New Super Smash Bros. Ultimate trailer shows a stage builder on the way

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No telling when it'll arrive, but that sure looks like a stage builder to me

A seemingly innocuous Nintendo Switch trailer released earlier this week seems to have outed some fairly big news: a stage builder is coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. You can see a stage builder button in the first few seconds of the trailer above, and though it's a bit blurry, it's definitely legible in the "Games & More" tab of Ultimate's main menu. 

I have to wonder whether Nintendo meant to include this little teaser. It's possible the trailer was filmed using an updated version of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. If that's the case, the update containing the new stage builder may not be that far off. 

Assuming this teaser holds up, Ultimate will be the third Smash game to get a stage builder. The feature first appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii, where it was fairly limited. The stage builder in Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U was considerably more flexible thanks to free-form touch-screen controls, and while it wasn't quite as robust as something like LittleBigPlanet, it also introduced proper online stage sharing. 

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It'll be interesting to see how Ultimate's apparent stage builder leverages the capabilities of the Switch. I'd love to see touch-screen build controls return, and I'd say the odds of that are pretty good considering a similar system is a focal point of another upcoming first-party Switch game: Super Mario Maker 2. A user-friendly way to share and download player-made stages would be nice too. Ooh, and maybe we'll get to unlock new stage options via challenges and story mode? 

New to Smash? Here are some Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tips to get you going.  

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.