been able to get two characters into Smash Ultimate via the DLC fighter slots. First there was Banjo and Kazooie, which was a triumphant return for these characters to a Nintendo console. Microsoft acquired Rare after it parted ways with Nintendo years ago, but now the companies appear happy to share Banjo and Kazooie in some small measure. Many months later, Steve and Alex got into Smash, which was Microsoft's doing too, since Mojang is under its wing now. Clearly Nintendo and Microsoft have a pretty healthy working relationship right now as far as Smash Ultimate goes.
It's impossible to know what goes on behind closed doors, but it's possible that Bethesda just hasn't been able to get in touch with Nintendo about joining Smash so far. After all, Masahiro Sakurai and his team only have so much time and so many resources to devote to Smash's development, so Nintendo has to be very particular about new fighters. Nintendo might just have other studios that it prioritizes over Bethesda when it comes to Smash invitations. Now that Bethesda and Microsoft are partnered up, though, things could change.
Although Microsoft only recently completed its Bethesda acquisition, it could already be in talks with Nintendo to get a Bethesda character into Smash. It seems to have plenty of leverage to use to convince Nintendo that another fighter would be mutually beneficial. It certainly would be; a Smash Ultimate expansion bringing a Bethesda character into the game would sell extremely well, seeing how long fans have been hoping Nintendo will invite Bethesda's characters some day. If Microsoft convinces Nintendo to let Bethesda join in on the fun, there's lots of possible fighters that fans can expect.
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It wouldn't be surprising if Bethesda suggested that Nintendo add a character from The Elder Scrolls to Smash Ultimate. More specifically, it seems plausible that Bethesda would strongly suggest that the Dovahkiin from The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. Bethesda has spent many years reveling in Skyrim's success, so it only seems natural that it might want to honor Skyrim's achievements by putting Skyrim's player character in Smash. There's lots of potential for a moveset, too. The Dovahkiin could switch off between all kinds of weapons and spells while also mixing in powerful dragon shouts to dominate the battlefield.
Fallout is also on the table as a franchise that could join Smash. Any one of the player characters from across Fallout's recent history might be chosen to join Smash, although Fallout 4 seems slightly more likely, just by virtue of being fairly recent. Fallout might not have as good a chance of joining Smash as The Elder Scrolls, though, knowing Nintendo's traditional aversion to putting realistic guns in Smash. Many fans have taken the Vault Boy costume for the Mii Gunner to be all the representation Fallout will get, but hopefully it's not the end of Bethesda's hopes.
Bethesda fighters in Smash can't be discussed without bringing up the Doom Slayer. Doomguy is hotly demanded as a fighter for Smash, and if Bethesda and Microsoft were to negotiate for another Smash fighter, it's sure that Doomguy would come up as a part of the conversation. He might be waylaid by Doom's reputation for decadent violence. However, Nintendo has tamed down other media like Bayonetta for Smash, so it could feasibly find a way to make Doomguy presentable for Smash. Inviting Doom's protagonist to the game would make a third Fighters Pass an instant hit.
Nintendo has yet to confirm a third Fighters Pass, and there's a distinct chance that it might opt out of continuing to support Smash Ultimate with DLC. The game has been out since the end of 2018, and already has a lot of worthy DLC for fans to enjoy. However, Nintendo has probably realized by now that it can make a lot of money by continuing to support Smash. Every new character that it puts in the game delights an audience that's been waiting to see their favorite character join their favorite fighting game. Smash Ultimate is already an incomparable crossover and a financial success, which might make Nintendo double down on the game instead of moving on to new Smash plans.
As long as Nintendo hasn't come out and said there won't be a third Fighters Pass, fans can hope that more fighters will join the game. Bethesda is only one of many companies that's probably hoping to get into the game, and it has better odds than ever now that it can use its connection with Microsoft. Fans really want a chance to fight all of Nintendo's biggest stars as the Dovahkiin or Doomguy, so hopefully Nintendo still has a couple more slots that it wants to fill.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now on Nintendo Switch.