Smash Bros Boss Confirms Ultimate's Second Fighters Pass Will Be Its Last
Last month, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai surprised us all by confirming that the game will be getting a second batch of DLC fighters. Originally, the game was only supposed to get one batch – a Fighters Pass comprised of five DLC characters. When that Fighters Pass was completed with the release of Byleth, Sakurai confirmed that a further six DLC characters are in development, comprising a second Fighters Pass.
Sakurai has confirmed that the second Fighters Pass will be the final one Ultimate is getting, meaning that once these last six DLC characters have released, we won't get any more. That's hardly surprising given that we weren't initially supposed to get the second Fighters Pass in the first place.
The news comes from a column Sakurai penned for Famitsu magazine, which was picked up by Ryokutya and later translated by PushDustIn on Twitter. In that column, Sakurai reiterates that all six characters in the Fighters Pass have already been chosen, so it sounds like campaigning for a certain character won't really work. He also pointed out that the characters were chosen by Nintendo, so if there's a fighter pick you don't agree with, don't direct your anger at him.
Sakurai's column also revealed something very interesting, as he said that as of right now, Nintendo and Sora Ltd. aren't planning a new entry in the Smash Bros. series. That means the future of the franchise is unclear. It also potentially means that Sakurai will have time to direct other projects once this DLC for Smash Bros. Ultimate is finished.
Obviously, when Nintendo one day releases a new console, it stands to reason that we'll see a new entry in the Smash Bros. series, but for now at least, there are no plans for a new version. When Fighters Pass vol. 2 is finished, we'll have 88 playable characters in Ultimate, so if nothing else, it sounds like Sakurai has earned himself a break from Smash Bros. development. We'll let you know when news on the next DLC fighter is released, so stay tuned for more.