Super Smash Bros Wii U Screenshots

As many gamers are well aware, Super Smash Bros. games don't come along all that often. Once every generation fans will be given a new iteration in the immensely popular series, but development for each title takes an incredibly long time and Nintendo's ever important seal of approval isn't something easily earned. Many developers working with the Big N are subjected to certain quality requirements, and Smash Bros. is no exception.

Continuing his trend of writing blogs for Famitsu, Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai gave fans a broader perspective as to what kind of effort goes into each and every installment of the fabled fighting franchise. According to the producer for the impending Wii U and 3DS versions, there's an incredible amount of hard work that goes into each and every Smash, and admits that it gets incredibly hard to cram more than 20 fighters in his games.

“You have all these people working their fingers to the bone to complete just a single project. The games I make tend to be played for a long time, and whether I’m satisfied with the results or there are things I’m not happy with, it always takes a lot of time to make them. Every time, you know, I try to the point where I think I can’t go on any longer. For example, I think pretty much the limit when it comes to creating characters for a Smash Bros. is about 20, counting those from older games."

"We remake them completely each time, after all, and the teams and personnel and specs are all different. But we all go beyond what the work calls for because we want to do our best to retain fans of each character. The Brawl team really put in a great effort. They remade all the original characters and added 18 completely new ones! Even with Melee before that, that game has over twice as many characters as the original. And that doesn’t include online support and the assorted other features we’ve taken pains to complete under difficult circumstances.”

Super Smash Bros Wii U 3DS Screenshots

Despite feeling pressure to create such high quality games, Sakurai says that while the pain involved with developing the game at the time "goes away" the "game itself remains" and fans talk about it for years long after its release. This is true even for Super Smash Bros. Melee, which was selected by fighting game enthusiasts to be part of EVO 2013 — effectively raising tens of thousands of dollars for charity in the process.

Regardless of the overwhelming effort Sakurai puts into his job, he loves what he does, and he reiterated that sentiment during his recent blog.

“Projects take a while, and you run into difficult and painful times. Some people have to bow out of it. To be honest, I’ve sometimes thought about what I’m earning for myself, going through all this life-changing struggle. But the pain I feel at the time goes away over time, and yet the game itself always remains. Players talk about the fun and so forth behind the game for years to come, and they still play it."

“Oftentimes I’m asked by the overseas media if I feel any pressure when making a title like Smash Bros. Like I’ve written before, on a personal level, I don’t feel anything like pressure. It’s really fun work. Sometimes you have to resign yourself to the fact that things will work out the way they’re meant to work out. But you need to funnel your regrets to the next project and work as hard as you can on that. The pain goes away, but your work always remains.”

With characters like Mega Man and Wii Fit Trainer securing spots on the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS rosters, the pair of games look to be shaping up nicely. There are still a number of returning veterans and newcomers that have yet to be confirmed for the new games, but, like the recently confirmed Luigi, the wait for more character confirmations have been coming in fast and will liekly continue to do so.

There are sure to be plenty of other updates in the months leading up to Super Smash Bros. 4's imminent 2014 release, so stay tuned to Game Rant for more details as they hit.

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Source: Famitsu (via VG247)