Rumor: The Next Super Smash Bros. May Owe Its Existence to Kirby Air Riders
A new rumor suggests that the next Super Smash Bros. game might happen thanks to Nintendo allowing Masahiro Sakurai to work on Kirby Air Riders. Now that the Nintendo Switch 2 has been released, many fans are naturally curious about the next Super Smash Bros. entry. Every new mainline Nintendo system since the N64 has featured a new Super Smash Bros. game, with each one adding even more combatants from Nintendo’s long list of beloved franchises.
The most recent installment was Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the original Nintendo Switch, and it quickly became one of the most successful and acclaimed exclusives for the old console. However, Super Smash Bros. series creator Masahiro Sakurai has yet to make any announcements about a new installment for the Switch 2, and previously stated that he would be taking a break from the series following the release of Kingdom Hearts hero Sora as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s final DLC character in 2021.
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Posts 1If another Super Smash Bros. game does get developed for the Nintendo Switch 2, it might owe its existence to another of Sakurai’s creations. Game developer interviewer Reece Reilly recently shared some speculation about the upcoming Kirby Air Riders on Twitter, saying that it is Sakurai’s passion project after being burnt out from working on Super Smash Bros. nonstop since 2012. Additionally, Reilly thinks that Nintendo allowed Sakurai to work on it as a negotiating tactic to convince him to make the next Super Smash Bros. game.
Nintendo Could Have a Deal With Sakurai For the Next Smash Bros.
Reilly stated in a later post that this is just speculation on his end, based on what he’s heard from his sources. When asked if a new Super Smash Bros. game is already in development for the Switch 2, Reilly said it’s unlikely, but notes that Bandai Namco could be doing pre-production at the moment. According to him, a new Super Smash Bros. would depend on Sakurai, given how “instrumental” he is in planning things out for the series.
CloseSure enough, Reilly says that Sakurai’s influence in the larger gaming industry helps with third-party negotiations for guest characters and other big elements in the Super Smash Bros. franchise. As such, it could be that Nintendo offered him his dream project of Kirby Air Riders to secure the future of its lucrative mascot fighting series on the new Switch 2 console, though there is no way to know for sure. In the meantime, Kirby Air Riders is currently set to launch on the Nintendo Switch 2 sometime later this year.
