Nintendo has finally provided an official sneak peek at the Switch 2. We know that there will be a new Mario Kart on the hybrid device, but the rest of its library is still shrouded in mystery.
Considering that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was the Switch’s third best-selling game and has recently achieved over 35.88 million sales since the game was released over six years ago, it feels extremely likely that Nintendo will want a new Super Smash Bros. entry on the Switch 2 at some point.
Of course, there’s been plenty of debate amongst the community regarding what we could potentially get with the next Super Smash Bros. In some sense, it feels like a true follow up to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate would be impossible due to its “Everyone Is Here” theme.
“I am not thinking of a sequel. I am not thinking of it every time. However, I can’t say with certainty that this would be the end of Smash.” — Masahiro Sakurai
Even Masahiro Sakurai himself jokingly exclaimed “Impossible!” several times when asked about this possibility in reference to the sheer amount of content found in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Afterwards, he mentioned that he wasn’t thinking about a sequel after he had written the proposal for a secret game project.
“I am not thinking of a sequel. I am not thinking of it every time,” said Sakurai. “However, I can’t say with certainty that this would be the end of Smash.”
For many, this seems to indicate that the next Super Smash Bros. might just simply be a port of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Switch 2. However, it’s already been revealed that the Switch 2 will feature backwards compatibility with games from the Switch library. A port of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to the Switch 2 wouldn’t serve much purpose, aside from it being an excuse to add more content.
Additionally, Nintendo would almost certainly want Sakurai overseeing any project that involves the Super Smash Bros. series. After all, it’s hard to imagine Super Smash Bros. without Masahiro Sakurai.
“At the very least, I don’t see any way for Smash Bros. to be produced without my involvement. For example, the Challenger Approaching trailers would not have the same level of quality if it was produced entirely by an outside firm.” — Masahiro Sakurai
Sakurai himself has noted that the series currently wouldn’t be able to continue without him, though he’d rather leave it to someone else. Even if we were to assume that the next Super Smash Bros. was a port, it would be in Nintendo’s best interest to ensure that Sakurai would still have a role within that project.
“At the very least, I don’t see any way for Smash Bros. to be produced without my involvement,” once said Sakurai in a Famitsu Column interview. “For example, the Challenger Approaching trailers would not have the same level of quality if it was produced entirely by an outside firm.”
Of course, this would imply that Sakurai’s “secret game project” is a port of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. However, there’s a big problem with that theory. It all has to do with the timing of this secret game project.
At this point, it’s been 1,021 days since April 31, 2022 (we’re assuming that Sakurai started development on the last day of April 2022). Meanwhile, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate had a development period that spanned from around February 2016 to December 7, 2018. In other words, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was developed over the course of about 1,050 days or less.
By the time April 2025 rolls around with the Switch 2 focused Nintendo Direct, Sakurai will have spent more time developing his secret game project than Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s entire development cycle (not including post-launch content). And yet, the game hasn’t even been officially announced.
Needless to say, Sakurai probably wouldn’t be involved with a project for this long if it was just a port job. The more likely scenarios either have him working on the next Super Smash Bros. entry for the Nintendo Switch 2 or a brand new game entirely (like a sequel to Kid Icarus: Uprising from the 3DS).
If Sakurai is working on a game outside of the Super Smash Bros. series, then it will be a lengthy wait until the next iteration. As mentioned before, it wouldn’t make sense for Nintendo to move forward with the franchise without Sakurai involved considering how successful its been with him as the director.
We’ll just have to see how things play out from here. Chances are good that we’ll learn what Sakurai has been working on all this time during that Switch 2 focused Direct in April 2025.
Source: Event Hubs
