Smash Bros. will stick to video game characters, Sakurai says
So forget about your beloved Goku and Iron Man.
The Smash Bros. games have a lot of characters, and many of them are lifted from outside the world of Nintendo. But that doesn't mean characters from outside the world of video games will make an appearance in the ultra popular brawler.
At the Tokyo Game Show this week, Smash development chief Masahiro Sakurai took to the stage to accept an award for Switch game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and in doing so said non-video game characters were off limits for the famous franchise.
"I get all these kinds of requests from abroad like, 'Where is my beloved Iron Man?' or 'Where is my beloved Goku?' " Sakurai said, as reported by Twitter user naruki, translated by Twitter user PushDustIn and verified by IGN.
"However, basically [Smash] will only have content from video games in it."
So, Smash will see the likes of Banjo and Kazooie and Fatal Fury's Terry Bogard as guest characters. But you won't see the likes of Marvel characters or anime characters.
This is a different approach to that of, for example, NetherRealm Studios. Mortal Kombat 11 is welcoming a raft of guest characters from outside the world of video games, such as Spawn, Joker and Terminator. Mortal Kombat X had Jason Voorhees, Predator, Alien and Leatherface in it.
That wasn't all Sakurai said on-stage. He said Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was his final assignment from the late Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata.
"I'm sorry for bringing up this personal story at a time like this," Sakurai said, "but making Smash Bros on the Switch was the last mission the late Satoru Iwata gave to me.
"I've put my all into the game, and with more DLC I will continue to work hard."