Sakurai Talks Smash at GDC

During the Game Developers' Conference the brain behind Smash Bros. Brawl, Masahiro Sakurai, spoke on all things Smash.

IGN: Now that Brawl is complete, how do you feel about the game? What are you most proud of and is there anything you would change if you had more time?

Masahiro Sakurai: As far as tailoring or trying to get more down now that it's finished, looking back on it, I could have had another year or another two years and it wouldn't have changed the fact that I never have enough time to adjust or refine -- that's just the way it is for me. Thinking about the typical development process, the trend seems to be that when you finish a game that you've been working on for so long and breaking your back over, you kind of don't want to look at it anymore. You're done with it. But seeing Smash, I really, truly feel that this is a game that I'm really not tired of yet. I'm really enjoying it. I feel relieved in knowing that this game has that kind of staying power for myself and I'm very proud of that.

IGN: What would be that one specific feature you wish you could have added?

Masahiro Sakurai: I feel like anything I've considered I'm probably going to think about when -- I mean if -- another game was to come out in the series and so I'd like to keep a lid on that for now. and not disclose anything I've been thinking about there.

IGN: Have you received interest from other third parties who would very much like to have their characters included in Smash Bros. Brawl?

Masahiro Sakurai: Nope. No other ones.

IGN: Smash Bros. is a very competitive series, but you have avoided detailed online stat tracking and leader board ranking systems for Brawl. Why is that?

Masahiro Sakurai: Well, I'm sure that people hitting ranks one through 10, were there such a ranking system, would be incredibly pleased with it and having a lot of fun. But, you know, it's not fun for everybody involved per se if such a system were to exist. I was asked this time around to try and get Wi-Fi into the game and so certainly we've managed to get wireless battles so you can play with people in other places. But it's really a game in my mind that has been designed to be played with a smaller group of people -- be that a group of friends or within your house a group of family members -- competing in the small circles and not really worrying about winning and losing so much as the process that gets you there. That is where the fun should hopefully be for a lot of people. It can also be kind of trying and painful for some people who want to be at the top and think that they're really good at Smash and they look at their online ranking and they're the one-hundred-thousandth best Smash Bros. player -- those are some of the reasons I've decided not to go with leader boards.

Be sure to read more on Sakurai's Brawl philosophies over at IGN.