Super Smash Bros. Coming To The Switch, Sakurai Back In Director’s Chair

In typical Nintendo Fashion, the company released a trailer for its upcoming Super Smash Bros. game for the Switch, which has lit the internet on fire. Fans have been wondering when a new title in the series would be making its way to the hugely popular console hybrid and now they have their answer. More to the point, Masahiro Sakurai will still be the one to direct it, which is both exciting and concerning.

Announcement for the upcoming installment of the legendary Nintendo franchise came in two mains ways. One was the release of the teaser, which essentially included characters of Splatoon 2 getting surprised by the appearance of a flaming Super Smash Bros. logo. The other came via Sakurai’s Tweet, telling fans that he has been working on the game for some time now.

Now, there are a few reasons to pay attention to this particular development, especially for fans of the Switch. One is the fact that as Super Smash Bros. has almost always been a big factor in the success of a console it’s released on because of how many people tend to buy a unit specifically for the game, GeekWire reports.

Since the launch of the Super Smash Bros. game back in 1999, which was supposed to be just a mashup of iconic characters from Nintendo’s other properties, the franchise has consistently sold well. Its popularity translated into major sales bumps for every console generation it has been released in, with the GameCube onward.

The Switch is already doing quite well even without the game, but Nintendo realized that if it is to maintain its current moment, it is going to need even more high-quality software to offer. This is why the upcoming Super Smash Bros. title is so important for the console.

On the other hand, the health of the game’s director is also something to think about. As Kotaku reports, developing the previous games of the series put a lot of strain on the wellbeing of Sakurai. The developer admitted to these debilitating conditions, citing inflammation and pains all over his body as the development of the titles went on.

One can only hope that he takes better care of himself this time around.