I'd say that, once he gets announced, we'll be happy. I don't care if we look foolish now, because whether or not he's currently in there isn't the concern, it's whether or not he's in there when the game is released or when they announce for sure that he's in there. I mean, we'd still be getting what we want if he's in there in the end, so I wouldn't feel foolish. Unless Sega did something like "We've had him in there the whole time", in which case I'd respond "then you should have told us sooner so we didn't have to come to this!".
I understand the need to surprise people, but this is past the point of surprising. They're getting more people anxious to see the roster this time around, and are focusing on some characters that also have needed their due credit for a while, but at what expense does having Ryo in there mean for other mainstays? If Sega had a different history with their treatment of IPs and handling of everything else, I'd not be extremely suspicious right now, but in fact, I am. Also, I know TRiPPY and DiGi have their sources of info that rarely steer them wrong, so I put my faith in them. Blind faith isn't always a good thing, but it isn't always a bad thing either. When you make enough noise, you get noticed, and usually get handled in one way or another. If there's a dog barking at your window, you either shut the window or find a way to get the dog to stop. How Sega deals with that kind of situation has been apparent for a while, especially with all of the Sonic issues through recent years. How many times have they promised a good Sonic game, hmm? How many times have they actually DELIVERED? You throw enough darts at the board, something is bound to hit, but their percentage of hitting that mark is, in my opinion, pretty low these days. If they have the chance to be misguided, then I'd say it falls on the fans to do their duty and make a little noise. I'm not saying Sega hasn't done great things, and I do realize it is a lot easier to point out anyone's flaws than it is to praise their redeeming qualities, but this isn't the time to argue that.
Echoing the old adage of "better safe than sorry", it is better to not throw caution to the wind considering the circumstances. I may sound too grand saying this, but one can't live their life betting on everything falling into place, and having NiGHTS in the game "a sure thing" doesn't seem like something I'd bank on. My trust is in TRiPPY and DiGi, they wouldn't be putting themselves out there for nothing!