Nintendo prepares for Banjo-Kazooie Smash Bros. release with Japanese ads

Store displays have precedent for arriving close to release

Adverts for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s Banjo-Kazooie DLC have started appearing in Japanese convenience stores.

According to previously reliable Twitter user PushDustIn, the pop up displays are set to run until September 15. The last time similar ads appeared for the most recent Hero DLC, the character was released within a week.

UPDATE: Nintendo has officially announced Banjo-Kazooie Nintendo Switch for its Switch Online subscription service.

Nintendo has previously said the Banjo-Kazooie DLC will be released in autumn/fall 2019, so any drop ahead of the season’s official start on September 23 would represent an early release.

On Sunday Nintendo uploaded a holding page for Smash Bros. Ultimate’s 4^th DLC character, suggesting it could be preparing to ramp up its marketing for the add-on content.

The listing also suggested the next fighter could be related to developer SNK. SNK is best known for its cult fighting game series King of Fighters and Samurai Shodown, as well as arcade shooter Metal Slug.

Related: Banjo-Kazooie in Smash Bros – Everything we know

Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai has suggested he will continue with his ‘low budget’ character release videos first seen with Dragon Quest’s Hero.

Sakurai announced the release details for the Hero character DLC in July, via an unscripted, ad-hoc video which appeared in deep contrast to Nintendo’s usual slick video presentations.

In his latest Famitsu column, Sakurai explained that he no longer has the budget for high production video presentations, something he first joked about in the Hero presentation itself.