User:SenorMexicano/sandbox
Development
Towards the end of Super Smash Bros. 4's post-launch development, Masahiro Sakurai announced that his next project had been decided and that he would be taking a small vacation following the end of development.[1] Prior to leaving Bandai Namco, presumably sometime in 2016, Tiago Sonobe, then a software engineer and graphics programmer for the company, started development on the game's rendering engine. When Sakurai had revealed to his development team that he intended to bring back every previously playable character, he was met with silence.[2] On November 12th, 2017, Nintendo filed a number of trademarks, notably including a Japanese Super Smash Bros. logo.[3]
A Super Smash Bros. title for Nintendo Switch was later officially revealed on March 8th, 2018 via a Nintendo Direct. Shortly after, Sakurai confirmed in a tweet that he had been working on the game "in silence, day after day".[4][5] On March 22nd, 2018, Nintendo announced the Super Smash Bros. Invitational 2018, a tournament taking place on June 12th where invited professional players will play the upcoming game. Later, in volume 542 of his Famitsu article, Sakurai revealed that his work schedule had been cut down significantly, citing strict regulations regarding work hours.[6] On April 18th, 2018, Nintendo again filed a number of trademarks for several game logos, including the Super Smash Bros. logo. Most of these game logos originate from games with some relationship to the Smash series, including Pikmin, Star Fox, and F-Zero. These trademarks were approved on May 14th, 2018.[7]
The game was finally unveiled at E3 2018 via a Nintendo Direct. The 25-minute trailer featured in the Nintendo Direct confirmed the title of the game as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, revealed that every previously playable character would return, introduced Daisy and Ridley as new playable characters, and showcased new and returning gameplay features. Following the end of the presentation, a Nintendo Treehouse event went live. During the Treehouse event, several matches were streamed and some new features were revealed and discussed. In addition to the Treehouse livestream, a playable demo of the game was opened to the public at E3 2018 and at the Nintendo Store in New York. Following the end of the Splatoon 2 World Championships, the Super Smash Bros. Invitational 2018 began. During the match pitting MkLeo as Bayonetta against Plup as Ridley, Masahiro Sakurai reportedly shook his head after MkLeo had performed a successful ladder combo on Plup.[8] At the end of the invitational, the Nintendo Treehouse livestream resumed, further showcasing more gameplay elements and matches. In addition to this, the official Super Smash Bros. Ultimate website was published. This would serve as the primary source for new details about the game.
The game would later be playable at certain tournaments and events including Rage 2018 Summer, Next Generation World Hobby Fair ’18 Summer, CEO 2018, and Jump Victory Carnival 2018.
References
- ^ "Famitsu News — “Sakurai Catching a Breather”" - Source Gaming.
- ^ "Why Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was such a daunting game for its creators to build" - The Verge.
- ^ “Nintendo Apply for a Number of Trademarks” - Japanese Nintendo.
- ^ Sakurai announces that he has been working on Smash for Switch.
- ^ Translation of Sakurai's Smash for Switch tweet.
- ^ "“Compliance and Labor” – Sakurai’s Famitsu Column, Vol. 542" - Source Gaming.
- ^ Several trademarks from Nintendo are approved for use.
- ^ Bear witnessing Sakurai shaking his head.
