Sakurai provides update on Smash Bros Ultimate DLC development
NintendoSuper Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai has provided an update on the development of upcoming DLC fighters in his newest column in the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu.
Titled “Teleworking, in progress!” the column explains how the development of DLC is proceeding despite the staff on the team being forced to work from home, much like the rest of the world.
A translation of the column was provided by Tokyo resident and game historian Robert Sephazon on Twitter.
NintendoSakurai began by emphasizing how Smash Ultimate remains a “highly confidential project” that “should be well protected” while still making sure everyone working on its development remains safe.
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“So far, our telework has been quite successful; there are many staff who should be commended for their work,” the Kirby creator explained.
He went on to add that working from home has its benefits such as being able to control the temperature of your room, having natural light, and not being forced to commute to and from your job.
“So, what are my first impressions of telework? First, the air is much cleaner! Busy offices usually have dirty air. The heater always made me sweat every day too. But, in your own room, you can be as comfortable as possible! You can control both the temperature and humidity.”
— Robert Sephazon (@Sephazon) April 29, 2020
That said, there are still some drawbacks: “There are various things that need to be corrected, tools and other elements needed to support developers, however, right now, it’s just not possible to gather everybody together and explain like I could before.”
According to the game director, he bought a microphone, capture unit, and built a studio to assist the team with developing the game: “When I make a voice call, I show the video of the gameplay or PC I’m supervising, record it, upload it to the server and have team members download it.”
To end the column, Sakurai explained how, for the time being, things are proceeding nicely without any problems. However, it doesn’t look like we should expect any big upgrades to Smash Ultimate’s online play any time soon, as the team is primarily focusing on downloadable content.
“For the time being, we are proceeding without any problems, so far. However, we’re only developing DLC at the moment. For example, it would have been very difficult to develop Super Smash Bros. Ultimate early on if we were in this situation.”
— Robert Sephazon (@Sephazon) April 29, 2020
“We’re only developing DLC at the moment,” Sakurai stressed and stated that it would have been very difficult to develop Ultimate from scratch if they had to work from home.
The next upcoming DLC fighter has been revealed to be from the ARMS series and will be arriving in June. After that, it’s anyone’s guess, although recent leaks have suggested that following fighters could be from League of Legends, Rayman or Crash Bandicoot.
There are still five more characters scheduled after the release of the ARMS DLC, so hopefully, the team can continue to make progress even in these difficult times.