Super Smash Bros. has finally been announced for Nintendo Switch. The reveal, which came during yesterday’s surprisingly-packed Nintendo Direct presentation, confirmed Splatoon’s Inklings would be joining the game, but, otherwise, was short on details. Is Smash for Switch a new game or a port of the Wii U/3DS version? Is Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai involved in the game’s development? Well, we now have a definitive answer about one of those questions and some hints about the other.
First up, yes, Sakurai is heading up in the game. He confirmed it in a Twitter post this past evening (thanks to Source Gaming for the translation):
Related Valve Now Has The Ability To Develop Both Hardware And Software; More Games Coming In The Future
いまはまだタイトルを発表しただけの段階ですが、黙して日々制作に取り組んでいます。内容公開、あるいは発売できるその時まで、お待ちください!! https://t.co/vnfNUoGZ0J
— 桜井 政博 (@Sora_Sakurai) March 8, 2018
“Right now, we’re just at the stage where we revealed this game, but I’ve been working on this game in silence day after day. Please wait until we can release more information, or until release day!”
Now, on to the next question – is Smash for Switch a new game or a port? Well, the folks at Source Gaming did a bit of sleuthing and came up with a bit of a timeline.
January 2016, Sakurai announces his “breather”, next job decided.https://t.co/8fDfQduZIp
Related Luigi’s Mansion, WarioWare, and Other Fan Favorites are Returning on the 3DS
Feb 2016 Smash for DLC finishes
Nov 2016
Sakurai mentions working on a project.https://t.co/JQ3jwAL9cMDecember 2016, Sakurai was using a rifle for reference.https://t.co/TdvEXiRhq6 pic.twitter.com/HZPSeCzLW0
— Source Gaming (@AllSourceGaming) March 9, 2018
The most important bit is that Sakurai revealed he was working on a new project in November of 2016. That project was almost certainly the new Smash Bros. So, if Smash for Switch comes out this holiday season it will have been in development for around two years. Is that enough time to create an original Smash Bros. title from scratch? Sakurai works slow, but it’s possible. Even if the Smash for Switch recycles some things from the Wii U/3DS version, I think we can expect a lot of new content and features. This definitely isn’t just a quickie port.
What do you think? Will Smash Bros. for Switch be a heavily-updated “Deluxe Edition” port, or more of a true sequel?
Super Smash Bros. brings the rumble to the Nintendo Switch sometime in 2018.
