Nintendo has just shadow-dropped a Mini Direct out of nowhere and the most surprising announcement was that the next DLC character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will come from ARMS. This pleased the Byleth fans of the world, as s/he was no longer the least popular DLC choice for the game.
The Byleth announcement was at least accompanied by the reveal that the next Fighters Pass would contain six characters instead of five. Masahiro Sakurai has confirmed that these will be the last DLC characters to the game, so the expectation from fans has been sky high in regards to the last representatives in what may well be Sakurai's last game.
Opening up the second round of DLC fighters for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with a character from ARMS was a huge mistake on the part of Nintendo, especially if it wants fans to spend money on the Fighters Pass upfront. There was already a lot of buyer's remorse from those who felt that the last slot of the Fighters Pass was wasted on Byleth, but that choice at least made some modicum of sense. Fire Emblem: Three Houses was a huge hit for the Switch, with many critics and fans calling it one of the best games of 2019. There are at least a lot of Byleth fans in the world who were excited to see Fire Emblem: Three Houses represented in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but can the same be said for ARMS?
ARMS was a pretty good fighting game and it helped inject a little extra excitement into the Nintendo Switch's first year, especially as it was a new franchise. The problem with ARMS is that its place as the biggest fighting game on the Switch was supplanted by Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Interest in ARMS dried up the moment Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was announced, as the world waited with bated breath to learn more about the game.
The fact that an Inkling from Splatoon was the first character announced for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (before we even knew the title of the game) led some fans to believe that an ARMS rep could appear in on the roster. It made sense for an ARMS character to appear in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate at that time, as they're both fighting games and it might have made Super Smash Bros. fans curious to learn about the game if one of its fighters was coming to Final Destination. However, adding an ARMS character as one of the last DLC fighters in 2020 makes no sense, as interest in the game is dead and there is still a vocal hatedom regarding the Byleth announcement.
Nintendo really should have opened up the second batch of DLC fighters with a third-party representative. If the first character was someone like Geno or Sora, then it would have made the Fighters Pass a lot more appealing and would have at least inspired some impulse buys. Opening up with a character from a three-year-old Switch game that few people care about was a bad move, as the people sitting on the fence could be shifted into not buying the new Fighters Pass. If an ARMS character is the caliber of character that is coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in the second Fighters Pass, then why hold out hope that there will be better ones down the line?
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now for Nintendo Switch. The second Fighters Pass containing the ARMS character is available to purchase now. The ARMS character will be revealed and released in June.