The creative director of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and the godfather of the series as a whole, Masahiro Sakurai, has warned that there are no plans for a new game in the series, at least not at the moment. This month, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate turned three years old, only a few weeks after support for the best-selling and critically-acclaimed Nintendo Switch exclusive came to an end. Since then, fans of the franchise have begun to speculate about the next installment, with many under the impression that a follow-up was already in the works, but it turns out this isn’t true. According to Sakurai, not only are there no plans for a new game, but fans shouldn’t expect that there will also be another game.
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“I can’t really think about future prospects at the moment. If Nintendo decides they want to make another one and offers me the job, that’s when I’d start thinking about it,” said Sakurai, who has yet to confirm he’ll work on the next installment when and if it’s made. “When you say ‘returning to the series’, it makes it sound like there is going to be another Super Smash Bros. title, but currently, there are no such plans. It would be best not to assume that there will always be another one.”
Sakurai continued, noting that not only is he not sure if he will work on the series again, but if he will continue to make games.
“Apart from that, I may not necessarily continue with creating more games, as I could potentially go down a different path. As for involvement with the gaming industry, there are various ways to do that. I like to keep an open mind about what I should do and take a look at all the different possibilities.”
As you may know, Sakurai has talked about retiring from both the series and game development in the past, but so far, Nintendo has continued to reel him back to making the platform fighter. That said, Sakurai has now reiterated some of these points, hesitations, and concerns several times, suggesting there’s some serious weight behind them, which is not only disappointing news for fans of the series, but worrying as well.ย
As for the series, there were four years between Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and its most recent predecessor, which is why many assumed a new installment was already in the works. However, not only did Nintendo support Super Smash Bros. Ultimate more than previous installments, but there have also been larger gaps between releases in the past, including gaps of both six and seven years. In other words, it’s also nothing out of the ordinary that the next installment isn’t already being worked on.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available via the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, and Nintendo Switch OLED. For more coverage on the best-selling platform fighter — including not just the latest news, but the latest rumors, leaks, and speculation — click here.
H/T, IGN.
