Smash&Fire Emblem - How much does the series owe its recent success to Smash?

First off I'll say, I know Fire Emblem is a very niche series and not for everyone. That has been well known for years, considering many people never even heard of Fire Emblem prior to SSBMelee.


However, ever since FE: Awakening (which I would consider Fire Emblem's FF7 if that makes any sense) and Smash 4, there's been a HUGE surge of popularity around the series and the like. Just as an example, I took a trip to target recently, mainly to get some birthday gift for a family member of mine, and I saw this big arse sign at the very front of the entire electronic section.

It showed the main character with his back facing front and 2 words on either side of him. Basically the sign said this:


Fire Emblem Fates:


Which side will you choose?


Conquest (main character avatar) Birthright


It's a dual release game, kind of like the Pokemon series (red, blue, yellow etc.)


It just feels like FE is the most popular game no ones ever heard about. I would say the fact the series is still alive is partly due to Sakurai's gracious favoritism to certain series of Nintendo.


Probably only a matter of time before they release a major title on a home console, be it the Wii U or NX....most likely changing the format of combat, though.