Worried Super Smash Bros. Fans Might Be in for a Long Wait
The Nintendo community is starting to get nervous, as the next instalment of Super Smash Bros. appears to be looking even farther away. With seven years having passed since the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Nintendo Switch, it has already matched the longest period of time that a Smash game has had with no new instalment, and, for unfortunate fans, that wait is likely to be longer.
No Sign Of A New Smash
Series creator Masahiro Sakurai and his team at Sora Ltd are focused on their Nintendo Switch 2 release, Kirby Air Riders, which is a labour of love from the team andwill be released later this year, which likely means that they wouldn't start development on the next Smash Bros. title until sometime after that release.
Sakurai's Burnout & Potential Uncertainty
Sakurai has been open about how he may be feeling burnout and feelings of doubt about the game's future in the series. There are also questions about who will even lead the series next, considering the precedent that was made with the massive roster and scope of Ultimate.
Fans Set their Expectations for 2028–2029
According to many fans on forums, they feel that a new Super Smash Bros. game will get released in either 2028 or 2029. Some fans don't even believe that a new Super Smash Bros. title will come out before a new Zelda title.
Smash Ultimate was (partially) developed quickly, if only because it only took one year of pre-production work and two years of full development time; thus, it is not clear at all that there has been any work done on the new game, making a 2027 date look slim at best, if we are being optimistic.
What This Means for Nintendo's Fans
At this stage, it looks like fans might have to hibernate a few years before they get news about the new Super Smash Bros. game on Nintendo Switch 2 (perhaps with some new hardware?). With Sakurai likely retiring from explicit development work, then the scale of the next game and absolutely the roster size (from licensed characters) could look completely different than Ultimate.
