Exclusive: Super Smash Bros Ultimate Director's Shocking Statement About the Future of the Series

Highlights

According to Sakurai, although it is conceivable for the series to continue under new leadership, he holds the belief that there is no director capable of stepping into his shoes and preserving the unique essence of the Nintendo crossover game.

Masahiro Sakurai, the director of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, firmly believes that his involvement is crucial for the future of the long-standing Nintendo crossover. Serving as director since the inception of the series with Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo 64, Sakurai has held this position throughout the development and release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Switch. He has shared that the release of Ultimate was a fulfillment of one of the last wishes of the late Nintendo president, Satoru Iwata. Following the completion of Ultimate, Sakurai has shifted his focus to his YouTube channel, "Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games."

Launched in August 2022, Sakurai's YouTube channel aims to educate aspiring game designers and developers. Through his videos, he imparts his game creation philosophies and industry lessons learned. Additionally, he also shares intriguing anecdotes related to the games he has worked on, including insights into the origins of the Super Smash Bros. series. Recently, he released a video discussing his involvement in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and highlighted the unique position he holds as the series relies heavily on his participation for its continuation.

According to Sakurai, it is extremely rare in the industry for a new development team with a freelance director to be utilized for creating new entries in an ongoing series. While he acknowledges the possibility of the series continuing with a different director and team after Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, he personally believes that the series cannot thrive without his involvement. Currently, Sakurai affirms that there is no director who could potentially replace him in shaping the Nintendo crossover game into what it is.

This perspective originated during the development of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, when Sakurai discussed his potential role with the late Iwata after its initial announcement at E3 2005. Sakurai mentioned that despite feeling immense pressure, Iwata understood the challenges of creating a unique game like Smash Bros., and would have struggled to find a suitable director if Sakurai had declined. This viewpoint is also shared by Eiji Aonuma, the producer of the Zelda series. In one of Sakurai's columns, Aonuma voiced that Smash Bros. would come to an end without Sakurai's involvement.

Sakurai affirms in his video that he acknowledges the significance of the series to Nintendo and anticipates the eventual release of a new Super Smash Bros. installment. He has consistently expressed in previous interviews that creating the game would entail a substantial amount of effort. Personally, Sakurai desires to continue collaborating with Nintendo in any capacity. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is exclusively accessible on the Nintendo Switch platform.