Sakurai explains how Smash Ultimate takes liberties with new fighters

Super Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai has revealed how the team implements new fighters into Ultimate and the creative freedom they have when doing so.

In a new Famitsu column translated by PushDustIn and Robert Sephazon on Twitter, the game developer delved into adding ARMS’ Min Min to the game and how the team made it work.

It should be noted that Sakurai wrote a draft of the column way before Min Min was revealed and before the presentation was recorded. As it turns out, the creator laid eyes on ARMS before it was released on Switch, but used what he saw as a basis to add Spring Man as an Assist Trophy.

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Once Nintendo decided that Fighters Pass Volume 2 was a go, it was also settled to include an ARMS character and while Sakurai expected some difficulties in development there weren’t any major obstacles.

“The B button is typically used for special attacks, but Sakurai wanted to make Min Min’s A button attack with the left arm and the B button attack with the right arm,” Sephazon translated.

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What’s more is this allows for the “spirit” of ARMS to exist within Smash Ultimate, something Sakurai says is very important.

“When working with other IPs, the new developer doesn’t necessarily have to follow the original games 100%. However, they don’t have free reign either. The most important element is ensuring the characteristics and uniqueness of the original game shine in the new project,” he continued.

It will be interesting to see how the Smash team implements fighters from new IPS going forward, especially if they have unique systems in place such is the case with ARMS. Only time will tell.

There are still five fighters left as part of Fighters Pass Volume 2, any of which could potentially shift the entire Smash Bros landscape. In that respect, we’ll just have to wait and see.