Sakurai is ending his YouTube channel as Smash 6 rumors intensify

Super Smash Bros series creator Masahiro Sakurai has revealed plans to end his YouTube channel amid reports that he’s returning to game development for Smash 6.

Following the release of Kingdom Hearts’ Sora as the final Smash Ultimate DLC fighter, Sakurai announced his “retirement,” but he didn’t stay quiet for long.

The game designer soon found himself creating YouTube content running a popular channel dubbed ‘ Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games’ where he delves into development and uses his projects for reference.

In some of his videos, Sakurai discussed the future of Smash, even going as far as teasing his desire to return to the series despite believing Ultimate was the pinnacle of what could be done. Now, he’s yet again sparking rumors that Smash 6 is in the works.

Could Sakurai be returning to develop Smash 6?

In a January 9 post on his YouTube channel, Sakurai wished his viewers a belated Happy New Year and revealed his videos would be coming to an end.

“I’m planning to wrap up Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games sometime this year,” he said. “Until then, I hope you’ll stay tuned!”

This post comes just weeks after another cryptic tease by Sakurai where he confirmed he was “still creating games for the time being.”

Although Smash 6 has yet to be announced, fans have speculated that a Smash Ultimate Deluxe could be in the works for Nintendo’s upcoming Switch 2 console and feature even more fighters and stages.

Smash Ultimate has already confirmed new content coming in 2024 with a series of new spirits and reports have indicated that Nintendo has announcements planned for the series’ 25th anniversary.

Interestingly, Bandai Namco just recently rebranded its Nintendo-based team to Studio 2/Studio S and appears to be working on a game that matches the description of Smash Bros.

We’ll have to wait and see what Sakurai and Nintendo have cooking up, especially with rumors of a Switch successor finally being announced later this year.