Sakurai himself stated this was the final “Super Smash Brothers” game he would design and he didn’t want to disappoint the fanbase.
Then came the final installment of the franchise, which Sakurai worked on every day during its three-year development. Trailers were immediately posted onto Twitter and Reddit, where fans posted their reactions in a live thread. Smash 4 also saw character announcements being made in the form of cinematic trailers with integrated gameplay elements to show off what a fighter brought to the table. Ryu from “Street Fighter,” Sega/Platinum’s Bayonetta and Square Enix’s Cloud were all announced as DLC. Weeks later, Bandai Namco’s Pac-Man joined the fight and represented a fourth pillar of gaming history. The reveal of Capcom’s Mega Man, the third third-party character to be included, electrified fan interest. It was seen as the biggest move in Smash Bros’ history and many believed it could never be topped.įive years later, the announcement trailer for “Smash 4” dropped at E3 2013. The announcement of their addition shattered the Internet.
Legendary game designer Hideo Kojima, the designer of “Metal Gear Solid,” practically begged Sakurai to add Snake to “Melee” while fans clamored for Sonic to be included in “Melee” as well. However, it also revealed just how popular the fighting game had become. The addition of both characters marked a major milestone for the franchise as the first two “Smash Bros.” games featured only Nintendo characters. Brawl”’s release in 2008 came with the addition of Solid Snake from Konami’s “Metal Gear Solid” alongside Sonic the Hedgehog from Sega, Nintendo’s longtime rival during the console wars of the early ’90s. Sakurai was no stranger to adding third-party characters to “Smash Bros. However, what truly makes “Super Smash Bros Ultimate” so special are the entries not under Nintendo’s wide umbrella of franchises: it is the third-party fighters. “Animal Crossing”’s Isabelle was a surprise entrant while the Inklings from “Splatoon” were announced in the initial launch trailer. This kicked off one of the most ambitious crossovers ever seen in a video game.įan favorites such as “Metroid” antagonist Ridley and King K Rool of the “Donkey Kong” franchise were announced to thunderous acclaim from fans. Pokemon Trainer, the Ice Climbers and Wolf were brought back from “Super Smash Brothers Brawl” while every character added into “Super Smash Brothers” for Wii U and 3DS was brought back into the fold. The announcement trailer for “Ultimate” stated that “Everyone is Here!” and revealed every single character who has ever appeared in a Smash Brothers game.įrom “Super Smash Brothers Melee” came characters like Young Link and Pichu. Sora’s inclusion wraps a bow on a game that started as a simple fighting game featuring Nintendo’s most popular mascot and ended as a cultural celebration of video game history. With the addition of Sora, the protagonist of the “Kingdom Hearts” franchise, the final downloadable content character has been added to “Super Smash Brothers Ultimate.”įans thought Sora’s addition was impossible due to “Kingdom Hearts” being a shared property of Square Enix and Walt Disney, two companies that have been very protective of their character licenses.īut Sakurai, the creator of the “Super Smash Brothers” franchise, added this character to a historic roster packed to the brim with video game icons spanning generations of games. Masahiro Sakurai, you may now rest and gaze across a grateful fanbase.