The director behind the Super Smash Bros. series appears to be shifting his time to a new project, as he officially wraps up his YouTube channel. After dishing out game design tips over the past two years on YouTube, Masahiro Sakurai has filmed his final video for his channel.
Sakurai, who is best known for spearheading the Super Smash Bros. series, previously said he would be bringing the channel to a close earlier this year. Now, the end is officially nigh, with Sakurai confirming on Saturday the final episode is in the can.
‘We have finished recording the final episode of the channel,’ Sakurai wrote on Twitter. ‘I think it will be a while before it is released, so please enjoy the regular episodes until then.’ While Sakurai has given no indication as to why he’s ending the channel, he did previously confirm he’s ‘still creating games for the time being’ in a YouTube episode earlier this year.
As you might expect, Sakurai’s decision to end his YouTube exploits has spurred a new wave of speculation around another Super Smash Bros. entry. Fans have also highlighted job listings for Nintendo projects from December, at Namco Studio 2 and Studio S, who work on the Smash series, which have since been taken down – implying the positions are filled and that work can begin.
While there was no mention of Super Smash Bros. specifically, one listing did refer to the ‘construction of stage specifications’ for ‘side-view action games’, which some believe could.