Masahiro Sakurai: ‘I Can’t Imagine a Smash Bros. Title Without Me’

What’s the future of the Smash Bros. series? A new game seems inevitable, given the franchise’s popularity. But will Smash Bros. development chief be along for the ride? In a new video, Masahiro Sakurai said: “I can’t imagine a Smash Bros. title without me.”

In the latest video published to his YouTube channel, Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games, Sakurai reveals he didn’t learn about 2008 Wii game Smash Bros. Brawl until the E3 when Nintendo announced it to the industry, and ponders the future of the series.

“The question now is what happens next time?” Sakurai asks. “I mean whatever comes after Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. One option would be to separate the series from its original creator, but for now at least, I can’t imagine a Smash Bros. title without me. You might think that’s a natural stance for someone in my role, but I say so speaking objectively.

“I feel the same way President Iwata did when we formed the team for Smash Bros. Brawl. At present, we don’t have someone who can simply take the reins. Smash Bros. is a massive, important title for Nintendo, so it’s fair to assume there will be another one at some point, but it’s going to take some work to figure out exactly how to make that happen. For my part, I’d like to keep working with Nintendo however I’m able.”

Sakurai goes on to clarify that these comments reflect his opinion at this time, so they may change. But they do suggest Sakurai will return to helm the development of the next Smash Bros. game.

When will that come along? With talk of a Nintendo Switch 2 ramping up, potentially for launch in 2024, perhaps Nintendo will enlist the services of Sakurai once again in the near future.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].