Although Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a big focus for him right now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s all that game director Masahiro Sakurai wants to work on.
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Sure, the forthcoming Switch brawler is going to be a huge hit for the system when it drops around Christmas time. But it could very well be Sakurai’s last with the series as he has expressed a desire to work on other games in the future.
Speaking with Famitsu (with some help from Nintendo Everything), Sakurai explained that he has a desire to work on other games outside of the fighting series. “Of course, there’s always that little voice inside of me that says, ‘I want to work on things that aren’t Smash Bros.‘, and I listen to it,” he said. “But even so, if it’s apparent that my games have even a little bit of personality in them and the player is able to appreciate that, then I’m grateful.”
He continued, “Still, it’s Nintendo that decides whether a new Smash Bros. game will be made or not. When I get that request, it’s my job to make that my top priority without thinking too much about other things. As it stands, I have a ludicrous amount of directing to do – my work is incredibly extensive, and I don’t think that’ll change any time soon! At the very least, it isn’t unreasonable to say that there won’t be another Smash Bros. for awhile after this one is finished.”
That last statement is an interesting one as it could mean a new direction for the fighting series if it were to ever make a return outside of its upcoming Switch release. Ultimate is acting like a “greatest hits” of the series as it were, so it may be a swan song. At least for now. You never know when it comes to the future.
As for us, we’re happy with Sakurai’s work on the series. But it would be interesting to see what he has planned next. We’re wondering what he can do with an action platformer or music/rhythm game. Hmmmm.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate releases on December 7 for Nintendo Switch.
