Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai says the upcoming installment for the Nintendo Switch could "ruin" future games, due to the fact that its roster contains every fighter in Super Smash Bros. history.
During Nintendo's presentation at E3 2018, the company officially unveiled Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and revealed that the game would include every character ever to be featured in a Super Smash Bros. game, not to mention three new additions: Metroid Prime's Ridley, Princess Daisy, and Splatoon's Inklings. Players will begin with a small selection of characters, similar to the size of the original Nintendo 64 version, and will have to gradually unlock 50 or more fighters. The game will also see the return of numerous stages from previous titles, along with new looks and altered movesets for returning fighters like Link, Mario, and Zelda.
Related: Every Character That Will Appear in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
In his column in the weekly Japanese magazine Famitsu, Sakurai talks about the possibility of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ruining future installments in the series, but admits that he's not really thinking about what comes next.
I question what we’ll do with the next title, and I feel that having ‘all characters playable’ (for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) may have been a Pandora’s Box that could ruin possibilities for what’s next in the series.
Sakurai goes on to say that he was glad Ultimate's roster wasn't leaked prior to the E3 announcement. Sakurai says he "really wanted to avoid having the work of several years get smashed by someone who wanted his little moment to brag." Sakurai explains the roster was such a big secret that many at Nintendo didn't even know about it.
It's certainly true that an early leak of the reveal would have ruined the surprise and hurt enthusiasm for the game. Sakurai's point about Ultimate potentially ruining future games also seems like a real possibility, considering everything that Ultimate already includes. The game has an impressive roster of at least 68 characters, which easily dwarfs the rosters of all previous Smash titles. It's hard to imagine that the next Super Smash Bros. game will be able to meet fan expectations without matching Ultimate's massive roster size.
It should be pointed out that there may be even more character reveals before Ultimate's release. Though fans won't be getting Waluigi, a rumor suggests that "at least a half dozen" more characters are on their way, though Sakurai has warned not to expect "too many new challengers".
Next: Here Are All The BIG Games Releasing Fall 2018
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launches December 7 for the Nintendo Switch.
Source: Famitsu [via Silaconnera]
