With development on Kid Icarus: Uprising finished, Project Sora has begun work on the next pair of Super Smash Bros. games for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Details on the two new projects have been almost non-existent since the games were announced at E3 2011, and the only thing that's confirmed is that the portable and console versions of the games will be able to interact with one another in some sort of fashion. Gamers are understandably hungry for even the slightest bit of news on the property, and today they've received just that.

The mastermind behind the Super Smash Bros. series, Masahiro Sakurai, will allegedly be making a few changes to the standard franchise formula this time around. According to a recent interview with IGN, Sakurai explains why some changes need to happen in the series, and his logic for doing so is sound. Expanding the game (be it with more characters, stages, items, etc.) eventually just brings developers to a standstill, and results in more of the same product instead of a more refined and entertaining experience.

"There is a certain dead end we come to if we just expand the volume of the game. I intend to change direction a little as we go. The key to that's going to be its dual support for 3DS/Wii U."

Big changes are in store for the next Smash Bros. games, and aside from new characters and stages, it's safe to say that the largest change will be brought on by the ability to link the handheld edition with the console one. Sakurai describes this ability as the "central axis" in which the game itself will play out, and that news can come across as either exciting or mildly concerning for long-time fans of the series.

"I'm really just getting started on this so it's going to take time, but I'll come up with something that uses that link as the game's central axis, so I hope you're looking forward to it."

It's unlikely that an official reveal for either Super Smash Bros. will be appearing anytime soon — so don't hold your breath in anticipation of a reveal at E3 2012. With development just starting up, it'll be a few years before we see the games in action, but the fact that the roster is being finalized as this is being read is reason enough to get excited. Hopefully, Sakurai and the rest of his team at Project Sora were paying attention to our list of 'Top 10 Nintendo-Owned Newcomers" list we posted only a short time ago; we'd love to see some of those characters make a playable appearance in the next Smash.

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Source: IGN