The newest Smash Bros. reveal was a jaw-dropper, as earlier today it was announced that Steve is coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Fans waited a few months between the reveal of Min Min (the most recent Smash fighter addition) and Steve from Minecraft. But according to an ex-member of Mojang, the deal has been in the works for much longer than that.

Steve is a complicated addition to Ultimate, but one that the internet was abuzz about, with Twitter trending on the matter. Implementing the character into a fighting game isn't as easy as doing so with more action-oriented icons such as Cloud or Simon Belmont. Whether it was time in development or simply negotiations, apparently Nintendo has been working on this move for up to five years.

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Daniel Kaplan was Mojang's very first employee, and he left the company in 2017. Kaplan was a part of the discussions with Nintendo about adding Steve to Smash Bros. That would put the timetable at at least three years. However, in a tweet, Kaplan asked his followers to guess when the discussions started, and he claims it was at least five years ago.

One particular moment in the Steve reveal video has Masahiro Sakurai, Smash Bros. director, saying that even he didn't think this day would come, indicating that it has been a long process. That is specifically what Kaplan springs his comment off of, as it appears Nintendo has been working with Mojang for a very long time. During the reveal, Sakurai showed off some impressive Minecraft worlds, sharing his appreciation for the game and his joy to finally have it be represented in the Nintendo fighter.

The deal would have needed to go through Microsoft as well, since the company purchased Mojang and Minecraft back in 2014. Nintendo had already collaborated with Xbox before, however, as the two teamed up to bring Banjo & Kazooie to Ultimate last year. That may have been in the works for quite some time as well, as head of Xbox Phil Spencer was on board for Banjo & Kazooie in Smash long before it had been made official.

Nintendo has played nice with many different developers and publishers to bring a wide range of video game icons to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. At one point, it would have seemed impossible for Hero (from Dragon Quest), Snake, Sonic, Joker, Mega Man or Terry Bogard to make it to the games, but here they are. Fans still hope for fighters like Crash and Sora to come to Smash Bros. (traditionally considered Sony/PlayStation characters), but Steve is an excellent addition. With its wide range of roster members, its music, and secrets galore, Super Smash Bros. has long been a love letter to and from Nintendo. But now it is becoming even a love-letter to video games as a whole.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now exclusively for Nintendo Switch.

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