‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’ Director Masahiro Sakurai Says There Are No Plans For a Sequel, But It’s Still a ‘Possibility’
Now that the final fighter has arrived in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it’s only natural for many fans to wonder what might be next for the series. Nintendo‘s Masahiro Sakurai created the first Super Smash Bros. game back in 1999, and the franchise has developed a massive fan base in the years since. Sakurai has shown no sign of slowing down in the last two decades. However, with how much content Smash Ultimate has received, will any sequel be comparable?
According to Sakurai, there are no plans for another Smash Bros. installment right now — but fans should never say never.
‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’ received its final DLC in October
Nintendo released Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch in 2018. Since then, the crossover fighting game has received 12 more characters via downloadable expansions. Additionally, Smash Ultimate’s updates typically included new stages and new Mii costumes.
On Oct. 5, Sakurai hosted his final “Mr. Sakurai Presents” showcase to announce the last DLC fighter: Sora from Kingdom Hearts. Sora had been highly requested by many Smash Ultimate players, making him the perfect final addition.
“Having a fan-favorite character like Sora join the ranks of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the perfect way to close out the Fighters Pass expansions,” said Nick Chavez, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Communications. “With a dozen fighters added since the game launched, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate now boasts 86 total fighters spanning the entire history of video games, giving players an unprecedented amount of gameplay choices and options.”
Masahiro Sakurai says there’s always the potential for another ‘Smash Bros.’ sequel
Sakurai isn’t sure what Smash Bros.’ future could hold, but anything’s possible. In an interview with Famitsu magazine, translated by PushDustIn and Source Gaming, Sakurai said he currently has no plans for a Smash Ultimate sequel.
“First off, I’m not thinking about making a sequel. That said, this is my thought process with every installment of Smash Bros. I always think that this will be the last Smash Bros. I will ever make, and yet I’ve continued to make new installments,” he said. “In that sense, I can’t say definitively that ‘This is the last Smash.'”
The game director continued on to say that virtually anything is possible for Super Smash Bros.’ future. However, Sakurai also recognized how hard it might be to top Smash Ultimate.
“It’s clear that we have reached our limits in many ways, and we will need to think about whether it’s worth disappointing fans by cutting down on the number of fighters (and other content) just in order to release the next installment,” he added.
Masahiro Sakurai isn’t sure if the ‘Smash Bros.’ series could continue without him
The future of Super Smash Bros. may heavily depend on Sakurai’s level of involvement. After two decades, it would be perfectly reasonable for him to want to take a step back. Of course, he hasn’t made any decisions on that front yet. Still, Sakurai admitted in the interview that he had thought about it.
“As is the case with many series, it’s important to consider whether there is someone who can take over when the original creator is no longer around,” Sakurai said. “The more a work depends on its authorship, the more difficult it is to ensure its continuation.”
He added that he doesn’t “see any way for Smash Bros. to be produced without [his] involvement.” Sakurai said he has tried to find a potential replacement for the Smash Bros. series, but to no avail.
“No one other than me has ever served as the director or planned the inclusion of new fighters,” he said. “Given these conditions, I have to seriously consider whether or not the game will succeed if I entrust the job to them.”
Smash Bros.’ future remains up in the air. For now, fans can check out Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, available on Nintendo Switch.
