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The following is a selection from Famitsu. This translation is for educational and fan use only.
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Sakurai’s Famitsu Column #587
“Awaiting Even More Fighters”
By the time this article is published, the new Smash Ultimate fighter, “Banjo & Kazooie,” will have been released. I hope everyone is excited to try this fighter! I’ll be going into detail about them in “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Mr. Sakurai Presents ‘Banjo & Kazooie!!’”
I have already announced that the fighters in this iteration were chosen because of Nintendo. After the 5 fighters in the Fighters Pass were decided on, we were able to start developing the new fighters before the Fighters Pass was distributed. Lately, I’ve wanted to elaborate on this story.
First, again, the fighter lineup is basically decided by Nintendo. Naturally since they’re confident in me, they would consult me each time asking, “Do you know whether or not you could develop this character?” If the request is unreasonable, I can potentially refuse them.
Our large development team finishes project after project, and they can break projects down into steps. But, I can’t resist myself; I help the team with every step of their development, from the beginning of a concept to its release. On the other hand, before a release, I need to look for any problems. While developing the DLC, the best parts were moving forward with it after finishing the base roster, and helping edit the “Mr. Sakurai Presents” videos.
Since I’m only working on one project, I want to put all of my effort into completing the rest of this one. I don’t need a long break to keep my mind sharp.
We couldn’t take many breaks because we had to go all out for Smash during the base game’s development. Since the team making the DLC has a much smaller project to complete, it’s much easier to check a few hundred jobs in this production cycle than during the base game. Though I still check their progress during the day to make changes to a lot of work, it’s wonderful to have a role in the process.
I’m taking myself further away from the goal… That is to say, I have more to do. Since the development of Smash Wii U/3DS, I wanted to produce a growing Smash Bros. game. Having a game on an online system, I particularly wanted to continue development on a sequel in a similar work space. How long have I been continuing with this… about 7-8 years, I think? That’s a significant portion of my life!
I really enjoy doing this, though. I have such an unexpectedly diverse job, and that really motivates me.
First off, the variety of titles I’m able to work with is such a great honor. I’ve played many games and I’m well acquainted with their details. This becomes a huge plus when I work, so I think my job is suited to me.
And there’s a lot of variety in needing to consider how each character and game can be integrated into Smash’s gameplay. The busy variety in making the Challenger Approaching videos during such a quick production cycle isn’t so bad either.
But, above all other things, Smash Ultimate is in a generally exceptional position when it comes to variety. By having every veteran fighter, and by having a number of collaborations with various games in Spirits mode and countless songs, Smash Ultimate is the ultimate collaborative title. This kind of game is definitely unprecedented.
If the Smash Bros. series continues in the future, then there’s no way this many fighters and series can be represented again.
Still, with all of these costly achievements, requests for other fighters to join the battle don’t stop. Because of the characters in a product like this, you wonder who it doesn’t have.
As long as there’s an opportunity to make more fighters, I want to push the record further. As long as I can please someone with the addition of a new fighter, then I believe it’s best that I continue working on the game.
I’m not thinking about the series’ future. I want to pour myself into the work I’m doing now. There’s still more coming!!
I love translation, writing, and talking about video games. MOTHER has been the series that's inspired me the most - from Itoi's writing to the MOTHER 3 fan translation. I research gaming translations and storytelling through games. I'm also making a game called GNOMONIC. I appreciate any constructive comments to help me improve.
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I still don’t quite understand if when Sakurai said that Nintendo decided the DLC when it was originally announced, he meant the DLC after the Fighters Pass was also picked by Nintendo.
Just a few things to point out. I get the impression most of the dlc is going to be third party, and that he’s going to try and bring in as many new players as possible. Characters that may not have done spectacularly in the ballot may still have a shot, because it seems he takes region into account. For example, he mentioned Bayonetta’s popularity in Europe and US, but not Japan, we know Hero is popular in Japan, Banjo globally, but especially in the west (Americas/Europe), Terry in Latin America from what I hear. So I think he’ll continue to add characters who don’t necessarily have to be global powerhouses, but who have regional popularity. Based on his comments about wanting to improve the record as much as possible, I wouldn’t be surprised if this game hits the 90 character mark by the time dlc is done. Maybe it’ll even reach 100, a number he even alluded to in “Nintendo Dream Interview with Sakurai part 1”.