Masahiro Sakurai recently took the time to speak about the Super Smash Bros. websites that he’s developed over the years. While many of us are aware that Sakurai provided fans with frequent updates throughout Brawl, Smash 4, and Ultimate, Sakurai actually begun this process starting with the very first entry in the series, Super Smash Bros. 64.
At the time, Super Smash Bros. 64 was completely unlike any other fighting game. During the time period in which the game was being mass produced, Sakurai attempted to send information about Super Smash Bros. to various magazine publishers, but Sakurai felt as though it wasn’t having much of an impact.
“So I decided to make it public knowledge instead — a handbook where players could learn more about the ins and outs of the game,” stated Sakurai. “Looking back now, it was pretty rough around the edges, but that’s how things were at the time.”
Of course, this website was only truly available to Japanese audiences. Regardless, Super Smash Bros. 64 ended up taking off in popularity, though Sakurai himself is unsure of how much the website actually influenced this.
Ultimately though, Super Smash Bros. 64 ended up being successful enough to merit a sequel. With Super Smash Bros. Melee, Sakurai often interacted directly with fans on the new website. Of course, Sakurai notes how this isn’t really possible today.
Sakurai noted how developing Super Smash Bros. Melee presented intense challenges for him. After all, we already know about how he pushed himself to work 13 months straight without a single day off.
Despite everything, Sakurai felt as though he was the only one that could manage the website. This was due to how, as the director, he was the person who knew and understood what Super Smash Bros. Melee was better than anyone else on the development team.
Managing these websites only became more challenging beyond this point. With Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Sakurai wanted to extend reach to the rest of the world.
As such, the “Smash Bros. Dojo” updated the website five times a week in Japanese, English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian. Sakurai noted that this would not have been possible without help from Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe.
While Sakurai was still the one in charge of updating the website himself, he did have other members of his team assist him with tasks such as taking screenshots from the game to use. Needless to say, Sakurai felt it was important that the site kept to its schedule as fans checked up on it routinely.
Towards the end, Sakurai mentions that it doesn’t matter how good a game is if it ends up being unknown. If people don’t know about the game, then it might as well not even exist.
More than likely, there will be another website dedicated to Super Smash Bros. after Super Smash Bros. Ultimate if and when that game gets announced. Things will certainly get interesting then considering Sakurai’s insistence of ramping things up with every new entry.
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