If SSBU/3DS was Sakurai's last Smash game

[Starbound]

This is one of those theoretical threads (like the "If you made the smash rosters for each game" threads). I've been wondering about the idea for the past while, because I think the possibility may eventually become a reality.

Suppose that after Smash U and Smash 3DS were release, Sakurai retired from game development. Does this mean Smash dies with him, or does someone else inherit the torch? If so, what do they do with the game? Do they scratch everything and build it from ground up, or do they expand on the already existing content? Would they have a different development schedule (not as secretive, or directly asking fans for input more frequently) What would you do if you were in charge?

Keep in mind that even with a change in directors, the focus still must be Nintendo All-Stars. Of course, everyone has a different opinion on what an all-star is, so I'm curious to see what you guys come up with.

Fire away!

 

[Gingerbread Man]

I'm nearly positive this will be his last one.
And if that is the case, Nintendo will definitely find somebody else to be the director. They would never let a high selling, popular series like smash go down the drain while they still own the rights to it.

They'll probably continue the same cycle of having a game per console. IMO the only changes would be minor ones. That and potentially the quality of the game as Sakurai inputs a lot of the parameters himself.

 

[Ridley_Prime]

Given what was posted earlier in the social thread, Sakurai may stop making new Smash games sooner than you'd think, given the stress he's been through, conditions, etc.

http://kotaku.com/the-game-creators...m_source=Kotaku_Twitter&utm_medium=Socialflow

Not gonna sugarcoat anything though as far as when he'll retire from making games or what his last Smash will be, but I do think Smash is too important/integral as a series for Nintendo at this point for it to just die with him (in a matter of speaking), especially during these tough times for Nintendo and the (pretty much) failure of the Wii U.

 

[Zzuxon]

I woudn't be surprised if this, or the next game will be Sakurai's last.
The series sure as heck won't go down with him.

 

[3Bismyname]

i wouldnt be surprised if this was his final game. sure its not like he's that old or should be retiring soon. but he has stated multiple times that while he does like making smash bros, its still very stressful work. id imagine he would rather start working on something less stressful and more creatively liberating.

 

[Shorts]

It would be nice to see the reigns handed to someone else.

 

[MasterOfKnees]

Smash won't die without Sakurai, just like Kirby is still going today without him. It's too big of a console seller otherwise, they'll just find someone else to keep the train going, though I'm sure that's going to take quite some convincing given how hard it seemingly is to make a game with this many IPs involved (not to mention 3rd party ones). It'll probably just be someone who wants to expand on what's already there.

 

[YoshiandToad]

Like many have said, Smash Bros. is one of Nintendo's most popular franchises.

Even if Sakurai leaves Smash will remain. I guess it could be interesting to see what direction a non Sakurai driven Smash would go in.

As long as they don't overload it with miiverse suggestions. Otherwise we're getting Goku, Shadow and Silver, Ichigo, Naruto and a bunch of famous Youtubers. I think we'd have a petition to have the new director fired.

Into the sun.

 

[SonicMario]

Sakurai's Successor. Whoever that ends up being I think will just end up being someone Sakurai and Nintendo trusts enough to take over control. Someone who has a similar but a slightly fresher plan compared to Sakurai's for the Smash series. Someone who is confident they can handle the stress of developing a SSB game that has impeded Sakurai's health three times (I assume SSB64 was the easiest to do because there was no pressure and no idea how successful the game was going to be).

 

[Tepig2000]

What would you do if you were in charge?

Keep in mind that even with a change in directors, the focus still must be Nintendo All-Stars. Of course, everyone has a different opinion on what an all-star is, so I'm curious to see what you guys come up with.

Fire away!

If I was in charge of the next Smash game, the first thing I would do would be putting all the veterans in the game. Then I would put in the best choices (Ridley, K. Rool, Takamaru...) then I would add 1-3 unexpected characters.

 

[Knight Dude]

If Kirby can still have games, good games mind you, without Sakurai, Smash can too. I'd like to think that a new director can always bring something new. So long as they understand what makes the games good in the first place. Nintendo won't give up the series even if Sakurai chooses to leave after this game or another. So many people look forward to it each console generation.

Though I wonder which person Sakurai would personally choose to fill in his shoes if he retires from the series.

 

[Deleted member]

I can imagine the 5th game being his last one and I can imagine the amount of work and effort these games go into.

With the humongous popularity and appeal of Super Smash Bros., I highly doubt that the series will die when Sakurai does. The Kirby series didn't die with Sakurai when he left HAL and Kirby has seen multiple upon multiple amazing releases. Smash sells consoles; Nintendo needs the Smash games. I bet that they can get a new director to fill Sakurai's shoes and hopefully that person knows how fun these games are and what makes these games fun.

 

[Venus of the Desert Bloom]

Who would make a suitable replacement for him?

 

[Starcutter]

Who would make a suitable replacement for him?

me, myself or I.

 

[Curious Villager]

Who would make a suitable replacement for him?

Hopefully not someone who would listen to those kids who can't shut it about Goku and a bunch of Sonic characters suggestions etc I hope...

 

[stan423321]

I have obviously no idea of what will happen when Sakurai will stop making Smash games. But if I had to bet on something regarding a Sakurai's successor:

• The new director (let's call them aNDy) is a control freak to the level unheard of in Sakurai's times, and finds solid gameplay degenerating the party fun, or vice versa. Anyway, the Smash, mix of both, is broken.
• Andy decides to let all hell break loose and goes the other, zero initiative way. Smashes start to be "committee-designed", and eventually nobody buys them anymore.
• Andy turns out to have some very interesting ideas that happen to take the games too far from their original standpoint. Andy understands that, but suffers greatly and leaves.
• As above, but Andy doesn't understand that players want more of the same from time to time. We end up with whole Smashes running on gimmicks. Fandom splits apart once more.
• Andy turns out to be a very sneaky kind of person that told Sakurai about doing one thing and does the second thing. Hilarity ensues.

There are however scenarios not involving Andy of any sort:

• Nintendo gets fed up with Sakurai's control crave. Yes, this is very much possible. I don't think Miyamoto of all people controls everything to the level Sakurai does. Anyway, they decide to give the game to a committee of sorts. The games stagnate... initially, at least.
• As above, but they give the control to a respected manager of other project. This makes Smash closer to their previous projects, not that they can help it.
• As above, but Sakurai does something to the Japanese public that makes it very unethical for Nintendo to continue with Smash. Nintendo answers with one or two spiritual successor franchises; if two, then one inherits the gameplay and the other gets the crossover structure.
• Sakurai gets so control-cravy that he writes up a document of some sorts that is exactly used to make next two Smash games.

Answering the question of me ending up as the Andy, I would begin by completely redesigning the development structure of the game. Currently, it seems to work like this: Smash gets announced, hundreds of people develop the game, a hasty testing session follows, the game gets released, the team gets disbanded. I would make small team of people constantly assigned to the franchise (possibly some that wouldn't mind too much), and partially automatise the balancing (designers leave some degrees of freedom for the system that sets the variables up depending on performance of the testers). I think that this would make the development more efficient in the long run.

 

[Diddy Kong]

If these games are the last of Sakurai, expect some big changes in the series. Am thinking the next developer could possibly try and get the engine under control as soon as possible. And from then on, don't change it much in the next installments. Assuming Nintendo themselves develop Smash, I guess they would cut quite a few 'gimmicky' characters to. Pokémon Trainer, duo characters, Ice Climbers, you know the deal. 'Relevance' might also come into play more.

Just assumptions of course.

 

[Pazzo.]

If worse comes to worse, Sakurai stops making SSB and makes more Kirby and Kid Icarus.