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."

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…"

Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai has confirmed that the recovery you get from food found in Smash and Kirby Air Riders is actually calculated based on the real-life calories of said foods.

One of the easiest ways to figure out if you're playing a Masahiro Sakurai game – aside from great UI, a checklist mode, and generally being a banger – is the inclusion of random food JPEGs as healing items. Instead of modelling foods for the Smash Bros. fighters to eat, random photographs will appear on the stage instead. This was carried over into Kirby Air Riders and is such an iconic part of the game that Nintendo made some of these foods available as Switch player icons. But it turns out the food is deeper than we thought.

The Kirby Air Riders Twitter account (via The Gamer) recently made a post highlighting the iconic healing items and mentions, "Different types also offer different amounts of healing...maybe it has to do with the calories or something?" Sakurai chimes in, quoting the Japanese account's post about the food, and saying (via machine translation) that the amount of health recovered by food in the Super Smash Bros. series is also roughly in line with the amount of calories the actual food has.

Previously, the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Food Trophy (thanks SmashWiki) said that "the fancier the food, the more damage it will heal," noting that bread will heal 10 damage while a roast chicken will heal 15 points. So the writing has been on the wall somewhat, but this is the first time it's been outright stated that these are calculated via the amount of calories. Although given the amount of attention to detail found in Sakurai games generally, I can't say this surprises me at all.

Kirby Air Riders team will disband after one final patch, says director Masahiro Sakurai, and you're on your own after that: "Please enjoy the balance of the game as a definitive version."

Now that Kirby Air Riders is out in the world, everyone is thinking the same thing – Nintendo is about to move Masahiro Sakurai back to the Smash Bros. mines.

Since Kirby Air Riders was one of the first games Nintendo announced for the Switch 2 way back in April, there was a prevailing theory among Nintendo fans: that this was Nintendo letting Sakurai make a "one for you" passion project before evoking a "one for us" and sending him back to make a new Super Smash Bros. game. After all, from Smash 4 starting development in 2012 to the Ultimate's Sora DLC releasing in 2021, he worked on Smash basically non-stop. And now that Air Riders is out, the Smash memes haven't stopped flowing.

Not even an hour after Kirby Air Riders released in Japan, Twitter user TheNCSmaster kicked off the memes with the classic Akakichi no Eleven hand-on-shoulder meme saying, "Nintendo bout to go to Sakurai like: 'Alright. We let you make Air Riders. You know what comes next…'"

What followed was a flood of memes in the same vein. Another user reposts the tweet, adding: "Sakurai when he checks his emails and sees an email titled 'Smash Bros 6'," with Paul Rudd cringing at a desk in reaction to Nude Tayne in the classic Tim and Eric sketch.

Of course, Sakurai himself has outright said Nintendo asked him to make the racer – not the other way around – but obviously that hasn't stopped players from thinking he'll be dragged kicking and screaming back into the Smash Bros. dimension. And while I did get a chuckle out of the joke about Nintendo getting mad at Sakurai for suggesting Kid Icarus (even though a version of Uprising that doesn't give you wrist pain would be a legitimate 10/10 game), plenty are hopeful that Smash 6 is next up.

Masahiro Sakurai maybe gave Kirby Air Riders players too much power as there already multiple scantily clad versions of Chef Kawasaki flooding the vehicle market.

As if conquering YouTube and the fighting game genre wasn't enough, Masahiro Sakurai is now working on a manga about his life and art.

As reported by Famitsu, the manga releases in Japan next month on November 18th and will retail for ¥1,430 (or roughly $9.50), though there are currently no plans for a worldwide release or English translation that we know of.

Masahiro Sakurai's life story is being released as an educational manga!Title: Masahiro Sakurai - Making the World More Fun with GamesIt will include behind the scenes stories about the creation of Kirby and Super Smash Bros.

— @stealth40k.bsky.social (@stealth40k.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2025-10-16T16:03:51.544Z

Per VGC, the book's name roughly translates to Masahiro Sakurai: Making the World More Fun with Games, and with over 160 pages it covers everything from the famed game creator's early life, the birth of pink icon Kirby, the making of Super Smash Bros, and how he set up Sora, Inc.

The manga also includes written chapters about the wider industry and Sakurai's career, but the six main chapters go as follows:

1. Young Sakurai and Games
2. The Birth of Kirby
3. The Beginning of Super Smash Bros
4. The Founding of Sora, Inc
5. The Legacy
6. A Beacon for the Future

Sakurai is also reportedly supervising the making of the manga, on top of directing Kirby Air Riders, due out on November 20 for Switch 2, because he apparently can't help but work on a million projects simultaneously. Now all that's left is an anime (a boy can hope).

Elsewhere, Sakurai debunked theories that he was working on Kirby Air Riders as an in-between Smash Bros project. Apparently, he only made the game because Nintendo's higher-ups asked him to, though it's still possible that he one day returns to the crossover brawler.

We played Kirby Air Riders and it's the perfect racer for players who've had enough of Mario Kart.

Nintendo is even more prolific than most video game publishers in its efforts to crack down on piracy, and it was implementing anti-piracy measures in its games even decades ago. That includes a series of triggers in Super Smash Bros. for N64 that slowly make the game more and more annoying to play, with a not-very-nice trap that'll stick you in the Mario dimension forever.

"Super Smash Bros. contains a sneaky 'delayed action' anti-piracy measure to lull the illegitimate user into a false sense of security," according to fastidious Mario trivia aggregator Supper Mario Broth on Bluesky. "The game will be normal the first 68 times it is launched. Starting with the 69th time, however, every selected character will turn into Mario." The only way out of the Mario dimension is to completely delete your save file.

Yes, I know what you're thinking, and I agree: nice. But it's unlikely Nintendo picked that number for any meme-related reason. While the number 69 had developed its, er, connotations well before video games were even a twinkle in William Higinbotham's eye, it had not yet become a ubiquitous gag the internet would eventually turn it into. Plus, it's not even the only special anti-piracy number in Super Smash Bros.

Super Smash Bros. contains a sneaky "delayed action" anti-piracy measure to lull the illegitimate user into a false sense of security. The game will be normal the first 68 times it is launched. Starting with the 69th time, however, every selected character will turn into Mario.

— @mariobrothblog.bsky.social (@mariobrothblog.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2025-09-18T22:42:58.885Z

Supper Mario Broth's explainer is based on research from The Cutting Room Floor wiki, which notes that there are actually four anti-piracy triggers in the Super Smash Bros. cartridge. If you load up versus mode 22 times, all fighter knockback values get randomized, "essentially making the game a lot more luck based." Load versus mode 69 times, and you get the Mario lockdown described above.

Load 1P mode 43 times, and the control stick range will be halved, "essentially making it much more irritating to perform any movements and locking the player out of various attacks that require running." Load 1P mode 93 times, and you'll be forced to play Peach's Castle in every versus mode battle.

In other words, the more you play a pirated copy of Super Smash Bros., the more annoying it becomes to continue playing. Why bother with this level of subterfuge, rather than simply lock out the game when the first piracy trigger hits? Well, a pirate would notice if the game didn't boot at all, and would likely track down the trigger causing issues there. Odd bugs that only happen sporadically after repeated plays would be a lot harder to notice.

Similar sorts of anti-piracy measures are present in other games, too. My favorite example is in the 2011 FPS game Serious Sam 3, where if you flip the piracy trigger, you'll be chased by a giant, immortal scorpion monster through the entire game.

But legitimate users often get caught out by anti-piracy tricks, too, and it seems that's not entirely uncommon with Super Smash Bros. players. The piracy check can be triggered by GameShark devices, and a handful of comments on Supper Mario Broth's post suggest that's not a purely theoretical problem. "I remember using codes with it, then being confused as to why Mario was the only selectable character. This post solves my childhood mystery!"

Wow, Mario Kart World really is Nintendo's take on Grand Theft Auto, as NPCs can break into each other's cars: "He's breaking into Green Shy Guy's car! And now he's stealing it!"

A Super Smash Bros. Melee modder has added the most powerful Nintendo character of all into the game: a cease and desist notice.

Super Smash Bros. modding isn't quite as widespread as the likes of Minecraft or Skyrim modding, but the game still has a pretty sizable modding community across all of its entries, with new costumes, character skins, or even full-blown fighters being added in. We saw this most recently with Smash Remix, which adds a ton of fighters to the original N64 game, including later series additions like Wario and Sonic, as well as entirely new fighters like Mystical Ninja Goemon and Conker.

While not quite as elaborate as Smash Remix, Super Smash Bros. Melee modder Mooshies made waves a bit ago for modding in Balatro's Jimbo as a skin for Mr. Game and Watch. This caused a bit of controversy as it was originally paywalled behind the modder's Patreon account, leading them to eventually go back on it and make it free for all.

However, despite the negativity they got, Mooshies is having a bit of fun still. In response to all of the people saying they were going to get a cease and desist from Nintendo over their mod, the modder decided to make the cease and desist themselves – and pop it into Smash Bros as a skin for Kirby.

Despite posting it (via Dexerto) with the caption "I put my Cease & Desist Letter from Nintendo into Melee," it does not seem like Mooshies actually received one from the publisher – or at the very least, it feels unlikely that Doug Bowser penned a letter saying "low key that mod do be sick though it's just that big Shiggy will get mad if we don't send this out."

Kirby is often cited as one of the most powerful beings in gaming, thanks to destroying elder gods being a normal day for his chunky pink self – so it makes sense that one of Nintendo's most powerful tools would take his role in this Smash mod.

Super Smash Bros. Melee pro loses $2k tournament final to a glitch after falling through the stage: "There's just no way".

Super Smash Bros. pro player and Evo champion Hungrybox tried out the brand new platform fighter A Few Quick Matches and had an incredibly unfortunate first match.

In order to promote its upcoming platform fighter A Few Quick Matches, Studio Bidou has been letting creators play the game ahead of its launch next week, including HungryBox, who was unaware of just what he was stepping into despite being one of the most prolific Smash Bros. players in the history of the series' underdog eSports scene.

He's considered one of the "five gods" of Super Smash Bros. Melee with a fearsome Jigglypuff, and he did pretty well competitively in the game's follow-ups like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Which is to say, he's really good at platform fighters.

But then: Studio Bidou account posted a tweet featuring a clip from Hungrybox's stream of A Few Quick Matches, writing "HungryBox played our game and his first opponent in quickplay was the best player in the world."

The clip starts off with Hungrybox saying the game is "actually fun, I just wish I knew what the fuck was going on" as he loads into a match, only to immediately get a zero-to-death combo performed on him before ever getting a hit in. He has the appropriate response of a high-pitched, "What the fuck just happened!"

The opposing player was revealed to be Leviathan, who is best known for their time as a Multiversus player, coming in third place during the game's Evo tournament in 2022, alongside teammate Synume.

A fan commented that Studio Bidou's clip is "the perfect moment for your marketing. Getting one of the best Smash players in history and a clip of his first match where he gets 0 to death in a matter of seconds." The Studio Bidou account responded, "hbox complimenting the game and then getting zero to deathed. i literally couldn’t have scripted it any better."

The Pokemon Company begs TCG Pocket fans not to blame artist behind plagiarized Ho-Oh, takes full responsibility after removing it.

Smash Remix, the massive Super Smash Bros. mod that's already stretched the classic fighting game in wild directions, just added the announcer from the actual N64 game.

Alongside a trailer for the mod's 2.0 update, the team announced that Smash Remix now features lines courtesy of Jeff Manning, who provided his booming voice to the N64 original. He's the one who would shout "Time!" or the name of your chosen fighter or, most notably, "Super Smaaaash Brothers" with enough force to let your neighbours know what was going on next door.

That's really cool, sure, but what's even cooler is the epic, 15-minute trailer that may as well be thought of as a short movie. It begins with Luigi and a herd of Yoshi racing to rescue a kidnapped Mario, shortly before Princess Peach joins the fight, flips the script, and saves her mansel in distress. We then see some quick, sick shots of her moveset in a montage that wouldn't look too out of place in one of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's brilliant trailers, polygonal assets aside. See it below, please.

She and the rest of the cast - alcoholic squirrel Conker and Star Fox's Peppy included - then gather at her castle as Mario and Sonic duke it out on a karting track, which is just there to usher in a second new fighter announcement: Crash Bandicoot. Certainly sounds like a fever dream, but all of that only happens in the first three minutes alone. It's bonkers.

Super Smash Bros. has always been known for internet-breaking trailers, and this fan-made one definitely lives up to series steward Masahiro Sakurai's work. There's so much damn commitment to the bit. Crash introduces new features in a room that's modelled after his game's level select screen, for example, and there's even a whole skit at the end where a cursed Lanky Kong reacts to his own announcement Joel Haver-style. I legitimately can't believe that A) this trailer is real and B) it's as entertaining as it is.

Smash Bros director says "it's fair to assume there will be another one," and he can't imagine anyone else making it

Kirby and Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai has spoken about the current state of game development and why he believes it is becoming "unsustainable."

You rarely hear much about developers when it comes to Nintendo games, but Masahiro Sakurai is well known as a workaholic. From 2012 until 2021, he worked on Super Smash Bros. non-stop between the 3DS, Wii U, and Switch editions, in the midst of suffering from calcific tendonitis. And in the five months he had off in between finishing up with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and his then-unknown next project – which was revealed to be Kirby Air Riders in the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct – he created two-and-a-half years' worth of content for a YouTube channel.

However, even Sakurai is beginning to think large-scale development is getting to be a bit wild, as we're currently in an era where it looks like developers like Naughty Dog will end up going a full console generation without a new game.

Speaking to Yahoo Japan (translated via Source Gaming), Sakurai responds to a question asking what he believes the future of the gaming market holds, saying that, "To be honest, it's hard to see what the future holds. I think we've reached a point where creating large-scale games like we do now is too time consuming and unsustainable."

He says developers must adapt to new ways of thinking: "I believe we are at a stage where we must change our methods, such as by using generative AI to improve work efficiency."

Sakurai adds, "It seems that only companies that can adapt well to these changes will survive in the coming era."

While Sakurai presents generative AI as a tool that could be used to ease game development troubles, he doesn't clarify if it's something he himself is particularly interested in using. Given how Sakurai's games typically have a ton of personal touches where you see them and think, "yep, that's a Sakurai thing," I'd be shocked if he started using the plagiarism machine.

Super Smash Bros. creator says instead of making more "Americanized works," Japanese devs should "seek the uniqueness and fun of Japanese games."

If you, like me, main someone in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate who was added in that game (either at launch or as DLC), you will know firsthand that the costumes take forever to load in. Some games, like Smash – despite not getting an official Switch 2 update – are running better right away on Nintendo Switch 2. So despite breaking Mii Fighters somewhat, the new console has remedied the game's most annoying problem.

Obviously, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's gigantic roster is the main selling point, and is undeniably impressive, but a symptom of that roster is that it was too big for the original Switch to load everything quickly. Usually when you select a character in-game you can tap the shoulder buttons to cycle through alternate costumes for them.

However, Smash Ultimate seems to load these in based on where in the roster they are, so if you play as someone introduced in the original game like Mario or Donkey Kong, you won't really notice, but if you pick a character like King K. Rool or a DLC fighter like Terry Bogard, you'll find that pressing the button to change skin results in a blank screen for a hot minute while the game loads it in.

Twitter user LittleMacMainKO (who would normally have to wait a fair amount since Little Mac is fighter number 49), immediately booted up their new console to test out Smash, and noticed that Ultimate's annoying issue is gone, with all alternate costumes now loading in instantly, regardless of character.

The user also notes that load times in general are faster across the board in Smash Ultimate, including the tediously long boot up time the game has on the original console. Of course, a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Ultimate that finally adds Dante and an actually interesting Zelda rep would be far more appreciated (but more realistically another Fire Emblem, Pokemon, and Xenoblade rep to ruin my life).

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet speedruns are in a different league on Switch 2, with a day-one attempt already coming in around half an hour faster than the old world record.

Nintendo Switch 2 has a ton of free updates available for existing Switch games, with a bunch of first-party Nintendo games getting the rub (especially Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, which desperately needed it). While Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is among the games that run better, it comes with an unexpected downgrade.

Twitter user OatmealDome noticed on the US Eshop page for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate that the game is listed as "Supported – Game progression may be affected in portions of the game" for Switch 2. When you look for more info, it turns out there's not a progression issue; it's actually just that Mii Fighters are not working as they should.

On the store it says, "In online play, when a Switch 2 player and Switch player have been matched, if someone is using Mii Fighter, the match may end immediately," and because of this Nintendo asks that players "please avoid using Mii Fighter in online play as much as possible." So while Mii Fighters do still work online on Switch 2, it's only if you face someone else playing on the new system.

Not only are Mii Fighters having trouble in online crossplay, but Nintendo also notes, "When creating or editing and saving a Mii Fighter, the thumbnail image showing the Mii Fighter may not appear correctly." With the solution being a simple "This may be improved by saving it again."

Nintendo hasn't explained why this happened, although it could be a compatibility issue stemming from the fact that Mii characters are now genderless on Switch 2, I don't know why that would matter when the gender doesn't matter in Smash, but that could have caused the issue. Regardless, Nintendo says that "This is planned to be fixed in the near future," so you can have your Hank Hill vs Sans Undertale brawls online once more.

Street Fighter 6 sees Capcom follow the road Nintendo abandoned in Animal Crossing by adding a collection of stone-cold NES bangers.

One of Super Smash Bros. Melee's biggest tournaments came to an end when one of the competitors managed to glitch through the stage.

Super Smash Bros. Melee is notable in a few ways; it being the highest-selling GameCube game (and one of the best GameCube games ever made), the tournament community for the game is still huge almost 24 years later, and that it was developed in just over a year compared to the years-long developments of the Smash games released since.

However, that short development time resulted in a number of glitches and unintended tech falling through the cracks. Some are interesting, like the ability to play as the final boss, Master Hand. Others are frustrating, like Bowser (who is already the worst character in the game) doing zero damage to certain characters with one of his throws. And there are some that were big tournament standbys, like Ice Climbers' "Wobbling" infinite grab combo (which was later banned in most tourneys).

Melee's unfortunate glitches became a prominent player at the Full House 2025 (which is considered a "supermajor" tournament in the Smash community).

During the grand final match of Melee at the tourney, Cody Schwab and Moky faced off, with the final match taking place on the Pokemon Stadium stage. Both players were down to one last stock, with Cody needing one more kill to take the entire tourney. Moky was situated on the tree in Pokemon Stadium's Fire form (the stage changes layouts at regular intervals), and while wavedashing on the platform waiting for his opponent to strike, Moky's Fox slid right through the tree and the stage, losing the final stock of the tournament and the $2,202 prize.

While it was a disappointing end to the tourney, it undoubtedly made for a fun stream highlight, with some members of the r/LivestreamFail Reddit reckoning Moky pulled out the glitch intentionally for the sake of making a moment. However, a user of the r/SSBM community claims to have talked to Moky, saying, "I asked and he said he was just being dumb and he knew that wave dashing COULD cause that to happen," adding, "He was just trying to keep his hands warm. Trust me he definitely wanted to win that game and the tournament." So far, all Moky has said publicly is simply "there's just no way LMAO."

It's a rough week for Smash, as the unofficial Smash Bros. dating app was shut down, a day before its open beta.

Smash Bros.? More like Smash Beaus am I right? Yesterday, a Super Smash Bros.-themed dating app that aimed to connect gamers with their "ideal Smash partner" apparently received a cease and desist from Nintendo just before launching into open beta.

SmashTogether is a dating app that was announced almost a year ago, and had apparently gotten over 400 applicants to test out the open beta that was due to go live today.

Rather than matching people based on personality and other boring factors, the app aimed to find your perfect Doubles partner "in and out of Smash." Couples that game together, stay together, so this novel idea actually sounds kind of sweet.

But, as we all know, Nintendo is infamously litigious and protects its IPs rigorously. Reported by Automaton, the SmashTogether Twitter account posted the message "we got cease & desisted," alongside a picture of Yoshi perched on a wall looking off into the sunset. There have been no further updates since.

Whether or not this is real or all some sort of joke, I have no idea, but it's funny either way. If it is real, it's easy to see why Nintendo wouldn't want its child-friendly fighting game associated with the minefield that is online dating.

A dating app that aims to connect people through the games they play sounds like a lovely idea, so maybe the developers of SmashTogether could go a bit broader to avoid attracting attention from any one company by singling out its games.

You may not be able to find your Smash Bae just yet, but how about you check out our Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tier list to see which character you should try next.

Once upon a time, mentioning the Smash Bros. franchise inevitably ignited an argument over whether or not Nintendo's accessible brawler is a "real" fighting game. But now, as the Switch 2 looms on the horizon – alongside the possibility of a new Smash Bros. – these squabbles seem like a distant memory. In its stead stands a Smash Bros. Ultimate legacy that transcends petty genre categories. Ultimate exists in a loftier league of video games: those rare experiences that define console generations and reach a pinnacle that may never be replicated again.

Originally released in 2018 for the Nintendo Switch, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and its expansive roster was met with near universal critical acclaim. It reached an impressive Metacritic score of 93, and over the course of its lifetime, sold more than 38 million copies for the Switch, Nintendo's most successful gaming console. Ultimate is the third highest-selling game on the platform; about one in four Switch owners bought a copy of the game. The party game quietly reached more people than The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a fact that's all the more impressive when you consider that Breath of the Wild was released two years before Ultimate and is available on more platforms. Ultimate is the sixth entry in the franchise – and also the best-selling game in its 26 year history.

In some ways, Ultimate's achievements are difficult to separate from the popularity of its platform. The Switch did well, and people primarily purchase Nintendo hardware to play first-party Nintendo games. Many of those franchises, like Animal Crossing and Mario Kart 8, broke into the mainstream in a way Nintendo hadn't been able to do since the Wii introduced gamers to the concept of the casual-focused "blue ocean strategy". But beyond this built-in heightened visibility, Ultimate reached a stride for the series by going out of its way to please everyone.

Full house

At launch, the chaotic fighting game included over 70 combatants and dozens of items and levels that leveraged Nintendo's extensive history as a gaming company. Familiar faces like Mario and Link were joined by unusual inclusions, like Pit and Olimar. Every type of Nintendo fan, no matter how niche, was likely represented in Ultimate in some way. And with the series' signature accessible combat system, anyone, regardless of skill or familiarity with games at all, could jump into the game and have a good time.

With Ultimate, Nintendo finally found a balance between the disparate needs of casual consumers and competitive players. 2014's Smash Bros. 4 introduced the idea of 'For Glory' mode, which automatically turned off items and only allowed players to compete in flat stages, like Final Destination. Ultimate also included alternate competitive forms of its levels meant to reduce the randomness of level hazard and items, but with one key difference. The Switch and its online capabilities – meager as they infamously are – connected Nintendo fans more smoothly, and with better matchmaking systems than ever before.

Though Nintendo's hardware has included internet capabilities for generations now, the Switch is the first instance where the offbeat company adopted the modern conventions of the live service distribution model. Nearly every major franchise, from Super Mario to Pokemon, regularly saw updates and expansions that kept games alive well past their release date. There were quirks, sure. Who can forget the torrent of patches adding "stability" or some other vague fix? But in Ultimate's case, the live service model helped Smash Bros. become an event unto itself.

From the onset, series creative director Masahiro Sakurai made it clear that Ultimate's roster would keep growing. The delivery of this information – a Nintendo Direct – built hype through pageantry. Fighters like Street Fighter's Ken and Animal Crossing's Isabelle were introduced with dramatic trailers where the character would beat down other beloved Nintendo stars. Part of what made these announcements so exciting was that viewers never knew what to expect. For every normal inclusion, Nintendo would suddenly introduce a curveball, like Steve from

Minecraft. Fans couldn't help but fantasize and argue about who might be next, which made for excellent meme fodder. But then Nintendo would turn around and make the proverbial shitpost real, as evidenced by Ridley's inclusion.

The anticipation and celebration of these characters brought completely disparate communities together in a way no other game has ever managed. Platform and console allegiances were irrelevant when it came to Ultimate. The platformer was just as likely to add an obscure Nintendo character as it was a hero owned by Sony or Microsoft. Nintendo said "everyone is here" and meant it.

Ultimate received so many updates over the years that Nintendo fans would often urge Masahiro Sakurai – known overachiever and tireless worker – to take a break. Seven years later, not only is Sakurai back to work on the Switch 2's Kirby Air Riders, but wide-ranging crossovers have become a constant in games like Fortnite. Few games can bring people together and elicit the same excitement as consistently as Ultimate's characters did, though – and not for a lack of trying.

And how could they? Sakurai threw his all into Ultimate; he thought it was the last one he might ever make. He called its mere existence a "miracle" that he may never top.

"I feel we truly succeeded in making people happy with this game, but now that Smash Bros. has grown to be monstrous in size, I'd say it's difficult to imagine an increase of this magnitude happening again," Sakurai said in 2024. To wit, the tireless game developer has outright said that if Ultimate ever sees a follow-up, it'll likely be smaller in scope.

For some, a Smash Bros. game with a svelte roster may sound disappointing. But judging from the way people talk about Ultimate, most people are united in awe that it happened at all. Just look at this YouTube round-up of Ultimate DLC fighter trailers, where words like “masterpiece” are thrown around earnestly.

If there’s a next Smash Bros. game – it’s hard to imagine a Nintendo console without it – it’s possible, if not likely, that it won’t be nearly as big as Ultimate. But if Sakurai, a man who spent the last few years making accessible game development videos on YouTube is involved, you can count on one thing: the next Smash Bros. will be for everyone.

While the future of Smash remains unclear, we're keeping tabs on everything you need to know about the Switch 2

There are some people who can't tweet without it becoming news. Hideo Kojima, LocalThunk, and Masahiro Sakurai, a game developer who's worked on Kirby and was the director for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He and Undertale dev Toby Fox have shared some tweets about this phenomenon, and now we're turning those tweets into news.

When Nintendo announced it was hosting a Direct last week, Sakurai quote tweeted it with a single word that translates to something like "uh-huh," or "I see." As reported by Automaton, this word was mistranslated by Google and DeepL to "method," and this sent people spiraling trying to figure out what he meant.

Sakurai has since responded to the Automaton article, writing, "I can't even carelessly tweet…" It must be strange having everything you post online be put under a microscope by your fans. It's a feeling Fox can relate to, as he replies, "A friend whose tweets are always read too deeply into.

That's the Google translation anyway. The DeepL translation for that tweet reads, "Friends whose tweets are read in depth every time," which is fairly similar. Sakurai responds, "Maybe… Maybe?" So should we be going through his tweets with a fine-tooth comb? Who knows...

What's cute here is noting that the two are friends, or at least Fox considers them friends. I didn't actually know Fox spoke Japanese until today, but when you take a look at Undertale it's clear he has an interest in Japanese art and culture.

Sakurai has also said he's surprised the Switch 2 Direct coming later today is an hour long, and even he doesn't know what's going to be in it.

What are your Nintendo Switch 2 Direct predictions? I'd love a new Smash Bros. but I'm not sure how likely that is.

Today's the big day – the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct will air in a few short hours. Ahead of the stream, Nintendo confirmed that we can expect it to be "approximately 60 minutes long," making for a lengthy broadcast that'll be about the same length as the January 2017 Switch 1 presentation, something that even Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai seems pretty shocked about.

In a tweet posted a few hours ago (translated by Automaton), Sakurai calls the length of the Switch 2 presentation "a surprise," but quickly clarifies that "I do not know the contents of the announcement (besides, I don't belong to Nintendo)."

Despite his disclaimer, he acknowledges that "people are going to suspect no matter what I say," and he knows this from experience. As Automaton points out, it was only last week that the Smash Ultimate director's short, simple response to Nintendo announcing its March Direct prompted fans to speculate whether he was teasing an announcement of his own. Needless to say, he wasn't and remarked that he can't tweet "carelessly."

To be fair, fans do have reason to anticipate an announcement from Sakurai at some point. Last October, he confirmed that in July 2021, he "received a request to write a game proposal" and was "given the OK to move forward with production" in October 2021. He apologized that he wasn't able to "share more about this project," but added: "Assuming that we're able to get it made, it should be announced sooner or later."

He's remained quiet on this since – we still don't have any idea what the game is or when we can expect it to surface. It's certainly one to look forward to, but it sounds like the developer knows better than to give away any clues on Twitter.

In the meantime, we'll just have to get ready for whatever Nintendo has up its sleeve today – Sakurai says he's "looking forward to it," and he's definitely not the only one.

You can keep up with all the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct news in our live blog – here's hoping we get some news about upcoming Switch 2 games.

Super Smash Bros. series director and Kirby creator Masahiro Sakurai is "conscious" that game developers can't "compete" with the work of some professions, like doctors, but he still believes games can "buff" peoples' everyday lives regardless.

While accepting a lifetime achievement award at the 30th AMD Ceremony earlier this week, Sakurai broke down why he spent hundreds of thousands of dollars creating a YouTube channel where he gave the public three decades of pent up game dev advice at no cost.

"I did something extremely irrational on my channel," Sakurai said, as reported on by Oricon and translated by Automaton, "I disseminated all of my knowledge as a game director to the whole world for free. Why did I do that? I feel like I'm losing to a lot of professions out there. While I am making my own contributions, I can't even hope to compete with what doctors do, for instance."

Sakurai explained the insecurity stems from the fact that "without peace and health, people cannot enjoy digital entertainment" like the mega-popular games he makes. "This is something I'm conscious of."

Still, he's not entirely hopeless about the career path he's gone down since the '90s and thinks games can "'buff' peoples' lives, making it an extremely rewarding profession." That's an incredibly fighting game-coded way of phrasing things, but if anyone can get away with it, it's the man who successfully buffed and nerfed and balanced 86 characters to perfection.

Sakurai hasn't publicly announced the next game he's working on after his magnum opus Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the brawler that swept every fighter and almost every stage from the series' entire history under one roof. Though Nintendo is holding an OG Switch-focused Direct later today and a special Nintendo Switch 2 Direct next week, so we might just hear about his next game soon. (Cross your fingers for another Kid Icarus, please, people.)

Super Smash Bros. creator says instead of making more "Americanized works," Japanese devs should "seek the uniqueness and fun of Japanese games"

Masahiro Sakurai, the legendary mind behind Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and the beloved 25-year-old series behind it, thinks developers in Japan should focus on creating more games "that Japanese people like" after a shift to "Americanized works."

Speaking in a recent interview with Entax reported by Automaton, Sakurai explains what he thinks the Japanese gaming industry should do in the future to ensure steady growth similar to the success seen in other countries' own industries like that of China's. "It's not really my own idea," reveals the director, "but as an industry trend, I think Japanese people should keep pursuing the things that Japanese people like."

Sakurai describes how the success of Japanese games in the United States kickstarted a trend of developers "making Americanized works" rather than focusing on more local consumers' tastes – or their own. "You could say that there was a culture of following de facto standards," states the Super Smash Bros. lead, referring to the standards adopted by the industry as a whole as a result of competition within the market.

He doesn't think that the overseas market is actually searching for this more "Americanized," filtered experience, however, "but rather, I think that they seek the uniqueness and fun of Japanese games." That's why, as Sakurai says, devs should remain true to their own interests rather than perceived expectations: "I think that the ideal would be to make games the way you like, as those who agree with you will enjoy them."

Sakurai concludes that it's vital for devs to "do things freely" while creating new games – but he does emphasize that his opinion is just that. As a longtime fan of JRPGs and other titles from Japan myself, though, I'm inclined to agree with him. After all, some of the best JRPGs out there arguably stand the test of time as genre gems thanks to their creators' freedom of expression and divergence from industry "standards."

Masahiro Sakurai says Super Smash Bros "might have died out" if not for late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata: "There's no doubt that he influenced me in many ways"

Folks, wrap it up. Super Smash Bros. has reached its peak, and I fear it may never be topped thanks to what's being hailed as the greatest Super Smash Bros. Ultimate clip, showing Minecraft Steve constructing and deploying a Trojan Horse mid match to destroy an unsuspecting opponent.

Ever since Steve was added to Ultimate, he's widely been considered one of the best, if not the best fighter in the game, and a big part of that is thanks to his ability to create and place blocks. The guy can very quickly pop down blocks both on the ground and in the air, which can be used to make new (temporary) platforms, stop incoming attacks, and other evil things like prevent opponents from recovering onto the stage. Even when he first showed this ability off, director Masahiro Sakurai described that latter option as "dreadful," so that's how you know it's good.

Anyway, while there are definitely plenty of optimal ways to use the block placement ability, one player has now shown off the absolute funniest. Over on Twitter, @MickbroEthan has been plotting a devious strategy since 2022, and has finally pulled it off. Please, behold the glory of Trojan Horse Minecraft Steve.

As you can see in the player's old blueprint (below), the idea is to quickly build a horse shape out of wooden blocks while placing a minecart in the center of it for Steve to sit in. Then, after the blocks break – either independently over time or due to the opponent hitting them – the minecart falls to the ground and Steve begins hurtling towards his foe. Would you ever have the opportunity to pull this off in an actual competitive tournament? Perhaps not. But that doesn't matter one bit in the face of the best Steve clip of all time, if not the most brilliant Ultimate clip in general.

"I know Steve is ban-worthy but I think this has to be the best Smash clip of all time right," one player argues. "This is without [a] doubt the single funniest Smash Ultimate clip of all time it's not even close. It's not up for discussion actually. This is Ultimate's legacy as far as I'm concerned," says another. "I don't care if he's broken tell me how this isn't the funniest fucking character in this game's entire history," another adds.

As the one behind the clip puts it, "we got Greek tactics in Smash before GTA 6," and I for one hope this brings in a new era of Steve shenanigans. Now we just need someone to prove that it actually is competitively viable.

It's stuff like this that proves why Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is one of the best fighting games of all time.

Super Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai has praised late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata's role in not only bringing the iconic fighting series to life, but keeping it going, too.

In a new interview with Japanese site Hoshino (translated via Google), Sakurai is asked how meeting Iwata for a job interview at HAL Laboratory affected his work. In short, quite a bit. Sakurai says he might not have joined HAL if not for Iwata, and had the Nintendo icon not made the prototype for Smash Bros. to begin with, it may not have been released to the world at all. Sakurai also says the series "might have died out" had Iwata not asked him to make Super Smash Bros. Brawl after he left HAL Laboratory.

Given all of that, Sakurai says, "there's no doubt that he influenced me in many ways." The influence Sakurai speaks of, though, is more about the direction of his career than his craft – that he did on his own.

Sakurai recalls a senior colleague being mean to him when he first joined the company. After asking the difference between a proposal and a specification, he was told one was a proposal, and the other was, get this, a specification. Sakurai then knew going the self-taught route was probably for the best.

Unhelpful colleagues aside, it's all worked out rather well for Sakurai. Aside from oodles of beloved games under his belt, it was recently shared that he's being honored by the Japanese government for his exceptional YouTube videos. Sakurai might have been largely self-taught, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't learn from the greats.

Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai says he'll make a game "even if it's the opposite of what I like," because "you have to think of it as work, not entertainment."

When it comes to making games, Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai believes that working out the amount of content included in them early on is important, which is perhaps unsurprising when you consider just how much was packed into his latest fighting game installment. 

Super Smash Bros Ultimate will be seven years old this December, if you can believe it, but I'm still in awe at the sheer amount of stuff that the devs included. Alongside the endlessly replayable main fighting mode, we got a full-fledged campaign, the return of every fighter who'd ever featured in the series, a further 12 DLC characters to pack out an enormous 82-character roster, and much, much more. It's the sort of game that could keep you busy forever if you wanted it to, which makes sense considering Sakurai's latest comments in an interview with Japanese site Nikkei Cross Trend.

In the interview (translated by Google and verified using DeepL), Sakurai talks about the importance of considering a game's "volume," noting that he plays other developers' games to the end as often as he can. This helps give an idea of "the volume of modern games," as well as how satisfying they are to complete, he says. 

Although you can certainly get an understanding of how a game works just from playing a bit of it, Sakurai argues that approach would mean you don't really know "how many hours it can be played, how much fun it offers," and how it evolves unless you complete it. 

He reiterates that a game's volume is "something that should not be underestimated," although that's clearly not just to ensure players are kept busy, as he notes that it influences manpower and the costs behind it. It's for this reason that he thinks it's "important to be able to show the approximate volume estimate" from a game's proposal stage. 

We already know that Sakurai is working on his next game, although we don't know what it's going to be, or how big it is. Based on these latest comments, though, it sounds like the developer himself must have a good idea of that by now – after all, it's apparently been in development since August 2022.

Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai says he'll make a game "even if it's the opposite of what I like," because "you have to think of it as work, not entertainment."

Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai may be the mastermind behind loads of iconic games, but he doesn't limit himself to only creating things that suit his own tastes, as he's now gone so far as to say he'd even make something that was "the opposite" of what he likes if he had to. 

In a new interview with Japanese site Nikkei Cross Trend (translated by Google, and verified with DeepL), Sakurai was asked what he thinks about when it comes to manufacturing games, and it primarily boils down to the "finished image" and "the users who will play it." 

"The job of making games is to create entertainment. However, if you are going to sell them, you have to think of it as work, not entertainment," he explains. "That's what it means to be a professional. Even if it's the opposite of what I like, I'll make it if it's necessary."

This does have a benefit for Sakurai, though, as he adds that he doesn't plan games based on his own preferences but rather with the ultimate goal of making players happy.

Going back to the point he makes about envisaging the final product, he notes that having "some idea" of what a game will look like when it's done is important, "because if you're making one big game, it's going to take years of time to figure out the path forward." This is also crucial if you're working with a team, since changing things part way through could confuse people. 

Back in October last year, Sakurai revealed that in the last three years, he'd completed a proposal for a new game, which has apparently been in development since August 2022. However, he didn't give away any details about it, and instead teased: "I'm sorry I can't share more about this project, but assuming that we're able to get it made, it should be announced sooner or later." 

Super Smash Bros creator says the $600k he spent on his YouTube channel was "an investment toward a brighter future for games," so it's fine he made no money off it.

Update, November 26: A previous version of this article suggested that moky was the first new Melee Major tournament winner in 20 years. In fact, this was the first Melee Major tournament to feature a an all-new top four in that timespan. The article has since been corrected, and we regret the error.

Don't Park on the Grass 2024, a Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament, just made history as the first to feature no previous major winners in its final four for over 20 years.

Moky, Aklo, Nicki, and Joshman were the four finalists. Nicki used Ice Climbers to beat Joshman's Fox in the losers bracket and subsequently lost to Aklo's Fox in the losers finals. The Fox on Fox violence continued as Aklo and moky faced off in the finals both using the fighter, but ultimately, moky emerged victorious, beating Aklo 3-1.

Moky has been active since 2015 and is a member of Moist Esports, as is fellow finalist Joshman. This is moky's only major win.

I played a lot of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with my flatmates when it launched back in 2018 and we got so sweaty that it nearly tore us apart, but I'm still in awe at the skill displayed by the pros. In the final, moky and Aklo didn't just attack where their opponent was, but where they predicted they'd be in a split-second's time.

The tactic that ended up winning for moky was his consistent ability to knock Aklo off the stage and then edge guard. Fox's recovery move doesn't offer much in the way of aerial movement. It takes time to charge meaning your opponent can get into position to block your return to the stage, and it doesn't actually move Fox very far, so it's futile if you've been sent flying off to the side or below the arena.

"I feel good, dude", moky says during his winner interview. "My bracket was so scary," he says when recounting the journey that led up to his victory. "It was Luigi into Ice Climbers into [Jiggly]puff into two Peach. The first time I ever looked at my bracket I checked to see if my flight was refundable."

It just goes to show that you should always give yourself a chance, you just might surprise yourself.

If you'd like to get involved in the competitive side of Smash, check out our Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tier list to give yourself the best odds. 

As The Legend of Zelda fans process the revelation that one particular in-game animation of Link that we'd always accepted was never quite right, even Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai has admitted that his own fighting game's attempts to make it fit aren't exactly perfect.

Link unsheathing his sword from the scabbard on his back is just a thing he does. Bokoblin on the prowl? Better reach over the shoulder and remove the blade, ready for action. But it turns out that such a simple-looking maneuver was never very realistic at all, in a surprising turn that's only now been highlighted thanks to a Link cosplayer trying (and failing) to recreate it.

Talented cosplayer @sakigake_cos on Twitter recently shared a very funny clip of them as Link, as seen in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, attempting to pull off the same move he does by lifting the hilt of the sword from behind their head. All in-game animations would suggest that this would be a smooth, effortless action, but that's not the case – @sakigake_cos just can't stretch their arm out far enough to fully remove the sword, so it gets stuck. 

It's a relief that can't actually happen to Link when he's ambushed by a group of Moblins. Regardless though, it's been a lot to take in, especially as animators admit that, yeah, this slick move we all know and love has never been the most realistic thing in the world. "As an animator, I apologize for misleading… we've been cheating this in 3D for years," former RWBY fight animator Dillon Gu writes on Twitter.

As for Link's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it's clear that the fighting game's director was aware that the move wasn't quite possible, as Sakurai explains a slight tweak that was made to help "match the action." In a tweet (translated via Google and DeepL), he notes that Link pulls the scabbard down slightly when sheathing his sword. Even that "wasn't enough," he admits, but he felt that's as far as things could go to make the animation work. 

Another Twitter user has shared a slowed-down clip of Link in the fighting game which demonstrates what Sakurai is referring to. It's safe to say that the slight adjustment to the scabbard before he puts his sword away definitely helps that animation look more seamless, although it's a different matter when he removes it again. You'd never know if you weren't looking for it, but it's clear that the blade clips straight through the side of the scabbard, and I imagine many of us will never be able to unsee that now. 

Super Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai teases a new game that's secretly been in the works for years – and "it should be announced sooner or later" if "we're able to get it made."

Super Smash Bros and Kirby creator Masahiro Sakurai has revealed that he put nearly $600,000 into his YouTube channel, and hasn't seen a penny in return.

In his final video, uploaded to the channel earlier today, Sakurai announced that he'd actually filmed almost all of his 260 releases more than two years ago, and had spent much of the time since working on a new game. The final video doesn't dwell on that new title, however, instead explaining the lengths that Sakurai went to to bring his video project to life.

Explaining that much of the content was written and originally filmed in a six-month window between projects in 2022, Sakurai explained that for the past two years, he'd been working closely with a video editing firm, as well as a team of translators, to allow for his consistent uploads. Those two expenses, as well as a few extra costs, came to a total of 90 million yen. While he acknowledges that the weakness of the yen currently makes that figure seem bigger than it is, it still amounts to a little under $600,000 with modern conversion rates.

Sakurai also explains that the figure could easily be significantly higher, as it doesn't take into account all the time he spent writing scripts, recording footage, and editing drafts. If you assigned a figure to that work by outsourcing it, he suggests it "would surely cause your production costs to skyrocket."

But for all that output, Sakurai hasn't seen a single yen back from his project, because the entire thing isn't monetized. It's hard to get a true sense of how much Sakurai could have made from the videos, but having garnered 80 million views across his Japanese and English language channels, an average YouTube return of $6 per 1,000 views suggests he'd have made back a little under $500,000. With a final video (and any future views) adding to that total, there's a chance Sakurai could have broken even on the project eventually.

He does joke, twice, that the decision not to monetise the channels was a "silly" one, but he has his reasons for making that decision. "However, and I truly mean this," he says, "I consider this an investment toward a brighter future for games," outlining his hopes that players will use his archive of videos to gain a greater appreciation for game design, and developers will use it as inspiration if they're stuck. "The jury is still out for now," he admits, "but for the money I put into it, I'd say the channel turned out well enough."

Super Smash Bros' Masahiro Sakurai says "I'm so sorry" to players who spent "hundreds or even thousands of hours" in his fighting game.

Super Smash Bros Ultimate and Kirby creator Masahiro Sakurai says sorry to the players who have spent thousands of hours in his games.

The apology comes courtesy of the famed director's most recent Creating Games episode, in which he reconciles with the idea that a game's playtime is basically a cost that players need to weigh. "Play time - especially how it's conceived before starting a game - is better thought of as a cost of sorts," he explains. 

"In the modern world, you're constantly competing with everything else," Sakurai continues. "It's a battle for people's time. Even if someone has lots of free time on their hands, that means something different now than it did in the past. There are always things to do. The question is: how do people choose to spend the time?"

I find it funny that footage from infamous timesinks Vampire Survivors and Powerwash Simulator play in the background while Sakurai says all this, but the director reckons that phone screens are probably the biggest threat to people's free time because there are virtually no barriers to entry. You can't just whip out your console in a supermarket queue, you need to be able to focus while playing, and games can take up significantly more time - so Sakurai says a game's appeal needs to be able to overcome those barriers.

Regardless, after recognizing the war for people's attention, Sakurai says a massive "I'm so sorry!" to the players who have spent thousands of hours fighting in Super Smash Bros because, as he explained, they could've spent their precious time doing literally anything else.

Astro Bot director Nicolas Doucet also chimed in on the question of playtime recently, arguing that “12 to 15 hours of condensed fun” beats 40 hours with parts “you feel like skipping.” 

Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai has debunked a long-standing rumor that his experience destroying a player at The King of Fighters '95 led to the creation of his own fighting game series, even if the experience itself was very real. 

Sakurai discusses this exact story, which he calls a "bitter memory," on the latest video on his YouTube channel. It happened in an arcade back when, as Sakurai humbly puts it, he "wasn't bad at fighting games" – his definition of 'not bad,' it should be noted, was when he could win 50 matches in a row. Needless to say, he's probably being modest about his abilities, which leads us to the moment that's been rumored to have started Smash Bros. in the first place.

"A challenger jumped into the game. I went on to fight them, and landed my moves with style. With Takuma Sakazaki, I jumped, then did a strong punch, uppercut, Ku-Ou Ken, Hien Shippuu Kyaku, and Zanretsuken – a fancy, flashy combo with three special moves one after another. But something was off," Sakurai begins. "The other side wasn't fighting back. When I took a peek over at the other side, I was surprised to find a run-of-the-mill couple sitting there. The girlfriend was the one playing. I couldn't help but think I messed up."

Sakurai goes on to explain that when the player's boyfriend tagged in for the last round, he went easy on him, "but I'm sure it was obvious what I was doing." 

It's a fun story, but over on Twitter, Sakurai also took the opportunity to shut down the rumors surrounding it once and for all. "Some rumors have suggested that Super Smash Bros. was created as a result of the story I discuss in this episode, but I can confirm that's not the case," he writes. "This experience had no influence on the concept behind Smash Bros."

It's just a "bitter memory," then. Even so, Sakurai is of the mindset that "there's no point in playing games if you're not having fun," and if someone agrees to try a new game, he suggests to "be kind to them if you don't want them abandoning it entirely." He adds: "Not that I'm one to talk! Sorry again for that!"

Smash Bros creator urges other devs to launch their games with as few bugs as possible because patches won't matter if "your players have already given up on the game."

In an era where developers are seemingly struggling to balance all their different weapons, characters, and abilities, Super Smash Bros Ultimate's director has revealed that all 86 fighters have a near-identical win rate.

Director Masahiro Sakurai has been sharing game design gold over on YouTube for two years now, and his latest video delves into the tricky waters of balancing a game, or in other words trying to make all in-game tools as viable as each other. And with a massive flex, the legendary director revealed his team cracked the code across the game's mega-roster. 

"Data gathered from all over the world" shows that the brawler's most effective character wins matches 51.43% of the time, while the lowest win rate sits at 47.18%. The other 85 fighters land somewhere in between, meaning the unbelievably big roster is pretty much evenly matched. 

Sakurai released the information because he thought the internet tended to be "an echo chamber of sorts" where repeated discourse about one character being over or underpowered would "gain momentum and make people think it's truer than it is."

Live service juggernauts struggle with evening the odds all the time, sometimes releasing balance patches to balance out the previous balance patches. Helldivers 2 has suffered from this recently, as has Overwatch 2, but Sakurai has some sage advice for developers.

"If you balance purely based on fighter strength, their abilities quickly start to level out," Sakurai explains. "Shortcomings are balanced while advantages are reduced, leaving you with something average. That doesn't make for a fun game, though - and that’s a problem. Hence, I advise our team to keep fighters unique by amplifying shortcomings to offset advantages."

"Now, if you move forward treating uniqueness as ideal, you'll naturally end up with mixed reception," he continues. "If you get rid of individuality, there'll be no point in having a wide array of fighters. A major reason why people enjoy fighter reveals is that each character's unique traits are firmly established. There won't be much charm in something with no strengths or weaknesses, after all. Average and mediocre are the same thing."

The Super Smash Bros steward announced that "work has finally come to an end" after the reveal of Kingdom Hearts' Sora - which also ended some decades-long amiibo obsessions. While he previously had retirement plans, Sakurai also can't imagine someone else directing an inevitable sequel to the series. 

Find out what else Nintendo is up to our upcoming Switch games list. 

I cannot believe after nearly 10 years and 95* individual amiibo, the Super Smash Bros. line of Nintendo's admittedly middling toys-to-life endeavor is ending with the release of Sora, the last DLC character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, today. At least for now, anyway. But more than that, I cannot believe I have 73 of those. I, uh, really hesitate to do the math on that one, but I've yet to buy any of them at marked-up second hand prices, so that's some small comfort. Even if Sora happens to be the last Super Smash Bros. amiibo ever, however, I can honestly say I have no regrets.

Amiibo are, if you've somehow managed to avoid them for the last decade, little toy figures that can be used with the built-in NFC readers on Nintendo's most recent consoles to do… relatively minor things. You can unlock various equipment in the latest Zeldas, for example, with related amiibo. The Super Smash Bros. line is maybe the most involved as you could actually "train" your amiibo and have digital versions of them actually fight in the game with the figure keeping track of how it'd been trained and so on.

What's in the box

It's a neat concept, but hasn't really expanded beyond that terribly much. Animal Crossing allows new villagers to come visit via amiibo, but that's about it when it comes to the actual complexity of what they actually do. In retrospect, the whole initiative is a bit disappointing in terms of actual mechanics and impact. I hesitate to speculate about what Nintendo could or should have done, but there's no denying the reality that the way they have actually been used is lackluster at best.

That's not to say I regret my time or money spent. Even in the depths of retailer-exclusive amiibo hell, tracking down folks to trade with while waiting for reissues that might never come, there's been a simple joy to it for me. I've liked collecting these little bits of ephemera. For roughly a decade, there was always more to come, something new to physically hunt or a design to thoroughly inspect.

As for why I started doing this in the first place, I'm honestly not sure. At the time, I think I was intrigued by Nintendo officially getting into the Skylanders-adjacent business, and I've always loved Super Smash Bros. as a franchise. I think it seemed to me that, if Nintendo was going to do amiibo for all of the fighters, the least I could do was personally enshrine them myself. (All 73 are sealed; I've never willingly opened an amiibo for non-work reasons. My coworker calls this a disease that we share.)

And to be clear, there's every indication that Nintendo will continue releasing amiibo here and there. It seems unlikely that the company will ever commit to the scale of the Super Smash Bros. line again, but reissues and new first-party amiibo seem easy enough to predict as being on the horizon. A slow, inconsistent drip of little figures for as long as Nintendo desires. If there's a new major Zelda, expect more Link amiibo.

But then again, maybe not. Super Mario Bros. Wonder managed to come and go without any associated amiibo, and if you'd asked me prior to its release whether there would be at least one, I'd have sworn up and down there would. On the other hand, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 did manage to eventually get a double pack, so. Whatever Nintendo's big overarching goal for amiibo is – assuming there is one – I couldn't possibly say.

What I can say is my hunt is over. My watch, such as it was, has ended. In the immortal words of Frodo Baggins, it's done. I'll probably still pick up amiibo here and there going forward, but never again with the same fervor. Whatever the next 10 years hold for Nintendo and amiibo, it seems fair to assume that it won't be the same as the last. My concluding obsession will have to simply stand as a testament to the past, my arguably foolish youth, and a frankly obscene discretionary budget that I will absolutely never again have.

*Look, the Mega Man Gold Edition amiibo just… isn't really part of the Super Smash Bros. line. That's my stance, and I'm sticking to it.

Regardless of whether they have associated amiibo, it's still worth checking out the best Nintendo Switch games to play.

It turns out Super Mario RPG is quietly responsible for the majority of Peach's characterization. 

In case you haven't heard: Super Mario RPG is getting a full remake, and it's out later this year. As part of the revival, old-school Nintendo fans have been reflecting back on how Super Mario RPG really helped shape and finalize the design of Princess Peach that we've come to know over the decades.

For example, Peach's parasol was first established as a weapon back in Super Mario RPG, and not Super Smash Bros Melee as is commonly thought. Even Peach's big Final Smash ability in Super Smash Bros is inspired by an ability in Super Mario RPG, if you didn't already know (because we sure didn't).

"Yeah, I think a lot of people don't realize just how important Super Mario RPG was for Peach," writes one Twitter user in response. The point is that while this information is probably old to millions, it's unknown to many millions more around the world, who are either new to Nintendo or Mario in general.

Because yes, there are people who are new to Mario in 2023, believe it or not. Super Mario RPG is 27 years old at this point, which is basically ancient in video game terms, especially in an industry that's historically been poor at preservation (one could even argue Nintendo is one of the worst at preservation).

Super Mario RPG launches later this year on November 17 for Nintendo Switch. Oh, and if you love Baby Yoshi but weren't sure where the much-memed character originated, look no further than Super Mario RPG.

Just last year, in fact, Super Mario RPG's original director said he wanted to make another Mario RPG, and has no shortage of concepts for a possible new game.

Nintendo has sprinkled characters' official ages around in various games before - a trophy in Smash Bros. Melee reveals Mario to be 26, for example - but never Bowser and Bowser Jr. However, both characters' official ages have been ever-so-subtly confirmed for the first time, and the entire Mario canon has been thrown into chaos.

As spotted by MarioBrothBlog, Nintendo recently published a video on its official YouTube channel teaching you how to make a Nintendo account. And of course, because everything - including boring instructional videos - has to be extremely cute and on-brand in Nintendo world, the examples they show are for Bowser and his son, Bowser Jr. As we're walked through the account creation process, you can clearly see both characters' birthdays, which would be a much less significant story if the information didn't conflict with everything we know about the Mario series. 

According to Nintendo, Bowser was born on February 5, 1989, making him 34 years old at the time of publication. Meanwhile, Bowser Jr. was apparently born on March 3, 2010, meaning he just turned 13 years old a couple months back. 

This makes no sense. I remember being introduced to Bowser Jr. back in 2002 with Super Mario Sunshine, which would suggest he can't possibly be any younger than 21. Likewise, Bowser made his first appearance in 1985's Super Mario Bros. 38 years ago.

Look, I don't like to be reminded how much time has passed since all of these dates either, but we need to get to the truth here. If Bowser is only 34 and Bowser Jr. is just 13, then how could they have existed 38 years ago and 21 years ago, respectively? One possibility is that those games actually take place in the future - after all, it's not like either game ever specified a time setting.

Or maybe time doesn't move at all in the Mario universe. That would explain why none of the characters seem to ever age, despite the decades we've known them. Another theory is that there's a Mario multiverse in which every game is a separate and distinct universe, but then why would Nintendo reveal this new information without the context of any one game? 

Of course, the only real answer here is that Nintendo put  very little thought into revealing this pair of birthdays and how they fit into established Mario canon, likely because Mario canon is at best a bunch of nonsense. Bowser is 34 and Bowser Jr. is 13, no matter how much conclusive proof to the contrary we as fans can present. As long as Nintendo owns the IP rights, it makes the rules.

Here are the best Switch games to play and forget any of this happened.

Super Smash Bros Ultimate tournaments across the country are making ol' Minecraft Steve illegal after the discovery of a potentially game-breaking new technique.

Last week, clips of a new Steve technique started sweeping through the Smash community. Labeled 'Phantom MLG,' the technique lets Steve players escape hitstun on many moves. That means that Steve can escape from multihit combos, and strike back against opposing characters while they're still recovering from the move they've just performed. In the fighting game parlance, it effectively gives Steve armor. You can see a proper breakdown of the move in the video below.

Naturally, that is not a technique many players want to compete against, and following PMLG's discovery, much of the Smash community was calling for Steve to be banned from tournaments. Those bans started happening pretty quickly, and now Steve is banned - or at least restricted - across many states in the US scene. Now that Smash legend Juan 'Hungrybox' DeBiedma has announced Steve's ban at Coinbox, the tournament series he organizes, it seems likely that many more will follow suit.

While the banhammer is coming down hard and fast, there remains some debate on just how useful PMLG actually is. While it looks flashy in clips, it's difficult to pull off. You have to prime the move, set yourself up to be hit by an opponent's attack, and execute your PMLG with perfect timing. It only works when Steve is at low damage, too. Steve mains argue that the technique is useful, but not truly game-breaking.

The court of public opinion has seemingly already made its ruling, though, and it's not looking good for Steve. Smash Ultimate has not received an update since December 2021, so it's unlikely a patch will end PMLG. It remains to be seen what this means for Steve's future in competitive Smash.

Dig into our guide to the best Switch games.

Super Bowl 2023 has come and gone, and in the aftermath of a closely contested sporting event, a questionable penalty call, and some junk food-induced comas, gamers can only think about one thing: it sure was wild how much Rihanna's halftime show looked like a video game level.

As is Super Bowl halftime tradition, Rihanna's show was a lavishly produced, 15-minute stage presentation featuring a medley of some of the artist's biggest hits. It was a solid show, and one made all the more notable because it doubled as Rihanna's pregnancy reveal. Much of it took place on a series of platforms that raised and lowered while suspended from the top of the stadium.

And yes, this is absolutely just a Super Smash Bros stage. Look forward to Rihanna as the true final DLC for Smash Ultimate.

The fact that video games have a universal language of "don't fall off high thing" means that there were plenty of opportunities for gags that involved games other than Super Smash Bros, and Twitter has eagerly taken the bait. In addition to being a Smash fighter, Rihanna is also a Destiny player, the next boss to destroy you in Dark Souls, and the leader of a game show for bumbling jellybeans.

Just remember, Rihanna did establish her gamer cred all the way back in 2014.

The Super Bowl served up a whole lot of nerd news with a new D&D movie trailer, a Batman-infused Flash reveal, and a new look at Indiana Jones 5.

We saw a new Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom trailer yesterday, but one of the biggest talking points is the game's potential cast members.

Shortly after the Nintendo Direct yesterday, fans began speculating that voice actor and Critical Role member, Matthew Mercer, had joined the Breath of the Wild sequel to voice Calamity Ganon. Those who are fans of Mercer's previous work were very quick to recognize the actor's voice, but neither Nintendo or Mercer themselves have confirmed whether or not fans are right. 

If you're not familiar with Mercer, you're sure to have at least heard their voice at one time or another - I mean, the actor has a whopping 436 credits to their name on IMDB. Most people know the actor from their role on Critical Role - the D&D show that features fellow well-known voice actors such as Ashley Johnson and Laura Bailey - but you may also recognize them from their roles in Dragon Age: Absolution, Attack on Titan, Overwatch 2, Jojo's Bizzare Adventure, Cyberpunk Edgerunners, and so many more. 

A search of Twitter has revealed so many Matthew Mercer fans excited at the possibility of the actor being a part of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, especially since this will technically be the second time the actor has played Ganon, albeit the first time whilst being hired by Nintendo. If you didn't know, Mercer starred as the Legend of Zelda villain back in 2009 in the Super Smash Bros. Brawl fan film There Will Be Brawl, so it kind of feels like we've come full circle. 

Although the casting is clearly important to a lot of fans, there was also a lot of other things in the new Tears of the Kingdom trailer which have got us excited. First of all, we finally got confirmation on Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's $70 pricing - as well as a look at the collector's edition of the game and new Link Amiibo - which Nintendo says will not set the precedent for all future Nintendo releases.

Want to get the best deal on your copy of the game? This is the cheapest Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom pre-order we've seen yet.

We're just four months (and a few days) away from the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and it looks like a big Zelda amiibo restock is coming to help you collect those rare figures.

French retailer fnac (via Nintendo Wire) is listing a restock of over a dozen Zelda-themed amiibo figures for February 3, 2023, three months ahead of the Tears of the Kingdom release date on May 12. There's a big variety of figures here, ranging from the Smash Bros. Zelda to the Twilight Princess Wolf Link, the pixel Link, and the Breath of the Wild Guardian.

For now, this is just a set of listings on a single retailer in a single region, but the specificity of these restocks do seem to indicate that more figures are being manufactured in anticipation of a bigger, worldwide re-release. That's good news for collectors, and could indicate that Tears of the Kingdom will feature some sort of specific amiibo compatibility with Zelda-themed figures.

Nintendo has not officially confirmed amiibo support for Tears of the Kingdom, or revealed any new figures to coincide with the release of the game. Scanning pretty much any amiibo in Breath of the Wild would unlock chests with bonus items. Scanning specific Zelda amiibo would also unlock exclusive equipment. Maybe the most notable feature came with Wolf Link, which would bring in a canine companion to fight alongside you.

With just four months to go before the Tears of the Kingdom release, expect to learn what sorts of amiibo support the game might have sooner rather than later.

I hope Tears of the Kingdom is great, because it might be the last "significant" Switch release for some time.

Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai has reportedly "semi-retired" from his role at Nintendo.

That's according to an interview with Denfaminico Gamer, which Twitter user PushDustin kindly translated into English for us.

"Sakurai confirms that he is semi-retired," PushDustin revealed in their lengthy Twitter thread. "He is 52 after all. When Smash for 3DS / Wii U and Ultimate he spent nine years in active development. Sakurai felt that if he is just continuously making games full-time, his life will be over before he realizes it.

"Sakurai thinks the work on Smash is very important as it uses so many different characters/ concepts from the game industry," they added. "He is very happy to have worked on it. But, since he has more time available, he figured he would make his YouTube channel while he had the chance."

Interestingly, Sakurai also revealed that he had "recently cleared" Sonic Frontiers, Bayonetta 3, and God of War Ragnarok whilst at the same time as "riding his exercise bike".

The interview comes after Sakurai started a new YouTube series on game design that's quickly becoming one of the most fascinating channels on the platform. Apparently, it's generating "generally positive" responses, with his videos reportedly averaging "over 99 per cent like/dislike ratio".

In other Nintendo-flavored news, a team of white knight hackers have discovered a critical security issue called ENLBufferPwn that could give hackers "full console" access to your Switch, 3DS, and Wii U games and systems.

Following a lengthy investigation, Nintendo has been updating affected games by releasing patches, which may explain why some older games - such as Mario Kart 7 - were recently, and mysteriously, updated after many years of inactivity.

Now details of the exploit have been publicized, it's probably a good idea to take what's left of the festive downtime and use it to ensure all of your Nintendo-flavored systems and games are fully updated to ensure you don't fall victim to this exploit. 

Affected games allegedly include Mario Kart 8 and its Deluxe version, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, ARMS, Splatoon 2, Splatoon 3, and Super Mario Maker 2, Splatoon 3 and Mario Kart 8. 

Here's our pick of the best Nintendo Switch games available to play right now.

Sea of Stars officially has a Summer 2023 release window, developer and publisher Sabotage Studio has announced.

The Chrono Trigger-inspired RPG was recently delayed to 2023, but this is the first we're hearing of a Summer launch window. The news was revealed during the final day of Nintendo's week-long Winter indie showcase, in which we saw some new and absolutely enchanting gameplay footage from Sea of Stars.

The new footage shows a group of characters floating down a river at night and crashing down a pair of waterfalls. At one of the waterfalls' base is a natural fountain that shoots the characters into the air and onto a platform above. The environments and character models look utterly gorgeous and I can't wait to play this next summer.

We also got to hear from Sea of Stars' legendary composer, Yasunori Mitsuda, who's known for his magnificent body of work which includes Chrono Trigger, Mario Party, Smash Bros., and Xenoblade. Mitsuda explained how he's working to give Sea of Stars that "Super Nintendo style" sound while also ensuring all aspects of the game feel "unified."

In case this is the first you're hearing of Sea of Stars, it's a retro turn-based RPG drawn up in the style of 16-bit classics like the aforementioned Chrono Trigger, but also Dragon Quest 3, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and Secret of Mana. Sabotage is known for the acclaimed 2018 action platformer The Messenger, which also looks like it came straight from the 16-bit era.

"Promising the Sabotage touch in every system, Sea of Stars aims to modernize the classic RPG in terms of turn-based combat, storytelling, exploration and interactions with the environment, while still offering a hearty slice of nostalgia and good old, simple fun."

Find out where Chrono Trigger ranked on our list of the best SNES games ever made.

The world record for longest time playing a fighting game has been shattered by a Smash Bros. Ultimate streamer who logged a consecutive 69 hours, four minutes, and 20 seconds... get it? 69/4/20.

If you check the Guinness Book of World Records official website, you'll see the current record holder in this category is one Daniel Bergman, a Canadian man who played Super Smash Bros. (unclear which title specifically) for 57 hours straight back in 2016. Today, that record was not only broken, but utterly, well, smashed.

"However, I didn't want to just beat the record, I wanted to crush it," said YouTuber TCNick3. "So the goal: play for 69 hours straight... no further explanation needed."

TCNick3 apparently vetted two unaffiliated witnesses to officiate his breaking of the world record, and set out to get smashin'. But first, he had to make sure his diet was such that he'd need to excuse himself as infrequently as possible. In accordance with the Guinness Book of World Record's rules allotting a 10-minute break for every hour played, TCNick3 slept for two hours a night in the nearly three days it took him to complete the marathon.

Now, I'm no doctor, but this sounds incredibly unhealthy for a variety of reasons, and I want to make clear that we're by no means condoning, or even celebrating, this seemingly record-breaking event. The streamer himself talks in detail in the above video about the mental and physical toll of beating the record, and indeed, it sounds excruciating. Toward the end of the video, the streamer appears disheveled and exhausted.

You can see the moment the previous record was broken, but naturally, the goal was to reach exactly 69 hours, four minutes, and 20 seconds, and that was accomplished, mental and physical health be damned (the streamer's and ours). Guinness has yet to officially recognize TCNick3's run, and the streamer says the organization likes to take "its sweet time" verifying everything. That said, as long as he didn't break any rules, this is probably going in the books.

Find out where Smash Bros. Ultimate ranked on our list of the best fighting games ever (spoilers: it's pretty darn high up).

Nintendo has issued a statement addressing the canceled Smash World Tour championship. 

Earlier this week it was announced that the unofficial Smash World Tour 2022 championship, as well as "the entirety" of the 2023 events planned by the group have been canceled due to a notice from Nintendo. According to a statement from the organizers, the news apparently came as a shock: "Without any warning, we received notice the night before Thanksgiving from Nintendo that we could no longer operate."

"This was especially shocking given our discourse with Nintendo the past twelve months," the statement continues. "We are truly devastated that this is all being taken away." The Smash World Tour is an international tournament circuit where players of both Super Smash Bros Ultimate and Super Smash Bros Melee can compete to qualify for the Smash World Tour Championships and, this year, win a prize pool of $250,000. 

Following this announcement, Nintendo issued its own statement explaining its decision to IGN. The statement reads: "Nintendo’s decision was solely based on our assessment of the proposals submitted by the SWT [Smash World Tour] and our evaluation of their unlicensed activities." It continues: "Any partner that we grant a license to has to meet the high standards we require when it comes to the health and safety of our fans." 

"It’s also important that a partner adheres to brand and IP guidelines and conducts itself according to professional and organizational best practices," Nintendo says, "we use this same approach to independently assess all partners. If we discover that a partner is doing something inappropriate, we will work to correct it." 

The statement then reveals that Nintendo verbally told the organizers of SWT that it was "not requiring they cancel the 2022 finals event because of the impact it would have on players." Therefore, Nintendo claims, "the decision to cancel the SWT 2022 was, and still is, [SWT's] own choice." 

Nintendo's statement then ends: "Nintendo cares about Super Smash Bros. fans and its community very much, and we hope to continue to hear their passionate feedback. We are committed to working hard to bring joy and fun to the community through tournaments while also ensuring we and our partners are operating in a manner that is positive and responsible."

If you're looking for an alternative to Smash Bros, take a look at our best fighting games list. 

A new 2D Mario game is reportedly on the way, and according to the game's leaker, players might be surprised by how it looks. 

Mario may have started off in the world of 2D scrollers, but these days you’re more likely to find him exploring 3D worlds, duking it out in Smash Bros or enjoying a round of golf. But the Nintendo mascot might soon be returning to his roots. 

According to Nintendo insider Zippo, a new 2D Mario game is currently in development. They say that the "New Super" moniker will not be used and describes the game as "its own thing". Zippo also claims it will feature a "new art style that will take some people by surprise". Sadly, they didn’t elaborate on exactly why that is, but it suggests an exciting new direction for the series. This mysterious new game will also reportedly feature online multiplayer and will see the return of Foreman Spike, a relatively unknown character who first appeared in the 1984 Mario Bros game Wrecking Crew, where he served as the main antagonist.

As for when you can expect to be playing this 2D Mario title, well, according to Zippo, it’s "very far along in development" and "might be completed soon." The leaker adds that it’s expected to release sometime in 2023 or 2024 and theorizes that Nintendo could be aiming to launch it alongside the Super Mario Bros movie, which is due out in April 2023. As always it's best to take this type of thing with a pinch of salt but it's worth noting that Zippo has accurately leaked Nintendo news in the past.

Journalists Mike Minotti and Jeff Grubb claim that the next Nintendo Direct is happening later this month, likely the week of September 12. According to Minotti, Wind Waker and Twilight Princess Switch ports will be revealed at the show. And who knows, we could even see Mario in all his 2D glory.

Check out all the exciting titles making their way to Nintendo’s latest console with our guide to upcoming Switch games.

Masahiro Sakurai, best known as the creator of Kirby and Super Smash Bros., has started a new YouTube series on game design that's quickly becoming one of the most fascinating channels on the platform.

Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games launched last week, and has already garnered 365,000 subscribers. The channel regularly posts brief, sub-10-minute explainers on certain game design concepts, as Sakurai concisely runs down concepts like risk and reward or frame rate.

Take the hit stop video, for example. Here, in the space of about four minutes, Sakurai explains the brief pause you see when you strike an enemy in Smash Bros., and why it makes the action feel so much more satisfying. The video then shows examples of a number of classing shoot-em-ups being improved with various implementations of hit stop to make the action clearer and more dramatic.

In the frame rate video, Sakurai briefly explains why 60 frames per second (the "ideal frame rate," he calls it) feels so much smoother and responsive, and even finds a bit of time to explain how frame rates were handled differently on CRT televisions, and why European retro games ran slower than their counterparts from the US and Japan.

Sakurai says he hopes to update the channel "two or three times per week," and there's plenty more room to mine game design concepts for further content. He's also doing videos about his own game design history, like this explainer on why he wanted to build the original Kirby's Dream Land as a more accessible game for a broader audience.

Sakurai says he's been given clearance to show some early design docs and development builds of his own games, though he stresses that Nintendo has no direct involvement in the channel.

"I want to try and help make games around the world a little more fun" with this channel, Sakurai says. "If you make games, or are aspiring to do so, you might find a little something new here. And if you play games, learning more about the mechanics behind them might deepen your enjoyment even more."

Last year, Sakurai warned fans not to count on there being another Smash Bros. game.

Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé has given more context to his iconic Super Smash Bros match, which has lived on as a meme. 

During a Q&A session at a book signing event (shared to YouTube by David V. Kimball) for Fils-Aimé's recently released book 'Disrupting the Game', the chief operating officer turned author was reminded of a moment during the first ever Super Smash Bros Invitational where, second-place winner and professional Smash Bros player, 'Hungrybox' challenged Fils-Aimé to a match. 

If you didn't know, during the event, Fils-Aimé made a surprise appearance which is when Hungrybox proposed a "for glory" match with the then Nintendo of America President. "I suck at Smash," was Fils-Aimé's initial response before offering to play against Hungrybox in the future once he had gotten some practice in on Super Smash Bros on the 3DS. 

"My opportunity is coming," Fils-Aimé said back in 2014, "with Smash on 3DS, now I'm going to play it on the go, I'm going to be able to come back up next time and kick your ass." And so, the classic meme was born. Just so you know, the Reggie vs Hungrybox match did go ahead a year later in 2015, and as you may have guessed, Fils-Aimé lost by a large margin blaming his choice of controller for the loss. 

Back to the present day, Fils-Aimé reflects on this moment in his career telling the audience at the book signing: "Now, Nintendo has a group called 'The Treehouse', this is where all of our product experts are." Fils-Aimé recalls, "and I go to the team at The Treehouse and [ask] 'isn't it about time for you to give me some tips and tricks for how I could manage this situation?' And they're like 'no, he's just gonna wipe the floor with you, there's nothing we could do, let it happen.'

"The other thing that they surprised me [with], I thought we were going to play on the Wii U controller, right? Because at that year we were launching the Wii U version," Fils-Aimé continues, "and so I practice on my own with a Wii U controller." What Fils-Aimé wasn't expecting though was to be handed a GameCube controller on the day of the highly anticipated battle. "I hadn't picked up [a GameCube controller] in years, so Hungrybox embarrassed me, quite rightly, after I had picked on him the year before," Fils-Aimé adds. 

The Nintendo icon was also asked what Nintendo's reaction to the whole situation was at the time, to which he replied: "At all of our big public events, certainly a large part of it, was scripted, but invariably something would happen," Fils-Aimé explains. 

"Stepping on the Wii Balance Board and saying 'my body is ready', that wasn't scripted, Hungrybox getting all aggressive after he lost that championship, me getting into his face; that just happened." Thankfully, as Fils-Aimé goes on to explain: "More times than not, it all worked out, so no, I typically didn't get reprimanded by anyone for those types of statements."

Wondering what Nintendo is up to at the moment? Find out with our upcoming Switch games list. 

Kirby games have evolved in many ways over the years, but one thing that remains constant is the pink puffball's presence in the Smash Bros series. Kirby has stolen the spotlight time and again thanks to his signature copy abilities, which allow him to take on the guise of Smash Bros' cast of famous fighters. I never tire of seeing the cute little blob don distinctive hairdos, wield iconic weapons, and even adorably mimic catchphrases. 

When it comes to Super Smash Bros Ultimate, the most recent entry in the series, Kirby continues to upstage the roster. Any time a new fighter has joined the fray since its initial release back in 2018, there's always only been one question on my mind: What will Kirby look like when he copies their powers? Seeing the inhaling hero from Planet Popstar take on the forms of so many much-loved game characters is truly one of the great joys of Nintendo's fighting fest. 

The classic fighting game is a part of the pink blob's legacy - having appeared in every Smash Bros title to date. And with Kirby just recently celebrating his 30th anniversary, there's never been a better time to show some love and appreciation for Kirby's very best looks in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. 

10. Captain Falcon Kirby 

Captain Falcon and Kirby actually have quite a history together - both of them made their debut in the first Super Smash Bros on the N64 and have been staple characters ever since. Honestly, is there anything more adorable than hearing Kirby yell "Falcon Punch!" as the classic F-Zero character? When the pink puffball inhales Captain Falcon, he transforms into the racing bounty hunter with a delightfully cute copy of the iconic helmet. As well as looking and sounding the part, you can also charge up your punch to deliver quite the powerful blow against your opponent. There's nothing quite like a Kirby-Captain Falcon KO. 

9. Terry Bogard Kirby

Kirby is bringing the Fatal Fury to the fight with his take on Terry Bogard. Yes, SNK's famous fighter joined Smash Bros Ultimate in 2019 with a surprise announcement from Nintendo and when Kirby's copy was revealed, it certainly didn't disappoint. Complete with Terry's blonde hair, signature baseball cap with the Fatal Fury Logo, and his fingerless gloves, Kirby really faces the fury. In fact, the pink blob even yells "Power Wave!" and "Rock you!" when he's channeling the fighter's moves. If Terry Bogard ever needs to take a break from the fighting games, the little puffball can surely cover for him. 

8. Snake Kirby 

Look out, Kirby's got a grenade! And a beard? Oh, right. It can only mean one thing: Enter Snake Kirby. The Metal Gear protagonist made a comeback in Super Smash Ultimate, and seeing the adorable pink puffball adopt his guise never gets old. Snake's gruff facial hair looks hilariously out of place on the very cute little Planet Popstar resident, but you just can't help but appreciate the imitation. Along with the signature black bandana to top it all off and some explosives in hand, Kirby Snake is one fighter you don't want to mess with. Now, if only there was a box around here. 

7. Mr Game & Watch Kirby 

Mr Game and Watch has a very distinguishable look - being a 2D stick figure and all. Happily, this lends itself to a Kirby copy in one very charming way. Kirby mirrors the stick figure style outline and makes use of some of Mr Game and Watch's arsenal of attacks, which are taken from various games on the handheld. As copy abilities and forms go, it's so spot on - it certainly stands out among the various forms Kirby can adopt as one of the most distinctive imitations.  

6. Piranha Plant Kirby  

We're so used to seeing Kirby consume all, but the famous spotted plant from the Mushroom Kingdom calls into question who is copying who. When the inhaling ball copies the plant Mario's all too familiar with, Kirby transforms into the head of one with its classic spotted red appearance. While it's certainly adorable, the little blob's face is in the maw of the plant's mouth. Is Kirby wearing a Piranha Plant, or is the Piranha Plant wearing Kirby? Maybe we don't really want to know. Either way, it's certainly a very memorable take on the Venus fly trap-like enemy and gives the little pink puff the power to throw spiky balls.

5. Samus Kirby  

There are some game characters that are instantly recognizable thanks to a certain iconic feature. For Samus Aran, it's undoubtedly the signature armor that makes her stand out from the crowd. When Kirby inhales the famous protagonist from the Metroid series, the pink puffball's entire form is taken over by Samus' distinctive headgear. Wearing the helmet with only his little red feet and pink arms on show, Kirby can fire out Samus' signature charge shot. It's all very adorable and badass.  

4. Cloud Kirby

If there's one hairstyle that's easily identifiable, it's Cloud's spiky mane from Final Fantasy 7. There's just no getting away from it. And sure, it looks great on the former First Class Soldier, but do you know who it looks even better on? Kirby. There's nothing quite like seeing the adorable Nintendo character face his foes with the stylish locks of Cloud Strife. What a combination it makes. To top it all off, Kirby wields the massive, oversized Buster sword to complete the iconic ensemble. Of course, we absolutely have to give an honorable mention to Kirby's take on Sephiroth here, too. Honestly, Kirby can rock so many hairstyles.  

3. Joker Kirby 

Kirby is here to steal your heart with this delightful guise. There was no stopping the excitement when the leader of the Phantom Thieves got the invite to join the fight in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. And of course, Kirby's copy of Joker from Persona 5 made it all the better. The little blob captures the signature look of Joker perfectly, with his mask and hairdo. When Kirby transforms into the Phantom thief, he even uses a tiny little pistol and does all the poses with the same kind of finesse, as well as swiftly spinning in the air to deliver several shots at once. It's one welcome addition to Smash Ultimate we never saw coming. 

2. Bayonetta Kirby

Credit where credit's due, Kirby really does go all out when it comes to copying the looks and powers of other characters in Smash. One of the best imitations by far is Bayonetta. First appearing in Super Smash Bros 4 on the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, Bayonetta made a comeback in Ultimate along with Kirby's on-point copy ability. From the beauty mark to the hairstyle and glasses, it's such a great homage to the character from PlatinumGames action series. Oh, and how can we not appreciate Kirby using Bayonetta's gun shoes in battle? Honestly, it's so good that Kirby deserves to make a cameo appearance in Bayonetta 3.  

1. Minecraft Kirby 

Kirby is known for his distinctive spherical shape that somewhat resembles a balloon. So when Minecraft's very own Steve got an invitation to join the fight back in 2020, we got to see Kirby rock the block by taking on the signature cube-like form. As what is essentially a Kirby block - which is very befitting of the Minecraft world - the inhaling hero uses a little spade to dig up the stage. After building up blocks, Kirby can knock them back right down again with a pickaxe, too. Kirby's imitation of Steve is easily one of the most distinctive and memorable transformations in Smash Bros Ultimate.

For more check out our pick of the 10 best Kirby games, or take a look back with our ultimate guide to 30 years of Kirby games. 

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai has said he is officially back at work - working on something that may not have anything to do with making games. 

As originally shared by Famitsu (thanks Nintendo Life), Sakurai revealed: "I have been away for a while now, but I am working on something. [...] You may see me in the near future in a place that has nothing to do with game production."

It’s been a busy few years for Sakurai, following the reveal of all of the fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighter’s Pass Vol. 2. One of the last times we saw Sakurai was when he introduced Sora from Kingdom Hearts as a playable character in the Nintendo fighting game. Not forgetting Kazuya from Tekken, Sephiroth from Final Fantasy 7, Pyra/Mythra from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and many, many more. 

It hasn’t been revealed yet what Sakurai is currently working on or when he plans to return to video games, although we can’t imagine him stepping away from the world of game development for very long. 

You probably shouldn’t hold out for any more major Super Smash Bros. Ultimate updates any time soon though, as back in 2020, Sakurai revealed that he and the rest of the team have no plans for more Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters after Fighters Pass Vol. 2 - which was completed by Sora back in October 2021.

Not only this, but the Sora, Ltd. founder also said that "it would be best not to assume that there will always be another [Super Smash Bros.]" meaning we can’t even be certain of a new Smash Bros. game gracing our Nintendo consoles in the near future either. 

Want to know more about Sakurai’s work on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? Find out how Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and its director Masahiro Sakurai redefined hype.

The best Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Spirits offer up a new way to buff up your favorite fighters on the roster, imbuing each character with special powers which can boost their performance in the World of Light game mode. Here's the thing, there are over 1000 Spirits in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – we are truly spoilt for choice. 

You'll want to spend some time thinking about how you can save the of iconic Nintendo spirits from Galeem's clutches in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate though. Building a strong team, drawing on the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tier list and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate character unlocks, is key to success. While it's impossible for us to cover all 1000+, we have detailed seven of the best Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Spirits below. So keep on scrolling and get your roster in fighting shape.

How to unlock Spirits in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

There are a few ways you can unlock Spirits in Smash Bros. Ultimate, but the easiest way to earn them is by simply playing through the World of Light mode. Most of the fearsome foes you fight will be possessed by a Spirit, so simply defeat them in battle to obtain the Spirit that controls them. Spirits can also be earned through beating the challengers over on the Spirit Board. This separate game mode allows you to earn Spirits by fighting any of the foes that are displayed, but you only have one shot, and a limited amount of time to earn them before they disappear. Once you’ve beaten you’re chosen foe, you’ll get the chance to free them by firing a blaster through the gap in their shield. While missing the shot won’t unlock the character, it will still deal damage to the enemy’s shield, making it easier to unlock them upon your next encounter.

We recommended purchasing both the Sluggish Shield and Shield Spacer items from the shop as they help slow and increase the gap of enemy shields, giving you a better shot of the character encased within. These items are especially useful when facing the game’s Legendary Spirits, so be prepared to use them if you want to increase your chances of netting yourself a victory. You can also purchase Spirits from the in-game shop with the money you’ve earned from brawling, so make sure you take a look at the new stock every once in a while. Lastly, completing certain Vault challenges will also unlock a few Spirits, giving you yet another way to collect even more virtual companions.

Walhart

Spirit type: Support

Walhart is one the best support Spirits in the entire game thanks to his Slow Super Armor ability, which makes it more difficult for enemies to flinch or launch you. This brute support’s only caveat is his lacklustre movement speed, but this doesn’t really matter when you can continuously barrage your foes with a flurry of attacks. Enemy Spirits can hit incredibly hard and it’s not always easy to lay down consistent damage, especially when dealing with multiple foes at once. Walhart effectively decreases the chances of you getting flinched and allows you to adopt a hyper-aggressive approach to combat. Pair this tanky support with a high offensive primary Spirit, and you have an impenetrable defence that even the toughest of enemies won't be able to break through. Walhart can be found in the western Badlands right next to the broken bridge.

Akuma

Spirit type: Primary

Street Fighter’s Akuma is an absolute monster. This Legendary primary Spirit hits like a truck thanks to his incredible raw power (7941) and excellent defence (5294). As a result, Akuma can comfortably carry you through most of the battles in World of Light, but you’ll need to rely on the Spirit Board if you wish to unlock him before you face Galeem. Akuma’s only downside is his lack of support slots, forcing you to simply rely on brute force to beat your opponents. However, this is only a small price to pay as you’ll be knocking your foes offstage without breaking a sweat. If Akuma hasn’t appeared in the Spirit Board listing, then you can find him in Dracula’s Castle after beating Galeem.

Victini

Spirit type: Support

Who doesn’t like to send their foes hurtling off-screen with a well-timed smash attack? Thankfully, Victini understands just how satisfying this mechanic is and gives you the opportunity to transform your regular smash attacks into hyper smash attacks. Hyper smash attacks have a lower windup time and hit even harder than their regular counterparts. Victini only takes up one slot, making this cute critter useable in pretty much any setup, but to unleash this Pokémon’s true potential, try pairing it with high damage primary Spirits to unleash some truly devastating smash attacks. You can find Victini in the Power Plant Zone, which is found northwest of the Poison Woods.

Cutie J (Enhanced Jeanne)

Spirit type: Primary

This two slot Spirit can be obtained after enhancing Jeanne when she reaches level 99. Cutie J makes dodging more easier, allowing you to effectively run rings around your opponent. This ability may not be as interesting as the Super Armor or Hyper Smash skills, but it is incredibly useful when you want to avoid taking a supercharged hit from a powerful enemy. You can find Bayonetta in The Final Battle area of the game, which can only be accessed after clearing the three dungeons in the Dark Realm and beating Master Hand. Once you have beaten Bayonetta, you’ll be given the Jeanne Spirit. Simply head over to your Spirits Collection and level her up until she is fully upgraded. You definitely won’t regret investing in this witch’s power.

Celebi

Spirit type: Support

Celebi is another mythical Pokémon that happens to be extremely useful in Smash Ultimate’s World of Light mode. The guardian of the forest’s ability heals you for five per cent every five seconds, making it incredibly useful in boss fights. However, it does take three slots, but if you find yourself struggling to survive or need to give a squishy character some added survivability, then you can’t go wrong with Celebi. To find Celebi, simply head over to the Dark Realm and take the west path until you reach the lower segment of the map. You should notice that the map is divided into three triforce segments, with the lower one being the Lost Woods. Head into the centre of the Lost Woods and defeat Mewtwo to obtain your mythical Pokémon prize.

Soma Cruz (Enhanced Dracula)

Spirit type: Primary

Soma Cruz is one of the best neutral Spirits in the entire game, but you’ll need to beat Dracula and enhance him to level 99 if you want to reap the rewards. This spirit comes packed with three slots, 6,275 raw attack power, 4,734 raw defence, and has the Giant Killer ability. If you combine Soma Cruz with three strong support Spirits, then you can easily achieve a 15K team power rating. His Giant Killer ability may be situational, but dealing extra damage to monolithic foes is no bad thing, especially in the late-game where your enemies really pack a punch. To obtain this spirit, you’ll need to enter the Dark Realm and head east through the clock ruins.

Cyrus & Reese

Spirit type: Support

Animal Crossing’s Cyrus and Reese can make fights a whole lot easier if you’re struggling to survive against Galeem’s nightmarish puppets. By equipping this support spirit, you’ll be able to start every fight with an Ore Club. This hard-hitting item can deliver deadly charged smash attacks and can unleash a tornado that travels across the stage, dealing multiple hits to enemies, and sweeping any ground-based items up into the air. You also gain super armour when charging, so don’t be afraid to take a few hits when wielding this otherworldly weapon. The Ore Club may be incredibly powerful, but it does take up three support slots and disappears after a few uses, so you’ll need to kill your enemy quickly if you wish to claim a decisive victory. Cyrus and Reese can be found in lurking the Poison Woods.

Look for some more SSBU help? Then check out the best Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters to use in the fight and 12 essential Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tips to know before you play.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai has said it's best not to assume there'll be another entry in the long-running series.

Speaking to IGN, the veteran fighting game developer has said there are currently no plans to return to the Super Smash Bros. series. "It would be best not to assume that there will always be another one," Masahiro Sakurai added when asked about potential future instalments.

If Super Smash Bros. did return with another entry however, Sakurai isn't sure if it'd feature every character offered in the gargantuan roster of Ultimate. The latest entry in the fighting franchise features 82 fighters in total (including DLC characters), and Sakurai thinks that it wouldn't be possible to maintain such numbers for another game without completely breaking the development budget.

In fact, a return to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate isn't the only thing Sakurai is uncertain about right now. The director explains to IGN that he may "not necessarily continue with creating more games," as he could potentially go down a different career path. Sakurai isn't even sure if his next venture will see him staying in the games industry, but he does highlight that he's keeping an open mind.

So far at least, Sakurai has been quiet on his future since Super Smash Bros. Ultimate rounded out development earlier this month with one final balancing patch. The director always maintained that Kingdom Hearts' Sora would mark the final addition to the base game, and development would cease soon after, but he's never openly commented on his personal future, or the future of the series at large, until now.

Check out our guide to the best fighting games if you're after another brawler to try out.

Kingdom Hearts 3 developer Square Enix is offering players a replica chess set for $700, and the only problem is that you can’t actually play a game of chess on it. 

Inspired by the young Xehanort and Eraqus scenes in Kingdom Hearts 3, the Alba and Ater set is available on the US Square Enix store for $699.99. Although visually striking and a must-have for truly devoted Kingdom Hearts fans, the 'chess' set is merely a decorative piece, and you can't actually use it to play a real game of chess.   

Just like in Kingdom Hearts 3, the set comes with several intricately detailed chess pieces, 16 light and 16 dark - all of which represent a character in the Kingdom Hearts series including Sora, Kairi, Riku, as well as series enemies Xehanort, Ansem, Xemnas, and more. A quick glance from a chess professional would be able to tell that this is not appropriate to play on, but just in case, Square Enix also states on the website that: "This is not a game. No rules are included."

Kingdom Hearts fans are currently living their best lives after it was revealed that main protagonist Sora would be joining Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a sword fighter. Nintendo and Kingdom Hearts fans alike thought it would be almost impossible to get Sora into the fighting game considering Disney also holds the rights to the Square Enix property. Even Smash series creator Masahiro Sakurai said he had little hope for the crossover until he had a chance encounter with a Disney representative at an award show. 

Fancy giving the Square Enix x Disney crossover game a go? Good news, the complete Kingdom Hearts series is now available on the Nintendo Switch via cloud versions. 

Sora became the final Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighter thanks in part to a chance run-in between the game's director and a Disney representative.

Masahiro Sakurai shared some of the long story behind bringing the Kingdom Hearts hero to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in his regular column for Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu. While Famitsu isn't officially published in English, a pair of Smash Bros. fans and game developers composed of PushDustin and Kody NOKOLO teamed up to translate Sakurai's message on Twitter.

As Sakurai revealed in the initial announcement, Sora was the most-requested character on the official Smash Bros. fighter ballot. However, as a Disney and Square Enix series, getting the rights to Kingdom Hearts' original characters is (at least) doubly complicated as the typical crossover fighter. According to the Twitter translation, neither Sakurai nor the Smash Bros. business team held out much hope for it ever happening.

Then one day, "at a certain award venue," Sakurai happened to meet a Disney representative who said it would be great to get Sora into Smash Bros. Thus ensued a whole lot of business discussions, both with the external groups to secure the license for Sora and internally to pump up the second Fighters Pass that was originally planned to only include five new characters (which would have left Tekken's Kazuya as the original, final fighter).

The Smash Bros. team had to meet a lot of guidelines and expectations from Sora's stakeholders, starting with the "quite difficult" process of getting his model just right. Regardless, all the hurdles were finally cleared, and Sora proved to be such a popular addition that Smash Bros. players crashed the eShop trying to get him when he arrived earlier this week. If that isn't a simple and clean measure of success, we don't know what is.

See what we're looking forward to on Nintendo's console next with our guide to upcoming Switch games. 

The gaming world's most unlikely duo, Isabelle from Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom Slayer from the Doom series, can finally unite in unholy matrimony (or just kill each other, more likely) thanks to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's latest update.

Back in March 2020, folks from polar opposite corners of the gaming community came together to collectively ship Doomguy and Isabelle, whose respective games launched on the same day. The simple fact that two Very Different games released together became a bonafide meme, spawning fan creations like this adorable pixel art crossover animation, wholesome tweets like this one from Bethesda, and of course, a spirited debate in the halls of GamesRadar's offices.

Now, Doomguy and Isabelle can be together in the same game, and ironically it isn't Doom or Animal Crossing. Smash Bros. Ultimate's final update features several new Mii fighter costumes, including one designed around Doom Slayer; and thus is the culmination of 19 months of memes and prudent crossover branding from Bethesda.

Despite the hype around Doomguy and Isabelle getting to chill together in-game, the biggest highlight of Smash Bros. Ultimate's new update is undoubtedly the addition of Sora from the Kingdom Hearts series. Fans of Smash Bros. and Kingdom Hearts have waited years for this to happen, and on the day the character was added to the roster, the Switch eShop buckled under a massive surge in people trying to buy the DLC. Thankfully, everything's in working order now.

Here's how Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and its director Masahiro Sakurai redefined hype.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's final DLC character, the fan-favorite Sora from the Kingdom Hearts series, caused the Switch eShop to crash temporarily while players rushed to add the brawler to their rosters. 

A convergence of Smash Bros. Ultimate players and Kingdom Hearts fans have been clamoring for Nintendo to add the Keyblade wielder to the fighting game for several years - Sora was the most popular choice in a 2015 poll from Nintendo asking players which character they most wanted in Smash Bros. It's perhaps no surprise then that on Monday, as Game Rant observed, when Sora finally became a Smash Bros. character, the Switch eShop experienced a massive surge in active shoppers and crashed several times throughout the day.

As if this isn't enough to validate Sora's ego, Twitter user Stealth points out that his arrival in Smash Bros. Ultimate is likely the reason for the title's sudden claim to a top 3 spot on the eShop's best-sellers. Some of the new sales could be from people who waited for every DLC fighter to arrive, but let's be real, it's mostly due to people just really, really wanting to whack people with a Keyblade.

Thankfully, at the time of writing, the eShop servers seem to be in normal working order, so anyone who wasn't able to push their way to checkout yesterday - like a desperate parent at the mall looking for Pokemon cards on Christmas Eve - should be able to purchase and play as Sora without a hiccup.

Here's how Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and its director Masahiro Sakurai redefined hype.