Smash Bros. creator puts Ultimate sequel hopes on ice

Masahiro Sakurai has a very special place in the hearts of gamers. Though it sometimes seems he'd rather be remembered as the man who brought Kirby to life, his work on the Smash Bros. series has undoubtedly made him a household name in leagues of Nintendo fans.

The popularity of Smash is largely down to Sakurai, and his work is indispensable - but that makes the series' future a little shakier. While the creator considers retirement (that he's definitely earned if you ask us), players refuse to accept that anyone else could take over.

Now, the future of Smash is murkier than ever, as Sakurai himself has cast doubt on the idea of a sequel to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Sakurai doesn't think Smash could be bigger than Ultimate again

In a recent edition of the Creating Games series, the man behind the brutal brawler confessed that he doesn't expect a new height to come for the Smash Bros series any time soon.

As Smash Bros Ultimate was such a big deal (wearing the "Everyone Is Here!" tagline as a badge of honour), he can't quite see what's next for the series. "As for what comes next for the Smash Bros. series, even I'm not sure," Sakurai says.

"I feel we truly succeeded in making people happy with this game, but now that Smash Bros. has grown to be monstrous in size, I'd say it's difficult to imagine an increase of this magnitude happening again."

Sakurai on Smash Bros: "I can't say there won't be another"

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This has seemingly thrown cold water on the idea of an Ultimate sequel, although Sakurai continued, "Every time, we managed to make a game that I had previously thought impossible, so I can't say for certain there won't be another, but I do think it would be difficult to push it any further than we have."

While Sakurai enters semi-retirement, it's hard to see a new height for the Smash Bros series, just as it's hard to imagine Smash Bros without him at the helm. The latest interview echoes his previous warning that the franchise might be "done" after the highs of Ultimate. 

All hope is not lost - as we've seen Mortal Kombat come back from the brink many times before - but without the big man himself, what can Smash Bros become? The answers are out there, and they'll come eventually, but we're not sure we'll like them.