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The next Super Smash Bros. would have to shrink the roster, says creator Sakurai

By Otto Kratky December 8, 2021

Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai revealed in an interview with The Verge that the next entry in the franchise, if it happens, wouldn’t be as content-laden as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is now.

“I think we’ve reached the limit, at least in terms of volume and content and fighters,” Sakurai said. “Basically, if I were to have the opportunity to work on another Super Smash Bros. game, that means we would have to shrink the roster, but we need to think about whether fans would be pleased about that.”

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A notorious workaholic, Sakurai is seemingly stepping out of his office for the first time in what may be years. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate recently reached a milestone in terms of its post-launch content, having added Kingdom Hearts‘ Sora as its final character. A recent update for the game also added in its final character adjustments, leaving Ultimate‘s roster with some permanent changes.

If Sakurai were to work on another Smash title, he also said that he would want to play a smaller role in its development. “I’ve been doing too much of the work myself, so I’d need to resolve that, too,” Sakurai said. “In order for a longtime series to continue thriving today, we need to think about eliminating the series’ dependence on just one person’s vision.”

With additional development for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate finally wrapping up, it’s not clear what’s next for Nintendo’s titular platform fighter franchise, including whether or not Sakurai would want a part to play in it.

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Otto Kratky is a freelance writer with many homes. You can find his work at Digital Trends, GameSpot, and Gamepur. If he's…

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