Sakurai: "If we Direct Smash ONLY at The Competitive Players, It Will Have No Future."

[IvyDivyHorkyDorky]

Sakurai is stupid. He doesn't understand that he doesn't have to chose between competetive and casual but rather could provide both.

Hey I think paraphrased his intent with Smash 4 without realizing it! The only thing I disagree with you is that I think making a game of this caliber would require above average intelligence.

 

[Tobb99]

I don't think you need lots of inputs to make a game combobased and fast paced. Just make a lot of move auto-L-cancebled, and some dash dancing, worse shield options. Because the smash 4 enginge seems very defensive which isen't all that fun either. But we still got Meele AND PM! yay

 

[TheAnvil]

If it was truly not for competitive play, there would be no "For Glory" 1v1 no items mode. Originally, no but now, it's meant for everyone IMO. I think he's just saying that if it's only played as a competitive game, then that's not good.

I think For Glory was really just Sakurai throwing the Competitives a bone.

 

[Halfcreative]

"Mmm. Personally, I feel that if you want to play a fighting game seriously, there are other competitive fighting games that are more suited to that, and people like that could have fun playing those. If you play Smash Brothers seriously as a competitive game, the game itself has no future."
as a native speaker this is mistranslated. I havent looked at the rest but in this section he says something more like this:

Mmm. Personally, I sometimes feel that if you are the type that enjoys competitive fighting games , there are other competitive fighting games that are more suited to that. If you play Smash Brothers ONLY as a competitive game, the game itself has no future.
He essentially goes on to say what we already know, that he wants the game to stay simple enough to allow new players to not get discouraged just because they lost and allow anyone to quickly pick up the controls and play. You can tell by the words he uses that its not that he doesnt see competitive smash as a complete no, but he does is essentially saying that there is no future to a SOLEY competitive smash game.


Id like to note that i grew up fluent in japanese, reading and writing. i went to sunday school until highschool and have maintained my native level freshmen in highschool equivalent japanese. This means i understand most conversation barring any highly advanced topics (politics, chemistry, etc) and i pick up on word usage and context

 

[TheTaoDragon]

Suck it, Sakurai worshipers.

I'm not one to worship Sakurai, but he does seem awfully biased against competitive.
Still, he tried to appease us with For Glory and failed... (ADD IN BATTLEFIELD AND SOME OTHER STAGES ALREADY)

 

[SphericalCrusher]

I think For Glory was really just Sakurai throwing the Competitives a bone.

Yeah, lol but still. The design of the game shows that there's modes for every type of player. I'm a competitive player, but I also switch it up and play with items or several other game modes with my kids. It's just an epic game over all and no one should dictate how it's played. Not even THE CREATOR! Muwha. lol

 

[Professor Pumpkaboo]

As I said in my edit,I do not have salt.I don't care what Sakurai thinks,I will enjoy his game however I get the most enjoyment from it.
But I know not everyone thinks that way.

ah ok, Im glad you think that way. Its nice to see someone who isnt calling Sakurai names because of his opinions on his own game

 

[KiTsuNe_23]

If you play Smash Brothers seriously as a competitive game, the game itself has no future.

I think this line has been poorly interpreted. I think he is saying something more like "If people's only interaction with Smash is the competitive side, [and never with the casual side] the game has no future." Though the part in [] is not actually in the article, I personally don't feel he is saying competitiveness will kill this game. To me it sounds like he is trying to say that building the whole game around just one thing will kill the game.

As a TO in a small town with a small scene I agree with that interpretation. It's harder to get people into Smash if all you talk about is wave dashing, mind games, spacing, jump-cancelling, etc. Showing people that this game is FUN is the best way to grow the game.

Though I am still a relative novice when it comes to translating Japanese, I do not think that the interpretation that everyone is jumping to is the correct one. But I am probably wrong.

 

[SuaveChaser]

Of all of the reasons to boycott a product, that seems like a very petty one.

He simply said that he doesn't prefer the competitive side that much, and if he didn't care as much as you think then Smash 4 wouldn't be what it is today. He removed tripping, adjusted the speed and physics, made a For Glory and For Fun room; this game appeals to the middle ground between casuals and competitives. Actions speak louder than words, and his' really shows. He may not be thrilled about the tourney side but that doesn't mean he is completely indifferent.



Nah, he simply has a very different (and stubborn) opinion. And he did that already, it's called Smash 4.

Fixing the issues with his last entry really isn't just for competitive players some of those isses were casual player issues as well. He said people should find another game i believe him the way he says things in interviews it is clear he doesn't care about non casual fans imo.

 

[MT Williams]

This article really pissed me off. What's weird to me is it seemed like with the way Nintendo has been embracing the competitive community this time around, their mindset had changed a bit. Guess not. Sakurais logic here is complete bull****. We SHOULD be rewarding the player who put more time in to be better and more technical. Why? Because they put the time in. Stop spoon feeding the players who don't care as much. Its not like casuals didn't enjoy melee. They can't even tell the difference. Regardless of what sakurai says, smash will continue to have a competitive scene no matter what. Don't even pay him any mind.

 

[The Slayer]

There's a big difference right now called "Online Play" which Melee didn't had. You put a casual to play For Glory in Sm4sh and he might have a chance to win even to a more experienced player. You put a casual to play Melee agains a hardcore player and he will get destroyed and probably would not want to play it again.

By lag? Because other than that, the hardcore player will destroy them regardless of what Smash Bros game they play. If anything, the accessibility to kick causal players harder than offline seems counter-productive.

 

[KiTsuNe_23]

"Mmm. Personally, I feel that if you want to play a fighting game seriously, there are other competitive fighting games that are more suited to that, and people like that could have fun playing those. If you play Smash Brothers seriously as a competitive game, the game itself has no future."
as a native speaker this is mistranslated. I havent looked at the rest but in this section he says something more like this:

Mmm. Personally, I sometimes feel that if you are the type that enjoys competitive fighting games , there are other competitive fighting games that are more suited to that. If you play Smash Brothers ONLY as a competitive game, the game itself has no future.
He essentially goes on to say what we already know, that he wants the game to stay simple enough to allow new players to not get discouraged just because they lost and allow anyone to quickly pick up the controls and play. You can tell by the words he uses that its not that he doesnt see competitive smash as a complete no, but he does is essentially saying that there is no future to a SOLEY competitive smash game.

Exactly my thoughts. Though I am not native.

 

[MezzoMe]

The more Sakurai says,the more it seems like he just isn't very good at public speaking.

Kinda but still, if people put in his mouth words he doesn't say it ain't like I wouldn't have trouble in turn if I was in his place.

 

[Professor Pumpkaboo]

He said people should find another game

Where did he say that? quit putting word in his mouth like all the other children here

 

[Oniric Spriter]

If you had skill, you would have picked up that bomb.

As if I could see a minuscule bomb in the middle of the chaos that is 8-player smash, amirite?

 

[shininimuss]

whens dragon king: the fighting game?

 

[Dravidian]

....People are misunderstanding. The dude went on to explain what he meant, but people still over react. He's saying that if he focused too much on competitive aspects then smash would die. -_-

 

[Professor Pumpkaboo]

As if I could see a minuscule bomb in the middle of the chaos that is 8-player smash, amirite?

you must have bad eyes because I can see a bomb fall in 8 player very easy

 

[FalKoopa]

Regardless of the meaning, it is strange coming from him when he actually made an effort to please the competitive crowd.

I dunno. I love Smash 4 to death, and that all that really matters to me in the end. I'm outta here. (>_>)

 

[Professor Pumpkaboo]

....People are misunderstanding. The dude went on to explain what he meant, but people still over react. He's saying that if he focused too much on competitive aspects then smash would die. -_-

you see why he called us children?

 

[Capybara Gaming]

*facepalm*

 

[TheTaoDragon]

I think that Sakurai forgets that Melee exists some times. Or rather, he has a blurred perception of what Melee was. A ton of people played Melee as a party game, but it was deep enough that people still play it as a competitive game to this day, over a decade later. Just because a game can be competitive doesn't mean it has to turn away casuals. How could he tell competitive players to play other fighting games when there is no other fighting game like Smash?

You win.

 

[Space Stranger]

Again! You guys are blowing his comment out of proportion again!?

Are we actually going to criticize Sakurai for sharing his own personal opinion regarding the competetive scene? It's not like his statement will have a major effect at all. You guys seem to forget that he still acknowledges the community with the implementation of Gamecube controllers and the "for glory" mode (it's at least a decent attempt at setting aside a community for serious players).

We don't need to be at each other's throats over this: some players find the game just as fun casually as they do competitively. To say that Sakurai is dumb for making this statement misses his whole intention for creating the game. He wanted a game that all kinds of players could play.

Honestly, his comment isn't news to those who read his comments in previous interviews.

 

[Zink Imp]

As if I could see a minuscule bomb in the middle of the chaos that is 8-player smash, amirite?

Gotta work on that eyesight game, bro.

 

[Myougi]

Great. Sakurai just gave every other fighting game community more of a reason to hate on Smash and call it 'just a children's party game'.

 

[Karnu]

Its sad honestly as I feel we are his biggest fans, we stuck out with smash Bros and kept all games alive and will continue to do so. We don't put the game down, we keep playing it, we travel with it, we make friends and relationships from it, we make a esport/hobby out of it and most importantly we are much more dedicated to it then what a casual fanbase is.

Most of the casual fan base, will just put the game down to just collect dust once they have had enough play time and collected everything to their satisfaction.

Really feels like a kick in the teeth for reading this.

 

[JayTheUnseen]

ah ok, Im glad you think that way. Its nice to see someone who isnt calling Sakurai names because of his opinions on his own game

Now that I think about it though,he can't be blamed for his comments offending people( of course. )The Smash community is extremely touchy,so the man would have to make a carefully constructed speech to not offend anyone.Maybe at this point,he just gave that idea up...

 

[Mocha]

Sakurai: The idea behind the most recent patch was timed to match up with the overseas release of the Wii U version, and to make the game a bit more balanced. I had a small team monitoring balance and they made small adjustments. Using data accumulated from all of the online battles worldwide, I had them do research into what kind of problems arose, and how those problems should be addressed. Then I had those changes put into practice, refined again, and then I made selections and brought up my own ideas, and that cycle repeats.

How do you guys feel about this? Do you really feel that data gathered from online battles is an accurate enough testament of what characters need a buff/nerf? Even the 'worse' characters can win in the hands of a smart player vs a random/casual.

Plus wifi...

 

[Professor Pumpkaboo]

Now that I think about it though,he can't be blamed for his comments offending people( of course. )The Smash community is extremely touchy,so the man would have to make a careully constructed speech to not offend anyone.Maybe at this point,he just gave that idea up...

He called us children because we all complain and cry at stuff he does, Im sure he gave up a LOOOOONG time ago

Again! You guys are blowing his comment out of proportion again!?

Are we actually going to criticize Sakurai for sharing his own personal opinion regarding the competetive scene? It's not like his statement will have a major effect at all. You guys seem to forget that he still acknowledges the community with the implementation of Gamecube controllers and the "for glory" mode (it's at least a decent attempt at setting aside a community for serious players).

We don't need to be at each other's throats over this: some players find the game just as fun casually as they do competitively. To say that Sakurai is dumb for making this statement misses his whole intention for creating the game. He wanted a game that all kinds of players could play.

Honestly, his comment isn't news to those who read his comments in previous interviews.

The problem is.... kids cant think logicly into stuff or else they get really really confused and mad

 

[MarioMeteor]

See, this is why I love Sakurai. He has the balls to say stuff like this. He don't care about backlash or give a **** about what anyone else thinks. He makes games, he likes them, that's that. But why won't those damn people ask him about Wolf?

 

[TheAnvil]

Yeah, lol but still. The design of the game shows that there's modes for every type of player. I'm a competitive player, but I also switch it up and play with items or several other game modes with my kids. It's just an epic game over all and no one should dictate how it's played. Not even THE CREATOR! Muwha. lol

I agree. It can be played competitively, but ultimately there are more suitable games for competitives, which is what Sakurai said.

 

[kdubb]

My only issue with Sakurai's thoughts on competitive implementations ruining casual game play is that the game already has every ingredient necessary to have new players play with experiened players on as level of a playing field possible- items.

 

[platomaker]

so in essence, make a fun game that's good to look at and explore and then people who want to explore will do so. Once explored, people who want to go deeper will do so. Once that depth has been breached, those who got the lungs to go even deeper will do so. etc. etc.

cut to playstation allstar brawl and you have a game that was engineered for hardcore mentality but is bottlenecked by super moves. If you can avoid certain supermoves then why even have them? If you can't avoid certain super moves then, again why even have them?

I was a little concerned at first by the title of this article, but for him to say that the game won't survive on hardcore mentality simply reminds us of the fate that Playstation brawl suffered.

 

[JayTheUnseen]

I agree. It can be played competitively, but ultimately there are more suitable games for competitives, which is what Sakurai said.

True.I think he underestimates how fun and unique Smash is at that level,however.

 

[Mr. Cuddles]

What has Sakurai been blind for the past 10 years?. Smash bros IS A COMPETITIVE GAME AND HAS BEEN SINCE MELEE. IT ALREADY HAS A HISTORY with many tournaments, and many players, and it even inspired an amazing mod. Competitive smash already has a history, it has a present, and its damn sure gonna have a future.

 

[PlateProp]

Maybe you need more salt.
View attachment 34388
All in all Just chill out. you dont have to support sakurai if you dont want to, Im sure calling him an idiot will only make you seem like an idiot as well

I never called him an idiot. Just dumb. Your post seems extremely oversaturated with salt about my post

 

[milesg2g]

I feel like he just doesn't respect what the competitive scene offers and that's sad unfortunately. He wants people to be able to play their favorite character and be able to hold their own. But he doesn't want the skill gap he see's in other fighters to be in smash.

 

[CAUP]

I haven't read the comments.

Initially I was like "whaaaaat?!!?!?!?!" but then I read the interview. What he's saying is that if the game was made to be as competitive as possible it would die. And that is indisputably true. Why smash is so good is because it appeals to new players. It's fairly intuitive. If this was sacrificed for competition, smash would instantly die.

 

[EpixAura]

*Insert obligatory semi-troll comment about Smash 4 having no future as a competitive game here.*

 

[Masked Marill]

Let it go, people.
Smash is waaaay more fun as a party game than as a competitive one.

Depends what you find fun. personally I don't really find getting screwed over by random bull**** fun, and I love the more rewarding experience that competitive smash offers. But hey that's just my dumb opinion. I still get where your coming from though, if we sacrificed the more casual side of the game then barley anyone would play it and smash would die.