In the latest Famitsu magazine, Sakurai discusses the possibility of the future of Smash. I felt that a tweet thread wouldn’t do the exchange justice, so I worked on a full translation! Enjoy.
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Note: Do not repost the full translation. Please use the first two paragraphs, link to this translation, and credit Source Gaming. The following is a selection from Famitsu. This translation is for fan use only, and may not accurately reflect the opinions of Masahiro Sakurai. If you enjoyed this article, I would strongly encourage you to support Sakurai by buying his books.
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Interviewer: With the release of Smash Ultimate, you’ve taken the series as far as it can go and the amount of content [in the game] couldn’t be more. I know it’s difficult to answer this question, but is it even possible to follow up Smash Ultimate?
Sakurai: It’s impossible. Impossible. Impossible!
Interviewer: Don’t say that! (laughs)
Sakurai: 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. In that sense, I can’t say definitively that “This is the last Smash”. There is any number of possibilities in the future, and there is the possibility for a future Smash Bros. However, 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.
Interviewer: I think there are a lot of fans who would like to see a new entry to Smash under your direction. On the other hand, in one of your past columns, you wrote, “In order for a series to continue for decades, some believe you must do away with the individualization of its creation.”
Sakurai: 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. The other day, Takao Saito, the creator of “Golgo 13,” passed away, and it was announced that work would continue on the production. But the decision might have been different if it was a manga like Berserk. The more a work depends on its authorship, the more difficult it is to ensure its continuation. And at the very least, I don’t see any way for Smash Bros to be produced without my involvement. For example, the Challenger Approaching trailers would not have the same level of quality if it was produced entirely by an outside firm. Also, it’s not as if some staff member has been accumulating the know-how of Smash Bros. It would also be difficult to capture the essence of various game titles and combine them into a spec document. For starters, no one other than me has ever served as the director or planned the inclusion of new fighters. Given these conditions, I have to seriously consider whether or not the game will succeed if I entrust the job to them.
Interviewer: If someone was able to do all of that then they would be like Superman.
Sakurai: To be honest, I’d rather leave it to someone else because it’s very hard for me. I’ve actually tried, but it didn’t work out. I may be able to find someone who can make improvements here and there, but I don’t have a clue who would be able to create content from nothing [in the same quality]. If the series is to continue, there will have to be a back and forth between me and Nintendo to discuss what form it should take to be successful.
Interviewer: Thank you so much for your time. It’s sad to see the interview end, but please leave a message to all the fans of Smash Bros.
Sakurai: I would like to thank everyone for their support up ‘til now! The reason we’ve been able to do so many things with the DLC is because of all of the people who support it, and I’m very grateful for that. We’ve created a game that allows you to do a lot of different things, so we hope you’ll try whatever you like, and not just stick to one thing!
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I like Sakurai but I still stand by my stance that he should retire from Smash and let someone he trust handle SSB6 and future titles from there on, which is easier said then done of course. Judging by this final column he really do want to leave the series in capable hands but for various reasons hasn’t been able to.
I really hope Sakurai and Nintendo can work something out as soon as possible so he can focus on other non-Smash related gaming developments that he wants to do.
For better or worse Sakurai can stick around as creative consultant. He also needs to be personally involved in choosing a successor for his place within SSB development.
The question is, who could take over after Sakurai? The only ones I seen being frequently mentioned are Miyamoto or Koizumi but they seems like unpopular options for some reason.
SSBU died for me when they added the absolute worst, weakest and lowest person to the game. Anyone who has played all and I mean ALL of the KH games knows that sora is fkn weak, wasn’t ever chosen to be a holder, has a fractured heart, and apparently is nothing more than a feeble vessel. Yet the fker got into smash, not Aqua an actual keyblade MASTER, that fought off god level heartless without a keyblade after having it taken away and surviving, or Rikku, or Kairi or anyone else that was actually relevent, but instead the lousy worthless poster child gets added to smash.
Man, there is a lot I disagree with him on; he seems delusional in some ways.
It is obvious Smash can continue without his involvement; this isn’t some complicated thing where you have to understand the layers and emotions of the characters; it is a fighting game he created like three of the characters in lol. Any fan could’ve came up with the idea of Smash.
“For example, the Challenger Approaching trailers would not have the same level of quality if it was produced entirely by an outside firm”… idk man; that Project M Waluigi trailer was better than anything the entirety of Nintendo has produced over the last ten years.
Waluigi had a good trailer but it’s not close to Sephiroth’s trailer.
You sure don’t understand what smash is all about, attention to detail. A lot of fighters play like in his games because of the way sakurai designed their movesets (unlike marvel vs capcom where the fighters are designed to adapt to a fighting game, smash adapts to the fighters)