Nintendo has brought Namco Bandai in to help with the development of the Super Smash Bros sequel.
Heavyweights working on the title include Tetsuya Akata, producer and director of Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme vs and Yoshito Higuchi, director of the Tales series. Also on board are the art and sound directors of the SoulCalibur series and the main dev team from the Tekken series.
The man behind the dream team is the original Super Smash Bros. creator: Masahiro Sakurai. His comments are encouraging and it’s sounding like it’ll be a…smash but the game’s launch could be a long way off.
“It’s my personal belief that the only time a creative product really resonates is in that first moment when it’s actually in front of you,” Sakurai explained.
“With that said, I’ve realised that if we keep the new Super Smash Bros. title’s development structure secret, it’ll only create more and more speculation, and I won’t be able to develop the game with any freedom. That’s why I’ve decided to announce this news right now, even though it’s still very early on.
“I would love to provide more information, but for now, I’m going to stay quiet until I have something solid to show you.
“The project has just gotten started. Bear in mind that not only are we developing two titles simultaneously, but we announced the project before we even started actual development, so I’m afraid we will likely have to keep you waiting for quite a while. Please be patient.
“Currently, the prototype prepared by Namco Bandai Games and Namco Bandai Studio’s special team looks pretty good, and it’s working great. In order to take advantage of the fact that there will be versions for two different systems, and to maximise and offer fun new gameplay elements, the entire team is going to work hard together. Thank you.”
Namco Bandai’s Masaya Kobayashi also commented on the project, and particularly the creative prowess of the team, claiming it to be a “never before seen dream team.”
“We will fully utilise our experience and knowledge in action/fighting game development, technical capability, and organisational strength, and we hereby promise you that we will develop the best and most powerful Super Smash Bros. titles ever! Don’t miss them!”
