Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai has acknowledged the number of requests he receives from fans, but says it'd be impossible to grant them all.
Nintendo has released the latest part of the Kirby Air Riders: Development Insights, which have had Sakurai going over aspects of the game weekly – almost like a version of his now-ended YouTube channel – with this week being a "Grab Bag" of remaining features after previous entries went over specific modes in the game.
For Kirby Air Riders, Sakurai explains: "We wanted to cater to players who enjoyed decorating with headwear as well, and we knew that Kirby's headwear added to the character's appeal." However, the team considered limiting it to Kirby and similarly round characters, as "usually, that would be about as much as we could do." However, Sakurai continues, "in the end, all characters are able to wear headwear. That's all thanks to the staff who worked hard to pull it off."
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The director says: "We always try to keep the perspective of the players in mind. But when it comes to the actual development, that can add a whole lot of time and labor." He adds: "I want to implement things because I understand the reasons behind the players' desires. But it would be utterly impossible to grant every request. So we have to decide what should be implemented with that balance in mind."
Even though he knows "there will be players who think customization is pointless," the director doesn't "feel like our efforts were in vain at all."
Of course, it's no wonder Sakurai is so pragmatic about dealing with fan requests, because he's probably the game developer who gets the single largest number of them as head of the Super Smash Bros series. Think of every game character ever made, and there's someone out there who has probably messaged Sakurai to ask that they be added to Smash. And even if it was seemingly a monumental feat of dealing with rights holders, Sora's inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was due to him being the most requested fighter in series history.
Now that Kirby Air Riders is out, everyone is making the same joke about Nintendo immediately asking Masahiro Sakurai to work on Super Smash Bros 6: "Alright. We let you make Air Riders. You know what comes next…"
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