Masahiro Sakurai: There's always the possibility of another Smash game... and it's possible there might be a Smash someday that I'm not involved in
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's theme of seeing every fighter's return 'almost didn't happen'
The announcement of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and its theme of "everyone is here," relieved the worries of everyone that has ever mained a character in the iconic series. When Masahiro Sakurai revealed his plans for the upcoming entry to the development team, he was met with gasps of surprise, followed by dead silence.
Nintendo's E3 2018 presentation confirmed the appearance of Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox, Pikachu, Luigi, Ness, Captain Falcon, Jigglypuff, Princess Peach, Bowser, Ice Climbers, Sheik, Zelda, Dr. Mario, Pichu, Falco, Marth, Lucina, Young Link, Ganondorf, Mewtwo, Roy, Mr. Game and Watch, Meta Knight, Pit, Dark Pit, Zero Suit Samus, Wario, Snake, Ike, Pokemon Trainer (consisting of Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard), Diddy Kong, Lucas, Sonic the Hedgehog, King Dedede, Captain Olimar, Lucario, R.O.B., Toon Link, Wolf, Villager, Mega Man, Wii Fit Trainer, Rosalina and Luma, Little Mac, Greninja, Mii Brawler, Mii Swordfighter, Mii Gunner, Palutena, Pac-Man, Robin, Shulk, Bowser Jr., Duck Hunt, Ryu, Cloud, Corrin, Bayonetta, Inkling, Daisy, and Ridley -- a total of 68 fighters so far!
As revealed in a recent Famitsu column, Sakurai apparently considered changing up the formula for the Super Smash Bros. series this time around. Ultimately (pun intended), he opted to follow pre-existing game systems rather than creating new ones. Had he not done this, Sakurai revealed that the roster might only be a third of its current size.
In part two of the Famitsu column, which was translated once again by Source Gaming, Sakurai considered the unlikeliness of every veteran returning in a future Smash Bros. title like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He also notably mentioned the possibility that there may be a Smash Bros. game in the future where Sakurai is not involved with the development.
"So there's always the possibility of another Smash game being released, and it's possible there might be a Smash someday that I'm not involved in," said Masahiro Sakurai.
Sakurai acknowledged the enormous amount of effort necessary to create his envisioned roster. Just the mere attempt at doing it requires an extensive amount of resources.
Permission from all the respective owners needed to be attained and any direction that they gave must be followed. Contractual agreements and legal issues all needed to be in good order. Masahiro Sakurai mentioned that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate "almost didn't happen."
— Masahiro Sakurai.
It's honestly very difficult to imagine a Super Smash Bros. game that isn't directed by Sakurai. He's been the man behind the series since its inception.
During development of the original Super Smash Bros. game for the Nintendo 64, the game was originally going to be called "Dragon King: The Fighting Game". Sakurai would later ask to implement Nintendo all-stars for the roster.
Super Smash Bros. 64 would be released on 1999. The development of Super Smash Bros. Melee, which was initially released in 2001, might've been the hardest on Sakurai.
Melee's development cycle had him working 13 months straight without a single day off. Sakurai's work schedule of working 40 hours straight with only four hours of rest in between would eventually result in him collapsing and being admitted to the hospital.
Eventually, Masahiro Sakurai would leave HAL Laboratory. Many questioned the future of the Super Smash Bros. series without Sakurai. Satoru Iwata, the then president of Nintendo, went out of his way to enlist Sakurai as the director of Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Sakurai notably ran into difficulties during the development of Super Smash Bros. 4 when he was diagnosed with "calcific tendonitis" in his right arm. Despite this, Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS and Wii U launched with the largest roster so far.
Many of Sakurai's ambitions are able to be met in a healthier way thanks to Bandai Namco's return to help develop the game after completing Super Smash Bros. 4. The only other time a team returned to develop two titles in a row, was during the transition from Super Smash Bros. 64 to Super Smash Bros. Melee with HAL Laboratory.
Development with a brand new team would understandably create an adjustment period to the process. This apparently wasn't needed this time. Masahiro Sakurai recognized that this might be the only opportunity to bring every fighter back, and he seized it.
Fortunately, it seems that Sakurai is keeping to a much healthier schedule this time around. He's only been working 50 hours per week and he actually gives himself two days too.
— Nate Bihldorff.
Nintendo has reported that he's been in good health during the development of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Localization manager Nate Bihldorff told GameInformer that Masahiro Sakurai "sort of approaches every Smash Bros. game [as if it's the last one], which is just like – it’s not a literal thing, but he’s approaching it as if it’s the end. He wants to put absolutely everything into it and he doesn’t want to leave anything on the table."
Despite this, Masahiro Sakurai has stated that he's never been truly satisfied with anything that he's made before. He's always pushing himself to make something even greater.
Even for the returning franchise director, Masahiro Sakurai, this project is extremely ambitious as it would completely ruin the theme had cuts been made. This could've been especially devastating for Masahiro Sakurai as he has compared the character selection process as being stressful "almost to the brink of death." In other words, Sakurai was not fond of hurting the feelings of players that played those fighters by cutting them, even if they were considered to be a minor addition.
As stated previously, this might be the only time for the series where this actually happens. There may also be a time where Sakurai is not involved with the development of a Super Smash Bros. entry. It's very important to appreciate the work he does for the fans in the meantime.
For more on the column, I definitely recommend checking out the Source Gaming article that translates it. There's a lot more interesting information revealed.
