Super Smash Bros Ultimate's Character Roster Has Risks Says Creator

It's pretty safe to say that Super Smash Bros Ultimate is the most ambitious release in the series we've seen so far. While there aren't a ton of new characters – Ridley and the Inklings from Splatoon are the only new ones we know about at this point – Super Smash Bros Ultimate is notable for featuring every fighter in the history of the franchise on its roster. When you think about all of the characters that have appeared in Super Smash Bros throughout the years, it becomes clear that Ultimate is going to be a big title.

So big, in fact, that it begs the question of where the series goes from here. Super Smash Bros creators Masahiro Sakurai seems to have that question himself. He penned a column in this week's issue of Famitsu (via Siliconera) in which he wonders if Ultimate's packed roster could "ruin possibilities" for future games in the franchise.

"I question what we'll do with the next title, and I feel that having 'all characters playable' (for Super Smash Bros Ultimate) may have been a Pandora's Box that could ruin possibilities for what's next in the series," Sakurai wrote. "However, honestly speaking, I'm not thinking about what's next!"

Despite his reservations, living in the moment is definitely a good approach. Nintendo typically releases one Super Smash Bros game per hardware generation, so Ultimate and whatever comes after will almost certainly be separated by years and years. That gives Sakurai and his team plenty of time to figure out a unique angle for the next Super Smash Bros game.

Elsewhere in his column, Sakurai said that the reaction to Ultimate's E3 reveal was "beyond encouraging," and notes that he's happy the roster didn't leak before release. "I really wanted to avoid having the work of several years get smashed by someone who wanted his little moment to brag," he said. "It would have been over for us had the words 'all characters playable' made it out there." It was certainly quite the surprise, and one that's driving a lot of excitement for the game. Super Smash Bros Ultimate is out on December 5 for Nintendo Switch.