Masahiro Sakurai looks tired. If you've watched his "Creating Games" YouTube channel over the last couple of years, you've seen a man who has poured every ounce of his soul into a franchise that has become the definitive museum of gaming history. He basically finished the impossible with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. He brought back every single fighter, balanced a roster of nearly 90 characters, and somehow convinced Disney to let Sora wield a Keyblade next to Mario.
So, what happens now?
The conversation around a new Super Smash Brothers game usually starts with one word: "How?" How do you follow up a game titled Ultimate? Honestly, you probably don't. At least, not in the way most people expect. We are currently in a weird limbo where Nintendo’s next hardware—the much-discussed "Switch 2"—is on the horizon, yet the future of their biggest crossover hit remains a giant question mark.
The Sakurai Dilemma and the Next Console
We have to talk about the man himself. Masahiro Sakurai has been the face, the voice, and the primary architect of Smash since the N64 days. He’s notorious for his work ethic, famously using an IV drip while working on Brawl to keep going. While he hasn't officially retired from game development, he has been very transparent about the fact that Ultimate was the "end" of an era.
Could Nintendo make a new Super Smash Brothers game without him? Technically, yes. They own the IP. But would it feel like Smash? Probably not. Sakurai’s obsessive attention to detail—the frame data, the Easter eggs, the way a character’s weight feels—is the DNA of the series. If Nintendo decides to move forward with a sequel for their next console, they have to decide if they’re going to force him out of "retirement" or hand the keys to a new director like Bandai Namco’s Yusuke Nakajima.
It’s a massive risk. If they change the engine too much, the competitive community revolts. If they change it too little, critics call it a port. It's a lose-lose situation that Nintendo is likely sweating over right now.
Why "Everyone is Here" Was a One-Time Miracle
Let's be real for a second. The licensing nightmare required to get Solid Snake, Steve from Minecraft, Sephiroth, and Banjo-Kazooie in the same room is astronomical. Most fans assume that for the new Super Smash Brothers game, Nintendo will just hit "copy and paste" and add five new characters.
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That is almost certainly not happening.
Contracts expire. Third-party companies change their minds. The cost of renewing those licenses for a new title would be prohibitive, even for a company with Nintendo's "war chest" of cash. We are likely looking at a massive roster "snap."
Imagine waking up and realizing the next Smash has 35 characters instead of 89. It sounds like a nightmare, right? But from a development standpoint, it's the only way to move forward. To make a game feel "new," you have to iterate. You have to change movesets. You have to update graphics. You can't do that for 90 characters without it taking fifteen years.
The Reboot Theory
There is a growing sentiment among industry insiders and hardcore fans that the next entry shouldn't be a sequel, but a total reimagining.
- Complete Moveset Overhauls: Mario has had the same basic moves since the 90s. Why doesn't he use the Cappy mechanics from Odyssey more effectively?
- Art Style Shift: Ultimate went for a pseudo-realistic lighting engine. Maybe the next one goes full cel-shaded, or follows the "HD-2D" trend?
- Focus over Quantity: Instead of 10 Fire Emblem characters, maybe we get 4 with completely unique, complex mechanics that take months to master.
Honestly, a smaller, more polished roster might actually be better for the competitive scene. It allows for tighter balancing and fewer "gimmick" matchups that frustrate players at locals.
The "Deluxe" Path: Is a Port More Likely?
Nintendo loves a good "Deluxe" edition. Look at Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It’s the best-selling game on the Switch, and it started as a Wii U title. There is a very high probability that the new Super Smash Brothers game isn't actually new.
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We might just get Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Definitive Edition for the Switch 2.
Think about it. You take the existing engine, bump the resolution to 4K (docked), improve the netcode (god knows we need better online), and add a third Fighters Pass. It’s the safest financial move. It keeps the "Everyone is Here" promise alive while buying Nintendo another five years to figure out what a true sequel looks like.
But there’s a catch. Fans are hungry for innovation. If the "new" game is just a resolution bump, the hype might fizzle out faster than a Pichu self-destructing at 0%.
What the Fans Get Wrong About "The Roster"
Everyone wants to talk about Geno. Or Waluigi. Or Rayman. We spend hours making "dream rosters" on Reddit and Twitter. But we're ignoring the elephant in the room: the single-player experience.
Ultimate's World of Light was... okay. It was a glorified series of event matches. If a new Super Smash Brothers game wants to justify its existence, it needs to bring back the "Subspace Emissary" energy. People want cutscenes. They want to see Kirby and Link team up to fight a common foe. They want platforming levels that don't feel like an afterthought.
The value of Smash isn't just in the 1v1 Final Destination fights. It's in the celebration of gaming. If the next game doubles down on a cinematic story mode, it won't matter if the roster is smaller. People will buy it for the experience of the crossover, not just the frame-perfect combos.
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Hardware Matters: The Switch 2 Factor
The hardware limitations of the current Switch are well-documented. The online lag in Smash is legendary, and not in a good way. The "buffer" system in Ultimate was designed to mask some of these inconsistencies, but it often leads to a "clunky" feel for high-level players.
A new Super Smash Brothers game on more powerful hardware could finally fix the netcode. If Nintendo adopts rollback netcode—which is now the industry standard for fighters like Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8—it would change everything. Imagine playing someone across the country and it feeling like they’re sitting on the couch next to you. That alone would sell 10 million copies.
The Reality of the "New" Title
We have to face the fact that we might be waiting a long time. Nintendo doesn't rush Smash. They know it's a "system seller." You don't drop a Smash game in the first six months of a console's life unless you're desperate. You save it for year two or three to keep the momentum going.
Basically, don't expect a trailer this year. We might get a "teaser" of a logo, but a fully playable game is likely several years away.
The core of the issue is that Ultimate was a lightning-in-a-bottle moment. It was a tribute to the late Satoru Iwata. It was a "thank you" to the fans. Repeating that level of scale is impossible. The next game has to be different, not bigger.
Actionable Insights for the Wait
If you're itching for a new Super Smash Brothers game, sitting around waiting for a Nintendo Direct is going to be painful. Here is what you should actually do:
- Watch the Sakurai Channel: If you want to understand where the series is going, watch Masahiro Sakurai’s "Creating Games" videos. He drops subtle hints about his philosophy and what he thinks is "wrong" with modern game design. It's the best insight we have into his mindset.
- Explore the Rivals: The "Platform Fighter" genre has exploded. Games like Rivals of Aether 2 or even MultiVersus offer different takes on the formula. They’ll help you appreciate what Smash does right—and what it does wrong.
- Invest in a Controller Now: If the Switch 2 is backwards compatible (which most leaks suggest), your GameCube controllers and adapters will still be the gold standard. Don't throw them out.
- Master a "High Skill" Character: Most people play Smash casually. If you want to be ready for the next game, pick a character with a high skill ceiling like Shulk, Kazuya, or Peach. Learning complex inputs and state-management now will make you a god when the new mechanics drop.
The next era of Smash is going to be divisive. It has to be. You can't please everyone when you've already given them "everything." But whether it's a reboot, a port, or a brand-new vision, the one thing we know for sure is that when that "X" slashes across the screen in a trailer, the entire world is going to stop and watch.
Just don't expect 100 characters. Seriously. It's not happening.