Smash Ultimate players think Xbox is teasing Master Chief DLC fighter

Fan speculation that Master Chief could actually be coming to Super Smash Bros Ultimate is reaching new highs, thanks to a couple of recent teases from Microsoft.

The relationship between Microsoft and Nintendo has grown significantly, and has even resulted in two Microsoft-owned characters appearing in the crossover fighter so far: Banjo and Steve from Minecraft.

While Master Chief has always been a bit of a wildcard to round out Fighters Pass Volume 2 and “finish the fight,” some new evidence has surfaced suggesting that the Spartan could very well be duking it out with Mario in the future.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has been known to hide little tidbits of gaming news on shelves in the background of videos. For instance, he actually hid an Xbox Series S there before the console was ever officially unveiled.

Microsoft

What’s with the Switch on Phil Spencer’s shelf?

Now, in a more recent video, he has a Nintendo Switch sitting in the background. While some people have taken this as insignificant, insider Jeff Grubb revealed on a podcast that everything on his shelves “meant something.”

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To follow this up, fellow insider Shpeshal_Ed took to Twitter to write, “The cat seems to be out of the bag on Nintendo and Xbox. You’ll hear more in the fall.”

This seems to confirm that something is planned between the two companies, but even Grubb admitted he wasn’t sure exactly what that was.

(Timestamp 59:42 for mobile viewers)

With all this speculation in the air, the official Halo Instagram account even posted some interestingly-timed fan art of Mario dressed as Master Chief fighting Bowser and Donkey Kong.

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“The adventures of Mario Chief and Peachtana, huh?” Halo captioned the photo with a thinking emoji.

Fans wasted no time in stirring the rumor pot with such comments as “Master Chief in Smash?” and “So Master Chief DLC character in Smash?” being spammed on the post.

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One theory some fans have is that Xbox Game Pass could be coming to Nintendo Switch once a rumored “Switch Pro” is finally announced, potentially at E3. Could Master Chief in Smash be used to christen the deal?

There are also rumors that there will be a special additional DLC fighter released once Fighters Pass Volume 2 concludes. Is it possible that Master Chief ends up being in the spot?

More information on the remaining DLC fighters, what Microsoft has planned with Nintendo and more is expected to be revealed at E3 2021 in June. Until then, the fan theories will likely continue to run wild.