No, Master Chief Is (Probably) Not Coming To Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

There is an alleged "leak" going around the internet today suggesting that Halo's own Master Chief is coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. An audio recording from 4chan of all places has Cortana relaying a message to the Chief: he has been invited to a battle royale, and some guy named Mario is taunting him. 

While the recording really does sound like Cortana, we're taking this rumor with a grain of salt. Although 4chan has hosted some verifiable leaks in the past, the vast majority of information from this particular corner of the internet is typically falsified for the sake of the lolz. 4chan is a den for trolls, after all. 

Fans have been begging for the inclusion of Master Chief in the Super Smash Bros. for years. Usually, Nintendo characters are given precedence when choosing which fighters will make it into the game, but recent inclusions have proven that Masahiro Sakurai listens to fans. Sans, one of the most memorable characters from indie darling Undertale, made it into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in the form of a Mii Fighter skin. If he made it... why not Master Chief? 

There is one last character coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (in the Fighter's Pass, at least). Who will that character be? Probably not Master Chief, we're sorry to say. This leak, which is supposedly from a rehearsal for the 2019 Game Awards, is highly suspect. The writing doesn't seem to be Halo caliber. 

If, and that's a big if, this rumor proved true, the internet would collectively lose its mind. Halo is enjoying something of a renaissance at the moment after the release of the PC port of Halo: Reach. This game is just the first of many in The Master Chief Collection, which has dominated Steam's bestsellers list. Right now is the perfect time for a Halo-themed Super Smash Bros. announcement. 

But that probably won't happen. Probably.