Masahiro Sakurai has stated that there are as of yet ‘No Plans’ for a sequel to Nintendo’s successful Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, saying that “it would be best not to assume that there will always be another one.” He also confirmed that if he were to return to the franchise with a follow-up game, it would be unlikely that a Sequel would maintain the current roster of characters, which includes every character the series has seen in the past plus a large number of long time fan requested characters.
Speaking to IGN in an email interview, the much-loved developer discussed the future of the franchise, simply saying that “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.”
On the Nintendo front, the company is currently not thinking about a follow-up to their popular fighting series, which recently added the long-asked-for lead character of the Kingdom Hearts series, Sora, into the game as its final DLC addition.
When asked if he wanted to work on another franchise in between this and a potential sequel, similar to what Sakurai did with Kid Icarus: Uprising, he made clear there were no foregone conclusions:
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.
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.
The reason this game in the series was called Ultimate was also not lost on the idea of a sequel. Addressing that he stated that:
At the very least, I don’t think it would head in a direction where all of the current fighters are kept and the roster continues to expand. I presume that running such a game on a hypothetical new system alone would exceed the game’s budget.
However, if we try to keep things fresh by shifting to a different genre or greatly changing the direction, then it’s no longer a Super Smash Bros. game. I can’t deny that making this title so expansive has made it a tough act to follow.
Super Smash Bros.
has continued to be one of the most successful franchises for Nintendo since its inception for the Nintendo 64. Most likely we will see it return, despite what he suggests, the question becomes if the game will return with Sakurai. The late Satoru Iwata referred to the game as his final mission for Sakurai. When asked if he felt he had succeeded, his answer was simple:
Yes. I believe I was able to fully complete this mission.
Stay tuned at Gaming Instincts via Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook for more gaming news.
