Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo's Wii U may be the final installment in the highly successful video game series as designer Masahiro Sakurai says that he probably won't develop another Super Smash Bros. game.
But this may not mean the end of the franchise entirely, just the end under Sakurai. In a recent interview with Game Informer, Sakurai discussed how the games have been developed from the beginning to not have sequels.
"I can't positively declare there won't be [another Smash Bros.]," Sakurai said in the interview. "With both Melee and Brawl, I made those games with the thought that there wouldn't be any more sequels. Thus, I really can't deny the chance for another. However, as for myself, I don't think there will be.
"Our intention [with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U] was to provide extra merits to the game which go far beyond the sale price," he continued. "In terms of scope, and in terms of sheer number of characters, we went beyond our limits long ago. And yet, if we cut the number of fighters or modes in a future game, I'm sure there would be complaints."
The problem is not a lack of content, but too much content, the designer alludes. And that content, Sakurai believes, can't be improved upon or even added to without him. He fears that he set the bar too high for a successor to take over and run with at this point.
"You could say that all the effort in the past to stretch out, keep pushing myself, and provide all these extra merits wound up tightening the noose around my neck in the future," he explained. "That may seem like it contradicts my personal desire to keep giving gamers as much as I can, but I don't see any easy answer for it. And yet, despite that, I also have trouble picturing someone else taking my place and providing all this value-added content without me.
"I feel like we've arrived at a very difficult place. One thing I can say, however, is that I hope people don't think that Smash Bros. has come to its natural conclusion as a matter of course. That's my personal plea."
While Sakurai is still the Director of Software Development at his company, Sora Ltd., he announced in February of 2013 that his workload would significantly slow down due to calcified tendinitis in his right shoulder. In addition to Super Smash Bros., his work includes the design and development of the Kirby game series, Meteos, and Kid Icarus: Uprising.
Super Smash bros. is a fighting game that pits various characters from Nintendo's vast catalogue against each other in battle. Up to four players at a time can join up to utilize special attacks, moves, and items to out-damage their opponents. The Wii U version allows for a special mode with up to eight players at a time in certain levels, as well as the exclusive modes Smash Tour, Special Orders, and Event.
The game features 49 playable fighting characters including the Wii Fit Trailer, Animal Crossing 's Villager, Rosalina and Bowser Jr. from the Mario series, Little Mac from Punch-Out!!, Greninja from Pokémon X and Y, Palutena and Dark Pit from Kid Icarus: Uprising, Lucina and Robin from Fire Emblem Awakening, Shulk from Xenoblade Chronicles, the Duck Hunt Duo, third-party characters Mega Man and Pac-Man, and many more. Upcoming characters include Mewtwo who is scheduled to be released with DLC in 2015.
The November 21 release of Super Smash Bros. in North America has been met with excitement from fans, but some are saying that the game is throwing out an error code that essentially breaks their game console.
The error, code 160-0103, has been reported to crash the game due to a corruption of data. For some users, this means a restart, while others are saying that it makes the game itself unplayable. According to GameSpot, the bricked console problem only happens when users try to format their system after the error code occurs.
Nintendo responded to the issue, stating: "A small percentage of consumers playing Wii U may experience error codes (160-0103 and 60-1710) that could affect the ability of the system to function properly. We are investigating this issue now. Until the solution is available, anyone that experiences these error codes can call the Nintendo contact centre at +44 (0) 345 60 50 247 for help and repair."
