Why Smash Bros Devs are Enjoying Lockdown
Channel: Video Game Story Time
Date: 2020-05-06

Super Smash Bros Ultimate's Fighters Pass 2 is taking longer to make than planned. This is in large part because Masahiro Sakurai and his team at Sora Ltd are having to work remotely in order to try and finish work.

That's a good thing.

Apologies if this seems flippant. We're not trying to downplay the severity of the ongoing situation, or suggest that things aren't that bad. We just want to give you a chance to breathe, and to contemplate the benefits of taking a break.

The games industry is far too full of crunch, and nobody is a better example of this than Masahiro Sakurai. The creator of Smash Bros is a workaholic who feels the need to be involved in every single decision regarding to Ultimate and its many DLC characters. This has always been unsustainable, but it seems that now, finally, he's been forced to rest and take things at a slower pace.

Why is this a good thing? Because it means that the creators behind a popular Nintendo Switch title get the opportunity to rest, take things slower, and more carefully evaluate their work. It's not always best to rush around endlessly, churning out new content. With any luck, Fighters Pass 2 will be far better for its lengthier development time.

Judging by everything Sakurai and his team have given us in Smash thus far, Fighters Pass 2 will be worth the wait.

We hope you're doing okay. We've been working a bit slower ourselves lately, which is frustrating, but necessary. It's good to spend time together as a family.

We love you lots. Stay safe.

BretonStripes (http://twitter.com/bretonstriped) and Kotor (http://twitter.com/kotorcomics)

Sources:
https://twitter.com/Sephazon/status/1255523291428765696 
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-04-14-fans-think-nintendo-originally-planned-a-pokemon-pink
https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/24/21234205/nintendo-account-hack-nnid-breach-security-hacking-attempt
https://www.wired.com/story/nintendo-switch-hack/
https://www.polygon.com/2013/2/27/4035046/why-masahiro-sakurais-bum-right-arm-is-hindering-work-on-the-new
https://www.siliconera.com/masahiro-sakurai-passed-out-at-the-gym-due-to-tiredness-and-dehydration/
https://www.gameinformer.com/2019/03/05/super-smash-bros-director-masahiro-sakurai-worked-with-an-iv-drip-while-sick
https://sourcegaming.info/2020/03/23/sakurai-on-covid/
https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/17/super-smash-bros-ultimate-dlc-fighters-delayed-coronavirus-12412829/