Kirby Air Riderswas one ofNintendo’s most surprising announcements in recent memory. A sequel to a cult classicGameCubegame,Air Riders reveal, which included the news that it was being directed by Super Smash Bros. legend, and the first game’s original director, Masahiro Sakurai, sent fans into raptures.
Now, it has been claimed that the reason Nintendo greenlit Kirby Air Riders was to ensure that Sakurai would come back to direct the Switch 2 version of Super Smash Bros, which may not have even entered pre-production yet.
Super Smash Bros. Switch 2 Title Could Be A Long Way Off
It was no secret thatSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatetook its toll on Masahiro Sakurai. The Nintendo legend revealed that he had to work on the titlewhile connected to an IV drip to avoid taking time off, and thathe once passed out at the gym from exhaustion. Thankfully,he’s okay now, but the incidents cast doubt on whether he would return to create the Nintendo Switch 2’s iteration of the beloved fighter.
According to notorious podcaster Kiwi Talkz, Sakurai’s burnout was so bad that Nintendo used Kirby Air Riders as a negotiating tactic to get him to work on the next Smash Bros. title. The Kiwi Talkz tweetsaid, “This game is Sakurai’s passion project. He was burned out from working on Smash Bros constantly since 2012, so, as a negotiating tactic offered to do another Smash if he could do Kirby Air Riders first.”
Maybe Bandai Namco could be doing pre-production on it, but unlikely.
This led the podcaster to speculate that the next Super Smash Bros. game may not have even entered the pre-production phase yet. Replying to a tweet asking if the next Smash was in development, hesaid, “I doubt it, maybe Bandai Namco could be doing pre-production on it, but unlikely. Sakurai is so instrumental to planning these out (especially on the third-party negotiations).”
Kiwi Talkz clarifies that while he has had it confirmed that Air Riders was part of a wider negotiation, the Smash Bros. pre-production information is more speculation than fact. However, given, like Kiwi Talkz says, how important Sakurai is, it wouldn’t be a surprise. Although I’m sure the director has a million ideas bouncing around in his head.
