Super Smash Bros. director "so sorry" to fans playing for thousands of hours
"The time players spend in a game is a cost."
Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai is "so sorry" to players who have spent "hundreds or even thousands of hours" in the Nintendo fighting game.
In the latest video of his Creating Games YouTube series, Sakurai discussed the importance of being mindful of the time players give to developers.
"There are plenty of people who have spent hundreds or even thousands of hours in Smash Bros., for example," said Sakurai. "I'm so sorry!"
Of course, his apology is a bit of a joke. But his core point is certainly an important one for developers.
"The time players spend in a game is a cost, so it's best to be mindful of the time they're choosing to give you," Sakurai concludes in the video.
Then again, considering he admits "the time you spend on a game should be a result of how fun that game is", perhaps he should be honoured at the dedication of Smash Bros. players!
Sakurai includes a further apology in the video's description: "I know my games have taken a lot of precious time from my players...and I'm sorry for that!"
This video is the last in Sakurai's "Planning & Game Design" category after 30 videos, though he's made plenty more since beginning the channel two years ago.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, released on Switch in 2018, certainly includes a lot of content, especially when its DLC characters are included.
The game was included on our The Eurogamer 100 list, making the top five of games to play right now.