If you ask its most dedicated fans, the future of the Smash Bros. series is a contentious one. The cartoonish brawlers have always been led by legendary Nintendo developer Masahiro Sakurai, and as he ducks in and out of retirement, fans have realised he might not return to create another fighter after Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Sakurai's future as the head of Smash is in its moonlight phase, and players aren't sure what Smash will look like without him. Some think they've found hints that could suggest what the next Smash Bros game will come to look like - and it's pretty shocking.

Fans think Bandai Namco is developing a new Smash game

Bandai Namco’s new Studio 2/Studio S (internal teams that work on Nintendo games) had job listings for a 2D and a 3D action game
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Some fans in Reddit's GamingLeaksAndRumours subreddit think that a series of Bandai Namco job listings are pointing toward the next Smash game. It's all thanks to Bandai Namco's new dedicated Nintendo-serving studio at the helm, and whether it's something new or a remaster, we're pumped. 

The team helped out with the development of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, so it wouldn't be too far out of the question - especially as new research has brought to light job listings that claim that the team are working on "a 2D and 3D action game."

Someone thinks an uptick in activity could lead to an Ultimate Deluxe release: "Factoring in the news that Ultimate is getting new spirits in January, my guess is they've recently spun back up development on Smash Ultimate for some kind of Ultimate Deluxe that'll come in the first year or so of Nintendo's next console."

As Bandai Namco has worked on the franchise before, and thanks to the huge success of Ultimate, there's a pretty good chance the team would be asked back to help out once again. We're going to have to wait and see what comes of the project - but there's one thing that fans are still worried about.

Will Sakurai return for Smash 5?

The fateful question has been on the lips of fans for years now, and right now, it's hard to tell if Masahiro Sakurai will return to Smash after he has admitted that "It’s going to take some work to figure out exactly how to make that happen." 

Sakurai's return remains open for debate, but as he's said that he's willing to help Nintendo in whatever way he can with a new Smash title, the degree of his involvement is probably slimmer than past entries. As Sakurai is an icon, Smash without him would feel weird. Fingers crossed that this return means that he'll be attached in some way.