Super Smash Bros stopped having in-game CG story cutscenes because they kept leaking before the game had released

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate — (Image credit: Nintendo)

Super Smash Bros stopped having in-game CG story cutscenes because overseas media outlets kept leaking them before the game had released, according to the series director.

In the latest video on Super Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai's YouTube channel, the developer talks about fighter reveal videos in the Nintendo fighting series. "Fighter reveal videos are a flashy way of unveiling new Smash Bros. fighters. We were already doing something like them in the trailers for Smash Bros Brawl, but they didn't get their official start until Smash Bros. for 3DS/Wii U," Sakurai reveals.

"When making Smash Bros Brawl," he continues, "I had the idea to create movie sequences that showcased each individual fighter. Smash Bros contains crossovers you can't find anywhere else, I thought it would be fun to present them in a more concrete, charming way. I also thought they'd make a nice reward for pushing on in the adventure mode, Subspace Emissary."

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Unfortunately for Sakurai, it ended up feeling pointless to create CG story cutscenes in the game as they never seemed to stay secret for long: "We put a lot of money and effort into making them, but before the game even came out, people were posting them online," the developer explains.

"Even overseas media outlets were doing it with pre-release copies we provided. This meant they really weren't much of a reward. So I decided to stop making movies that cut in during gameplay." This is why we can't have nice things.

"It's a tough time to be making story-driven games," Sakurai reflects. "Knowing people would share these movies, I wanted something not tied to game progress, something that everyone could enjoy." Instead, Sakurai opted to focus on a different kind of CG cutscene, the fighter reveal trailers we all know and love today.

Who could forget that reveal trailer we got for Banjo-kazooie's as the iconic pair were added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate or, my personal favourite, Kingdom Hearts' Sora's reveal - which was so exciting Smash Bros. Ultimate players crashed the Switch eShop trying to buy the DLC.

Need something new to play after Super Smash Bros Ultimate? Take a look at our best fighting games list.

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training. My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.