<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3MY8j9_0wImTClO00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3MY8j9_0wImTClO00" width="700" height="368" ></figure>Just yesterday, Masahiro Sakurai revealed that he's been involved with some secret game project since April 2022. This was a crazy revelation as Sakurai has apparently been acting as a game director this whole time while also managing his YouTube channel for about two years now. Of course, Sakurai was unwilling to share too many details about his next game since it hasn't been officially announced yet. Regardless, fans have immediately begun speculating on whether this mysterious title is the next Super Smash Bros. entry or something else entirely.According to Sakurai, he received a request to write up a game proposal back in July 2021 while Kazuya and Sora were still being developed as DLC characters for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Apparently, Sakurai was able to complete this task at "lightning speed."It feels like history might be repeating itself considering that Sakurai was tasked with writing up the game proposal for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sometime in 2015 when development on Corrin and Bayonetta as DLC characters were being wrapped up.Shortly afterwards, Satoru Iwata passed away. This is part of the reason why Sakurai has put so much content into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as he then recognized it as being the last mission Iwata gave him.Around the time of July 2021, it was reported that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate had already achieved around 24.77 million sales worldwide. Since then, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has gone on to sale over 34.66 million units as of June 30, 2024.As a result, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has been recognized as the Nintendo Switch's third best-selling title after Animal Crossing: New Horizons (45.85 million) and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (62.90 million). Additionally, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has become the best-selling entry in the series, representing around 45.6% of the franchise's total sales by itself.Needless to say, it would make a lot of sense for Nintendo to want to continue the momentum of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate by having its creator begin development on the next entry. Traditionally, a new Super Smash Bros. title has appeared on every console since the franchise's debut on the Nintendo 64, so it's logical to think that a new game will appear on the console intended to follow the Switch.The timeline for this fits perfectly as Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa recently confirmed plans for the announcement of the Switch successor sometime before the end of this fiscal year, which would mean that the console should be announced before April 1, 2025. It would also provide an explanation as to why Sakurai's project hasn't been announced yet. Furthermore, this suggests that this upcoming game could be a launch title for the new system.According to Sakurai, the new team was assembled to begin making the new game sometime in April 2022. Considering that work on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fully began sometime in early 2016 and was released in December 2018, the development cycle for this mysterious title seems to closely match that of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's.Of course, we have to consider what is going on with that recent job posting by Bandai Namco's Studio 2 &amp; Studio S, the branch of Bandai Namco that worked on Super Smash Bros. 4 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Members of Bandai Namco also apparently had a hand in developing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.Needless to say, it would make sense for Bandai Namco to be working on "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Deluxe" for the Switch successor. This comes across as being especially apparent due to the job posting seeking those experienced with action games played from a "side-view."However, the timeline of this job posting doesn't really add up with what Sakurai has been working on. Sakurai has said that the development team for his secret project was assembled in April 2022, but this job posting was reported on back in November 2023. More than likely, for better or worse, whatever this job listing was for, it was connected to that Bandai Namco game that was commissioned by Nintendo that got cancelled.Regardless, there are plenty of other signs that seem to be pointing towards a new entry within the Super Smash Bros. series. Patch 13.0.3 for Smash Ultimate was recently launched that addressed an issue that's been present since the game's launch. Additionally, rumors seem to be suggesting that GameCube controllers are once again being mass produced for some reason.Looking back through Nintendo's history, these tend to be telltale signs of a new Smash entry being in development. Even if Bandai Namco's Studio 2 &amp; Studio S job position posting actually had nothing to do with Smash, there's still a little bit of evidence to suggest that this type of game could be in the works.Having said that, it's important for fans to brace themselves for the alternative possibility. Rather than developing a new title in the Smash series, Sakurai could have simply just been tasked with creating a game that could demonstrate the Switch successor's new features, similar to how Kid Icarus: Uprising was designed specifically for the 3DS.Notably, Sakurai at one point stated that he'd have to have a discussion with Nintendo if a sequel to Smash Ultimate could succeed should they ever request that he develop it. He even went so far as to say that he was "not thinking about making a sequel" back in November 2021, a point after which he had already completed his requested game proposal.Even Sakurai himself acknowledges that the series is unable to continue without his involvement right now, so if he isn't involved then it probably means that it will still be a long wait until the next entry. Ideally, however, Sakurai would eventually like to eliminate Smash's dependence on his vision of the franchise.Regardless, things appear to be getting interesting. If Sakurai is willing to divulge that he's been working on a secret game project, it might mean that its announcement is becoming imminent. We'll just have to wait for more details to truly understand what it is.</div></body>

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Could Masahiro Sakurai's secret game project be a new Super Smash Bros. entry or something else entirely?

Just yesterday, Masahiro Sakurai revealed that he's been involved with some secret game project since April 2022. This was a crazy revelation as Sakurai has apparently been acting as a game director this whole time while also managing his YouTube channel for about two years now. Of course, Sakurai was...