Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai discusses the series’ impact and a future based on demand

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai discussed numerous related topics, including how the series has always been a dream project, how it aims to appeal to all types of players and the future of Super Smash Bros. as a whole. Read on below for a few excerpts from the interview:

This endearingly nerdy approach makes Sakurai ideal for Smash Bros. “I feel like it should be a dream project for anybody who is into video games!” he says. “The fact that we can collaborate with all these different people and characters and meld that all together without any inconsistencies is something I am very proud of.” The Smash games are stuffed with references to Nintendo and other video game history, from the obvious (Mario, Zelda and Pokémon) to the obscure (Earthbound, Brain Age, Starfy). The main characters are usually drawn from popular games, but items, trophies, costumes and stages allow for hundreds of cameos. This is part of what makes Smash so brilliant for Nintendo fans: even if you’re not the best at beating up your friends, you get a kick out of spotting something you recognise.

The best way to enjoy video games is to play what other people have made. But at the same time, I have a role. At this point I have been asked to create Smash and so I am doing that, and will continue to do so if the demand is there.

“On the one hand, I play games because of my job, but on the other hand, games have this eternal, immortal attraction. Of course I do go back to old games if I need a refresher, but I think it is important to intentionally play and observe new games, to know what’s out there. Games that are coming out now are just incredible; they’re amazing. Even for people who say that they grow out of games, once they have kids and there’s a game they can play together, they return. It’s not about quitting or graduating from playing games; it’s about finding what’s enjoyable for you at that time in your life, and playing that.”

Source: The Guardian