File:Masahiro Sakurai's Biggest Smash Bros Regret (Which Makes Sequels Difficult).webm

Super Smash Bros Ultimate is one of the most beloved games on the Nintendo Switch, especially with the sheer breadth and depth of gaming references present throughout the Fighter's Pass DLC. It is, without a doubt, the most ambitious game that Masahiro Sakurai has ever spearheaded.

While Sakurai is very proud of what he and the team at Sora Ltd created, no piece of art is without flaw, and there are things that Sakurai wants to improve upon next time.

If there even is a next time.

Having spent so long working on Smash, Sakurai is unsure of whether he can commit to another of these games. He certainly can't foresee a way of making a Smash Ultimate follow-up that's bigger in scope, so would fans even want a new game that's somehow smaller?

The bigget challenge, though, comes in fundamentally restructuring any development team that create a new Smash game. Smash Bros Ultimate was Sakurai's baby; he put a lot of himself into the game. He just can't do that for another title, and wants to make sure that there are more people to bear the burden of creative decisions going forward - but if the creative team changes that much, will the game even have the same feel?

Anyway, yes, BretonStripes is sick this week with the COVID. Do yourself a favour - wash your hands. Get vaccinated if you can, but don't assume that a vaccine will be enough to protect you. Don't lick any strange lamp posts.

And, for those who watched to the end, I'd be interested to know what you think of my neat little teaser.

Lots of love, Matthew aka Kotor (https://twitter.com/kotorcomics)

Sources: https://www.theverge.com/22823897/masahiro-sakurai-interview-super-smash-bros-ultimate-nintendo-switch https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/12/17453214/super-smash-bros-ultimate-nintendo-switch-masahiro-sakurai-e3 https://nintendowire.com/news/2021/11/02/masahiro-sakurai-discusses-the-future-of-super-smash-bros-in-new-famitsu-interview/ https://www.siliconera.com/masahiro-sakurai-was-asked-about-the-future-of-smash/ https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/smash-bros-masahiro-sakurai-discusses-potential-retirement-in-new-column/ https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/02/smash_bros_ultimate_was_iwatas_final_mission_for_sakurai_and_he_doesnt_know_what_hell_do_next https://www.theguardian.com/games/2018/aug/08/super-smash-bros-ultimate-masahiro-sakurai-35-years-gaming-history-nintendo