Super Smash Bros director, Masahiro Sakurai, doesn’t want the competitive nature that is known in the games industry (eSports) to intervene with the enjoyment of the more casual, general audience. As pointed out by Sakurai himself, there has been a disconnect between competitive eSports and the general audience, despite the Super Smash Bros series being perfect for tournament gameplay.
In fact, during an interview with The Washington Post, Sakurai stated that “the philosophy behind [eSports] doesn’t go in line with Nintendo’s philosophy in that some of these players are playing for the prize money.” He said, “It comes to a point where [fans are] playing the game for the money, and I feel that kind of direction doesn’t coincide with Nintendo’s view of what games should be.”
Competitiveness is a given with a game like Super Smash Bros, but it seems as though Sakurai’s desire for the game to be more accessible stems from the feeling that previous games (particularly Melee) was just ‘too technical’ for some and it held their players back. He also mentioned that due to the game’s technicalities, a lot of players suffered in ways that weren’t just skill level.
“I know there were players who got tendinitis from playing and messing with the controller so much. That really is hard on the player. And I feel like a game should really focus on what the target audience is.”
While this may cause a few fans to feel slighted, it makes sense why Sakurai would want more casual fans to invest in the upcoming game. The game, after all, will no doubt interest more than a few young children and so it would be much more beneficial to have the game be more fun and accessible than so technical it becomes frustrating.
What do you think about Sakurai’s thoughts and feelings on the matter? Let us know in the comments below.
