Nintendo reportedly working on Super Smash Bros Switch for 2018 release

Nintendo is working on a new Super Smash Bros game for Nintendo Switch and aims to release it later this year, according to industry insider Emily Rogers. Like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe before it, the game is expected to be based in part on the last games in the series, released for Wii U and 3DS.

In a post on gaming forum Resetera, Rogers said she could confirm that Nintendo intends to announce and release a new Smash Bros this year, and that it will include both brand new content and content reworked from the previous games.

However, she said: "I don't have enough information to speculate whether Smash Bros will be branded/marketed as a 'deluxe definitive edition port', a 'half-sequel' or a 'full sequel.'"

Rogers has a history of accurate inside information, plus it has been assumed for some time that a Smash Bros port or game of some kind would be heading to Switch sooner rather than later.

The Wii U and 3DS games have sold a combined 14 million copies (five million on Wii U, nine million on 3DS) since their launch in 2014.

The series is a popular staple of the fighting game community and will once again feature at this year's Evo Championship alongside classic GameCube version Super Smash Bros Melee. Given the series' stature in that community, it's in Nintendo's best interests to have an up-to-date Smash Bros on the market for its new console.

Earlier this year Nintendo announced that its premium online service will launch in September, leading to speculation that the service's launch will be supported by an online game of some kinds. Smash Bros instantly springs to mind.