Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney/WMG

Let it begin!

Mahone is an alternate universe version of...
, from Level-5's Jeanne D'Arc. Labyrinth City is a heavily altered version of Rouen, and the storyteller is the Duke of Bedford. It should go without saying, then, that both Ace Attorney and Layton take place in this altered version of the real world where Jeanne d'Arc is what actually happened. Presumably,, and Layton, having done his research, goes back in time to stop it at its source by trying to keep Liane from Phoenix and Maya are here because, a, Layton needed an experienced lawyer, and b, Maya's magatama has.

Maxwell is the Storyteller.
Whatever he writes becomes reality. It fits so well it's almost scary.
 * I was going to say the exact same thing about Drosselmeyer.
 * He's the main antogonist (I think) because somebody summoned Cthulu a few too many times...

The Court scene is an example of Super Dickery
The heroes aren't against each other. They have to work together to prove her innocence, but they have to put on a show for the populace.
 * Rather; Professor Layton is doing what a prosecuting attorney is supposed to do. Organize all the charges against the accused girl in a way that is falsible.. At the moment, Labyrinth City is ruled by mob mentality; and their accusations against her have contradictions; but rumor-mongering doesn't see that. He's not "pretending" to be a prosecutor; they aren't supposed to "want" to get the defendant guilty or non-guilty.
 * I think this is very plausible: Layton's too smart to actually fall for the accusations. He's probably just pinch-hitting for Edgeworth, as Phoenix seems to do all his best detective work in the middle of court.
 * In that regard, so too could the title itself.

Maya as a Witch
At some point in the game some character will remark, jokingly or not, that Maya might be a witch. Just look at how she's dressed. It's bound to come up.
 * Just look at what she does.
 * Chances are, she will be mistaaken for a witch, and Phoenix will have to defend her.

This time the Court antics will make sense
We find our hero in a Kangaroo court. Just like all the others. However, this time it's a witch trial, and the marsupial-ness is justified.

In a plot twist, it will turn out to also be a crossover with Umineko no Naku Koro ni
Witches, fiendishly difficult puzzles, What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?, finger-pointing, logic battles, Rewriting Reality... seriously, just add some Gorn, Narm, and High Octane Nightmare Fuel and you're covered.

It will be a super extra special cross over
Featuring shoutouts and cameos to every series they can get the rights to! You'll solve morphball puzzles figure out the shortest number of jumps for an Italian find new creatures to summon to solve puzzles

'Storyteller' is not the Big Bad
Given the nature (read: complexity) of the games, it is highly unlikely they will name the series' villain as simply or straightforward as how the trailer did. This troper is pegging that there is another character or a King Incognito, whom will be The Chessmaster or The Man Behind the Man.

The upcoming crossover with Professor Layton is the result of Hobo Phoenix tripping on something else than grape juice...
Come on, there's just no other possible way to fit something like this into canon, neither in terms of timeline, nor... in any other terms. Come on. You know it's true.
 * OBJECTION! Not only does time travel exist in Layton canon, thus implying this is the source, but there's no reason it can't fit into Phoenix canon with all the spirit mediums and coffee summoning!
 * HOLD IT! Time travel is not the same as dimension hopping. The world of PLVAA is in a different world! It's unconfirmed how exactly they wound up there, so this theory still holds viability!

In the Layton crossover, Maya will, at some point, be Don Paolo in disguise.
Because Don Paolo only disguises himself as major characters, has been known to imitate girls Maya's age, and Wright is a playable character. Otherwise, Don will probably impersonate another AA character; probably Gumshoe, Edgeworth, or The Judge, in order of likelihood of being impersonated/present. Also depends on what characters show up from each series.
 * I'd love to see Gumshoe being told by Layton, "You are the culprit!", just for it to turn out no, it wasn't Don Paolo-it was actually Maggie.
 * And you are now Wellington Banned.

Maya will be a defendant in the Witch Trials.

 * A society so obsessed with the Witch Hunt wouldn't pass up a spirit medium. Of course Phoenix couldn't possibly get Maya off the hook without lying then. Or establishing that a spirit medium is much different than a witch.
 * Plus not to mention the fact trouble always seem to find Maya.

At some point, Don Paolo will masquerade as Phoenix Wright or Professor Layton.
Perhaps that's what the trailer is hinting at. He is a master of disguise, after all.
 * Maybe that's not Layton in the trial scene in the trailer, then...

Everybody will be Don Paolo in disguise.
At the same time. Even Don Paolo himself.
 * Why limit it to people? Don Paolo is Everything!

Maya will channel Claire
Because Maya summons a dead person in every Ace Attorney game she appears in. If crossed over with the Professor Layton series...
 * Ouch. Poor Hershel if she does.
 * Better yet, she'll try to channel Claire... and fail, because she's That having been said, I hope they at least try so maybe Claire can have her last name localized since NA missed it.

The puzzles will have an "Object" button
The trailer says that "this time, the puzzles are filled with contradictions". Clearly this means that some of the puzzles will have no solution, and you'll have to object to these. There was even a sort of preview of this in Unwound Future with the unsolvable puzzle that Layton presents to Future Luke.

The Professor Layton and Ace Attorney series do take place in the same world
Self-explantory. Just admit it, it'd be awesome. Both series are about as realistic as each other (Layton has Time Travel and AA has ghosts, both have quirky characters). As for the different art styles, that's pretty easy to explain - the series show the same universe from a different "perspective". This crossover, however, is set in a separate dimension.

Gumshoe and Chelmey will have to work together
"Chelmey: "These days, it seems like everyone and their mum thinks they can do my job." Gumshoe: "You got that right, pal!""

C'mon, you know it'd be awesome.

The ending will be dual sided

 * In the Laytonverse, Layton and Luke will be visiting a dying man who wrote the story after solving an unseen mystery; while in the Ace Attorney world, it'll be a similar situation with someone having just written the story. Basically, it's a Mind Screw Gainax Ending in which both universes are real, but seperate, and fictional to the other.
 * That's actually pretty clever, and feels very Layton indeed. However, it's also quite depressing for a reason that I can't quite express... Given both games' overall tone, I would expect a somewhat more uplifting conclusion. Still, nice idea.
 * I can see what you mean. It would be sad if the friendship Hershal and Pheonix develop never really existed. But you never know, given the way Laytonverse works, things could still hint at the crossover happeneing, just not in the way the game itself presents it.
 * Adding to the idea, the Storyteller is an aging novelist in the Layton verse, while in the AA world he'll be the same, but implied to have psychic powers, thus suggesting that he was sharing ideas between his two selves.

Maya can't summon in the new universe

 * The ability to summon ghosts is limited just to the PW universe. As soon as they switch dimensions she loses her ability to summon and Phoenix can't ask Mia for help.

There will be a NA Release.
Come on! It will!!
 * Confirmed!

The fact that the two franchises don't quite match up in style and tone will be an important plot point, possibly the key to the entire thing
"The mystery is in the contradiction"...

Layton and Luke will get in on the ladder/step-ladder debate
Possibly without Phoenix and Maya around to start it.

Don Paolo WON'T be Maya in disguise.
He'll be Pearl instead.
 * He'll be Trucy! From the future! Cue bewildered and confused Phoenix!

Don Paolo will be somebody in disguise, but at least Layton will know it
Whether he's a mildly helpful citizen, a judge or prosecutor, or even the storyteller himself he'll be working with the gang in order to get home/save the witch girl. Don Paolo's too prideful to come out and join with Layton on his own, so he'll do it as somebody else. When the Professor inevitably figures it out he will probably tell Luke and/or Phoenix.

Labyrinth City is a fake, and exists in both universes, which are shared
In every Layton game, The Reveal flies in the face of everything known about the setting. I see no reason to believe this game shall be different.

Jeeken Barnrod will not be an amoral prosecutor.
Unless we think of a villainous Black Knight, using dirty tactics wouldn't be fit for what he is outside of court, as knights have a code to follow. Not necessarily a straight Nice Guy (it would be kinda hilarious if he was), but not willing to use tricks to get everyone guilty either.

Mahoney will encounter a wolf in story
Just look at how she's dressed. Though admittedly it could be that witch were said to wear red cloaks and travel through the forest to meet their familiars... HOLD IT!

This game takes place between Layton's prequel series and the original series
Why would Luke change his clothes into his more modern one from his prequel series one unless he grows up too much.

This game is gonna be a giant Mind Screw
More so than any other Layton or Ace Attorney game combined.

The plane Phoenix and Maya ride is actually a portal to Labyrinth City
From the pictures shown recently, it's been stated that Phoenix and Maya are taking a trip to London for some reason. Who's in London? The Professor, of course. This would be ok if both franchises weren't set in completely different time periods. This Troper's guess is that the plane is Phoenix and Maya's ticket to Labyrinth City.