Super Smash Bros. designer Masahiro Sakurai has suggested that he probably won't develop another game in the series – but while that may not mean the end for the franchise, he can't see future titles delivering the same level of content without him.
"I can't positively declare there won't be [another Smash Bros.]," Sakurai said in the latest issue of Game Informer. "With both Melee and Brawl, I made those games with the thought that there wouldn't be any more sequels. Thus, I really can't deny the chance for another. However, as for myself, I don't think there will be.
"Our intention [with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U] was to provide extra merits to the game which go far beyond the sale price," he continued. "In terms of scope, and in terms of sheer number of characters, we went beyond our limits long ago. And yet, if we cut the number of fighters or modes in a future game, I'm sure there would be complaints."
The amount of content found in existing Smash titles has caused a problem for where to take the series in the future, Sakurai believes, and has created a bar his successor may struggle to surpass.
"You could say that all the effort in the past to stretch out, keep pushing myself, and provide all these extra merits wound up tightening the noose around my neck in the future," he added. "That may seem like it contradicts my personal desire to keep giving gamers as much as I can, but I don't see any easy answer for it. And yet, despite that, I also have trouble picturing someone else taking my place and providing all this value-added content without me.
"I feel like we've arrived at a very difficult place. One thing I can say, however, is that I hope people don't think that Smash Bros. has come to its natural conclusion as a matter of course. That's my personal plea."