Masahiro Sakurai Admits That Super Smash Bros. for Wii U May Be His Last in the Series

[Lady Lilith]

 

 

Expects the franchise to continue

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is one of the biggest releases of the year, while the 3DS version has also proven to be a critical and commercial success following its October release. Masahiro Sakurai, the driving-force of the series that oversees the projects down to the finest details, has often spoken of the great challenges and workload that the games create.

Speaking to Game Informer magazine, Sakurai-san has indicated that he may not return for the inevitable future instalments; his comments around the strains of the work are some of the most substantial yet:

I can't positively declare there won't be [another Smash Bros. game].

With both Melee and Brawl, I made those games with the thought that there wouldn't be any more sequels. Thus, I really can't deny the chance for another.

However, as for myself, I don't think there will be.

Sakurai-san went on to elaborate on the exceptional workload that the game's scope created, with the Wii U entry in particular featuring more fighters and modes than ever before.

You could say that all the effort in the past to stretch out, keep pushing myself, and provide all these extra merits wound up tightening the noose around my neck in the future.

That may seem like it contradicts my personal desire to keep giving gamers as much as I can, but I don't see any easy answer for it. And yet, despite that, I also have trouble picturing someone else taking my place and providing all this value-added content without me.

Fan demand obviously plays a part; gamers — and consumers in general — tend to expect more and more from their purchases, sometimes unreasonably so. The huge roster in Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS is also an indication of a franchise struggling to rein itself in, albeit there's an argument that this is a self-imposed problem. It's the fear of criticism at cutting the scope, it seems, that has driven Sakurai-san and his team to new extremes.

In terms of scope, and in terms of sheer number of characters, we went beyond our limits long ago.

And yet, if we cut the number of fighters or modes in a future game, I'm sure there would be complaints.

Sakurai-san has stated that he may move away from Smash Bros. before, but has always come back after a rest. Current Smash Bros. development is still ongoing, too, with free Mewtwo DLC and a major update with online Tourneys still due. Once the dust has settled we may — or may not — see Sakurai-san refresh and willing to go again in a few year's time; there are typically a good number of years between releases, after all.

It would certainly be a concern if Sakurai-san did step away from the Super Smash Bros. franchise, as he seems so integral to each project.

 

 

Doesn't he take breaks like this between like every SSB game? If he really means it this time, I hope that maybe his talent can be used to work on a new IP or something.  Nintendo needs new IPs badly, you can only play so much Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon before starting to get bored.  Maybe he can help with the new Star Fox or a 2D Metroid?

[Demigod]

He's quit the series multiple times before but Iwata always seems to announce a new entry without even consulting him. That's how the last Smash games were announced, and Sakurai had already retired the series after Brawl.

[Dr_Mayus]

Sure it is. Just like Halo Reach was the last Halo

 

All this means is it may be his last Smash, Nintendo is not going to give up a cash cow

[CandiBunni]

Sure it is. Just like Halo Reach was the last Halo

 

All this means is it may be his last Smash, Nintendo is not going to give up a cash cow

Halo: Reach was never said to be the last Halo game. What was said was that it would be Bungie's last Halo game.

[DarknessKey92]

Until they Release the Next Nintendo Console, then it will be Super Smash Bros ___.

[ExHaseo]

I'm actually really happy to hear this, because I know that Nintendo isn't just going to let Smash die if Sakurai doesn't want to do it anymore.

 

It seems like Sakurai has been the main force holding the series back these past two iterations. In Brawl, he pushed away the competitive side of the game completely, because he didn't want his game to be played competitively, like Melee was. As if only competitive players enoyed Melee, or something. Then this most recent version, he still wanted to keep it from being too competitive, and he even took out the sub space emissary mode, because the cutscenes would end up online. Which is a pretty dumb reason not to include it. Don't get me wrong, Sakurai always makes good games, but he's way too full of himself, and it holds the games back.

 

So, with Sakurai gone, Nintendo could easily completely outsource it (possibly to Bamco), and they wouldn't have care about intentionally preventing it from becoming competitive, or cutting modes for dumb reasons. 

Edited December 5, 2014 by Rawrgna

[DarkStar83x]

Well, Kirby continued after he left HAL, so...

[DFailureK]

 

you can only play so much Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon before starting to get bored

 

 

Really?  I wouldn't have guessed the way those games sell like hotcakes. 

[LukeWarm115]

I bet he will be back. I just hope we get another Kid Icarus game in the meantime. Uprising was a lot better than critics made it seem.