Why is the Pokémon representation in Smash Bros. so limited in scope?

[Nitro Indigo]

The only spinoffs to ever be represented in are Snap (ZERO-ONE trophy in Melee) and Detective Pikachu (spirit in Ultimate, but I'm guessing it was more to tie into the movie). It can't be because Smash Bros. focuses on the main series of video game franchises, or else there wouldn't be multiple Mario Kart stages. Additionally, the Pokémon spirits in Ultimate were almost all Pokémon species using their Dream World artwork, and non-playable humans rarely got trophies. The only Pokémon items are Poké Balls. Is The Pokémon Company really overprotective of how the brand is represented in crossovers?

 

[Jukain726]

Nintendo owns part of The Pokemon Company, there really shouldn't be an issue. I can't read their minds to know why the spinoffs aren't represented. The rest would require me to know how Ultimate came to be. Did the fans really influence what was put into it, or did Sakurai just want to pull more of his video game buddies into the game?

 

[Nitro Indigo]

I'm not just talking about Ultimate, but the whole series.

 

[Arceusgjengen]

It’s a good question, but as we say in Norway, you are asking more than 7 wise folk can answer. A starting point could be to look into the representation that is in the series.