Sakurai says he has no current Smash Bros. successor, “can’t imagine” another entry without him

Super Smash Bros. has cemented itself not just in fighting game history, but the gaming pantheon as a whole. It’s not just an all-star fighter; it also has a ton of heart to it, and redefined just how far crossovers could go in the industry. As a result, series boss Masahiro Sakurai feels a justifiable sense of ownership of it, as evidenced by his many talks in recent months via his semi-new YouTube series.

The almighty question is: what happens next? Not even Sakurai knows for sure if his new video is any indication.

Sakurai talks about the uncertain future of Smash Bros.

In a new video posted to his official YouTube account titled “The Team Behind Super Smash Bros. Brawl [Grab Bag],” Sakurai talks at length about Brawl, and exactly how it came to be behind closed doors. He recalls how then-president Satoru Iwata mentioned that if Sakura was not involved, the scope would be significantly smaller; as there were “unique difficulties and challenges” behind developing the game. As a result, Sakurai joined up so it was done right.

At the five-minute mark, Sakurai perks up and gets serious, in an attempt to answer “What happens next time?” As in, how another Smash Bros. entry after Ultimate would pan out.

Here’s what he had to say:

“One option would be to separate the series itself from the original creator. But for now, at least, I can’t really imagine a Smash Bros. title without me. You might think that’s a natural stance for someone in my role, but I say so speaking objectively. I feel the same way President Iwata did when we formed the team for Smash Bros. Brawl. At present, we don’t have someone who can simply take the reins.”

Well, that’s a pretty comprehensive answer! Sakurai follows up by noting that it’s a massively popular series, “so it’s fair to assume there will be another one at some point.” He would “like to keep working with Nintendo however [he is] able.”