Summary
Super Smash Bros.series creator Masahiro Sakurai broke down why games require online updates even after launch in his latest video. The esteemed game director has been in the industry for quite a long time, and has contributed to a number of games, most notably theSuper Smash Bros.crossover series. As for Sakurai’s current project, he’s been uploading videos to his YouTube channel, “Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games.”
Sakurai started his YouTube channel in August 2022, with the content of his videos covering a variety of topics. These topics range from the principles of game development toSakurai showing off his rare gaming collectibles. Sakurai also discusses various specifics about game design, with his latest topic covering Online Updates and the benefits they provide.
For the average person, hearing that a game has been patched to fix something seems fairly obvious, as gamers always want to have the best experience, and fixing problems post-launch is beneficial. Sakurai, however, breaks down the additional work that developers would need to do for post-launch updates, segmented into four different reasons. The first is thatvideo game development is more complex than ever, which also results in longer dev time as well. As such, it’s almost impossible to plan ahead to see what the final product looks like. Sakurai also adds that since game developers are constantly working on the game, they won’t have much time to play the finished project until near the very end, where some issues may go unnoticed before launch.
How Patches are Beneficial, According to Masahiro Sakurai
The third point Sakurai brings up is that regardless of how many bug testers a studio may hire, the consumer market will overwhelm those testers in sheer numbers, and the feedback they provide is extremely beneficial in finding things that may have slipped through. Sakurai notes that anyone can post a video of astrange gaming glitch or bugthat can help developers find out where to look.
The final point that Sakurai notes about online updates is that they are essentially free bonuses for the game’s players. Sakurai states it’s important tofind the big game-breaking bugsfirst, with any balance tweaks, quality-of-life features, and other things of that ilk being an extra bonus. Sakurai notes that the key staff involved in the game would be tied up working on it, as opposed to moving on to other projects after the game goes on sale.
As for Sakurai’s own opinion on the matter, he’s of two minds. On one hand, as a player, he’s extremely grateful for these updates and patches to improve the game as much as possible. As a creator, he believes developers should strive to make sure their game is in the best condition possible from the start.
Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros is a Nintendo-exclusive 3D action fighting and brawling game starring a roster of beloved Nintendo and third-party characters. Taking place across a plethora of arenas, players duke it out in real-time as their favorite characters.
