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Sakurai’s Right Arm Pain Is Hindering Smash Bros Wii U And 3DS Progress

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Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of both Kirby and the Smash Bros series, has revealed in the latest edition of Famitsu that he is still suffering immense pain from his right arm and hand. Sakurai says that he’s having trouble finding the time to crack on with the long-awaited project as his days are currently spent overseeing other people, holding meetings and working on other proposals. He concluded by saying that if the disorder doesn’t get sorted then there’s no telling what impact that would have on the Smash Bros project.

“As a director, I don’t have much time in the weekdays to proceed along with my own work. The entire day is spent overseeing other people, holding meetings, working on other proposals, making visits elsewhere and so on. If I can get everything squared away, then I can work on my own stuff, but most of the time there’s just an overwhelming lack of time. Often I go in on my off-days to catch up on my own work, but with my body going on me like this, I have to cut these extra days out of my schedule and even with that I can’t use my right arm very much to control things. If this disorder lingers, or if it never gets fixed, there’s no telling what impact that would have on the project.”

Sakurai noted that, until his right arm gets better, he’s forced to gnarl his left hand around a game controller in order to do any sort of playtesting work on the current version of Smash Bros. “I’ve had to control two characters at once in a lot of game projects up to now, so as long as I keep it to simple moves, this works well enough. It doesn’t go that easy with the Nintendo 3DS version, though, and the debug camera is pretty hard to control. Still, now I realize how important it is to have your health. I’m glad I’m still in good enough shape to work.”

Thanks, Mike S

291 thoughts on “Sakurai’s Right Arm Pain Is Hindering Smash Bros Wii U And 3DS Progress”

          1. Don’t sacrifice yourself for a game. Get someone to help while you rest up! Also…
            .Just noticed Ganondorf’s left leg is out of control in that pic XD
            .Echoes more than hinted at the fact that the Luminoth were awesome warriors.
            Can we get a playable U-mos? Dark Samus? Gandrayda? Anyone else from the Metroid universe?!

    1. He better not get better! That will give the Wii U time to fail and then Smash Bros. can be released on the PS4!

      1. What school of assery did you goto? Hoping someone doesn’t get better from their sickness so you can play a game? Jesus man

                    1. Ok . More nonsense immature attitude from a 5 years old , I will stop replying to you untill u reach 12 , see ya later kid .

              1. Yeah, be worried about my grammer you little punk. Just ooze all over it, please. God save me I forgot to put a period.

                  1. You mean the RADICAL bus. We wear helmets because this Bus goes OFF-ROOOAAAAD! and there’s NOOOOOO ceiling! Monday, monday, MOOOOONNNDDDAAAAY!

              2. “I’d like to see things from your point of view, but I can’t get my head that far up my ass.”

                So you’ve tried this? Why?!

                …and why are you determined to do this in the first place?! o.O?

                All joking aside, I hope he gets better soon!

      2. Yoshi you clearly don’t get it do you. Since when has Nintendo ever put their own stuff on Sony’s consoles?! You brainless idiot.

        You really need to brush up on your gaming.

        1. I’m not talking about the past you twat. I am talking about the furture. The Wii U is going to burn up and Nintendo will be forced to make their games for other systems. Deny it all you want, but it will happen.

          1. What is “the furture”? Is it cough syrup that tastes like your own medicine? Or is it an ergonomic brace for Sakurai’s arm, which would be on topic and not an ad hominem remark based off of punctuation?

      3. A first party title do not appear on other consoles. If it isn’t released on Wii U and 3DS, it’s canceled. It will never, EVER be released on PS4

      4. I think you forgot how to life? Like…”School of Assery” and things aside, if you’re a Sony fanboy, why you stalking the Nintendo pages…? Get a life or something along those lines ^^

        And yeah, I do expect some immature rebuttal…so have fun with that ^^

      5. Take some courses on trolling 101.
        You’re trying too hard.
        Might also help if you took a review course on what will happen to Nintendo’s 1st-party IP’s if they drop out.
        Hint; no software at all.

  1. You really have to sympathize with him. He’s working his ass off through incredible pain. I really hope the games can finish soon so he can relax for a while and say fuck the industry. Take 6 – 10 months off just to heal and live stressfree.

    1. I really wouldn’t mind if he needed to take a break during development. His health should be more important than the game releasing sooner.

      1. I doubt Nintendo would allow for that. Not when they know they need SSB4 to push Wii U sales when PS4/NeXtBox come out. Would be nice if they did, but I just don’t see it happening. Sadly, to them business comes first as wrong as that is. ):

            1. eh no. i doubt they would release one version before the other one, seeing as they said there special thing with this version is the connectivity between the 3ds and wiiu versions

              1. So a 4GB 3DS cartridge will take the same amount of time to make as the 25GB version? Or will Nintendo just hold onto the finished 3DS version to do a same day release? Exactly come on now. It would make more sense to release the 3DS version so people can get that to play to help wait for the Wii U version. That way people will buy both versions. Instead of them both coming out on the same day and most people would just get the Wii U version. When it comes to Nintendo stuff you either trust what I say or you get proven wrong later its that simple. Yes I have a big ego but have I been wrong once about a single Wii U thing since it was first revealed back at E3 2011? Nope.

      2. He did this to himself with the stylus controlls of Kid icarus :P I liked them a lot , but it’s hardly the comfiest control method ever!

        Seriously though I agree , nobody’s well being should be put before things such as Video games.

          1. I know Repetitive strain disorder is a bitch and very awkward to live with. If you give it time to heal it goes away…. But he just can’t keep his hands off the Wiiu gamepad and 3DS by the sound of things.

            We will be getting Sakurai”s blood , sweat and tears as part of the game :(

        1. Don’t be an idiot. I have just over 200 hours on the game and I have absolutely no difference in my hands. I know he’ll have way more, but it isn’t just that game- it’ll be thousands and thousands of hours at a mouse and keyboard all day every day.

          1. It’s like that in most jobs. They expect you to bend over sideways for them. Job description says 3 days a week , and you end up doing 6 because some cunt has quit or some bullshit.

    2. Or let him take a couple years off! Let the Wii U fail and let Nintendo become a software only company! Super Smash Bros. 4 on the PS4? YES!

              1. No one is desperate enough to ruin their best IP’s by giving them over to companies that would not be able to do them better, and would probably only make them worse by trying to turn them into nothing but graphics demonstrations.

    3. I really have to sympathize with you. You have no friends. So get off the damn computer and go find some. Idiot.

          1. Yep, it’s official: You’re a 12-year old Nintendo hater who can’t even come up with a good comeback. You keep saying that you don’t want Sakurai arm to get better because you want Smash bros to go on PS4. First of all, that’s really heartless of you and totally pushing it. How would you like it if you had RSi to where your arm is hurting? Also, when someone makes a valid point, you keep changing the subject by talking about grammer mistakes and top five things to avoid in life when that has NOTHING to do with what’s going on. Come back when your arguments are actually valid, and please go get a life.

          2. Virus typed this in anger on

            Can you ban A Little Yoshi? Freaking Aeolus didn’t annoy me this bad. He’s vulgar and rude, not to mention this last gem isn’t even on-topic!

  2. You are a real gamer if you can control two characters and a debug camera at once with only one hand. Get better soon! You are an awesome person.

      1. Idk, I used to play 3 games at once when I was a kid (one with each hand and the third with my feet) and I had a life… Fuck, who am I kidding ;__;

        But to be fair, it is this guys work :S But yeah, I think he should rest so he becomes better.

  3. Let the guy take a month off to properly relax his arm. These things are fix with relaxation, not pills. If it gets so bad he has to have surgery he’ll be off work longer than a good rest.

  4. I didn’t see Ike or Chrom in that picture. I like Sakurai, but I will find the other developers if they’re not in the new one.

    1. Learn to put a period at the end of a sentence. You shouldn’t be allowed to post without knowing simple grammar! You Nintendo gay fans are all the same.

        1. Sorry, I’m browsing trought the WiiU, I can’t see your message, its writen on ancient language. see you when you get on Next-Gen!

              1. LAZY!!!!! Posting a video and letting someone else do the talking for you? I am not going to watch a 17 minute video. I win, you lose, haha!

  5. Dude, get someone to help out…
    I know he see’s it as his child and wants it to be exactly how it should but damn, get outside help like professional smash players or something…
    Otherwise, get an operation of that thing and have it sorted.

    1. That’s the burden of being a director. On the whole, it’s a one-man job. Kind of sucks though, I know it is having to work and suffer through illnesses and pain.

      Unfortunately, sometimes life dictates that we bear through it. :/

  6. One of the best guys in gaming! Hope Smash bros Wiiu and 3DS are ready for this time next year or Spring next year…

      1. About March – July 2014 is what I’m prediciting. I’m not dreaming of anything. It was anounced at E3 2011 after all…

          1. No. Announced in 2011 and released in 2015 ?
            They have a HUGE team working on it with help from Namco bandai to speed things up , they will want the game out as soon as possible. Large team = quicker game development.
            It will be out April-ish next year after being unveiled at e3 this year.

            1. Doubtful it’s a year away. If it was that close we’d have a PLAYABLE demo at E3 and not screen shots. Mariokart and 3D Mario will be playable, so those could be out by this time next year. Smash is not out until at least holiday next year if not later.

    1. You mean Smash Bros. PS4 and Vita? Nintendo is going to be screwed over before this thing will be able to get released.

      1. Lol no. The PS vita is a Disaster compared to 3DS and the PS4 isnt out yet. And Wiiu will be fine , might not be the highest selling console ever , but it will be fine.

        Sony are in 10 times worse of a position than Nintendo. So good luck playing Smash bros on any Sony hardware in your lifetime.

          1. Why wouldn’t it you dumb fucking idiot ? It’s sold above 3 million already in 3 months. To put that in perspective the vita has sold 4 million in over a year and the PS3 took nearly 6 months to hit 3 Million.

            It’s done this without its big games yet. Mario kart , Pikmin 3 , Smash bros , Zelda , etc etc will boost sales ten fold.

            Nintendo is a very financially stable company , they are in no immediate threat of going out of business , Sony however are.

            Nintendo Gamecube sold 21 million consoles and Nintendo is still here ? Nintendo 3DS has sold more than any console ever in its first 2 years.lol.

            Nintendo has NOTHING to worry about , apart from making sure Wiiu can sell a decent amount , which I am sure it will. lol , owned.

  7. Wow that sucks Smash Bros. is one of Nintendo’s few good franchises. I wish Miyamoto got the injury instead, then there wouldn’t be anymore rehashed Mario games.

      1. This^ It’s that idiot who keeps saying the NSMB series shouldn’t innovate :/ .

        Miyamoto is a genius and has by far the best development portfolio out of any developer in the World. Luigi’s Mansion 2 and Pikmin 3 will be two pieces of art by Miyamoto , cus they’re developed by him , you can pretty much guarantee both will be a 9.5/10 must buy!

    1. U keep coming over and over whining about Nintendo ,, GROW UP KID ,, GET YOURSELF A JOB OR SOMETHING ,, DO U THINK THAT U R MATURE WHEN U COME TO A NINTENDO SITE AND TROLL ?? well here’s some news for u ,IT’S FUCKING CHILDISH AND IMMATURE ,,i said this to bill before and I will say it to u , GROW THE FUCK UP MORON !!!

    2. just hear yourself. wishing someone something bad. it is true. anonymous internet shows the real character of a person, congrats. you won the golden raspberry for being an asshole.

        1. The team behind Smash Bros is alot bigger with Namco Bandai helping so it can get made faster. Plus Smash Bros isnt an open world adventure game lol. They just make the levels, characters, campaign and done lol.

          1. One thing though. ALOT of playtesting and fixing is needed for ssb games to be released. That is more important than in a Zelda game as the game has a serious competetive following that would not allow another Meta Knight incident.

            1. Again with a bigger team like Namco helping that means more people can play test. Plus remember the rumors that at E3 Nintendo announces a playable online public beta for Smash Bros lol. We could be the testers.

          2. Ehh. There are lots of bugs associated with fighting games though. So a lot of glitch repair and balancing . Plus the story line this time around will be a game within its self it seems.

  8. He really need to take a break of his job and get better, it´s not like the game have a release date announced and he is running against the clock

  9. There’s no rush, he should relax and take it easy, at least it will be worth waiting for in the end.

    Either that or he should get someone else to do it for him and supervise the process.

  10. There’s no rush, he should relax and take it easy, at least it will be worth waiting for in the end.

    Either that or he should get someone else to do it for him and supervise the process.

  11. I bless you with Darkness Sakurai-san.
    Get well soon, take 1 week off and maybe some painkiller pills from time to time…
    I hope you are more humane than Ubisoft, Nintendo.

  12. He should take a few weeks ioff. I understand he wants the game to be the best it can be and wants it out ASAP but his health is much more important than a game.

  13. This man is showing determination with the new Smash Bros but I hope he doesn’t sacrifice his health to get the game out sooner. Hope his health gets better. Please take your time with this game Sakurai. Don’t rush it. That will just make your current condition worse as well as hinder the game. We can wait.

  14. Man! This is great news! That will give the Wii U time to fail and then Smash Bros. can be released on the PS4! NICE!

        1. Just stop man, you aren’t entertaining anybody but yourself. Like, seriously, that’s really messed up. Also: If Nintendo goes, their franchises go with them.

          1. Your really messed up you dirty rotten hobo! I bet you are the most unfunny person you know and you try to make people laugh, but you can’t because you are not funny! Git.

            1. I’m not trying to be funny. I’m just telling you you’re being a little prick. You’re hoping a man doesn’t get better from his illness. But you aren’t listening anyway so whatever. Have a nice life, and maybe not be a total prick. Maybe. If you want friends that is.

                    1. A-are… are you saying I’m beautiful? Little Yoshi, this is so sudden I… I don’t know what to say! At the very least, I am flattered.

              1. I… I think he just beat little yoshi. The troll’s arguments just stopped making sense all of the sudden.

          1. HEY EVERYONE!!! THIS IS UNKNOWN’S LIFE STORY!

            UNKNOWN WAS BORN ON AUGUST 23, 78BC. HE LIVED IN A CAVE AS A CHILD AND GREW UP TO BE A SASQUATCH. THERE HE ROAMED THE CANADIAN FOREST AS A LONER. LATER HE LEARNED TO SHAVE (FINALLY) AND LIVE AMONG THE IDIOT POPULATION. HE SOON LOST HIS TEETH AND HIS IQ DROPPED TO 0.05. UNKNOWN CURRENTLY LIVES ON THE STREETS OF DC BEGGING FOR MONEY. EVERYBODY HATES HIM!

                1. And yet you will always be worse.
                  Your Tombstone : Always falling behind the greatness of the Unknown.

                  You can’t win human.

    1. First off that is heartless and you should feel bad. Second off you do realize that SSB is a Nintendo IP. It would never be on a non Nintendo console. Idiot.

    2. I really hope you’re 10 years old because that is extremely immature talk. A man is in pain trying to make an amazing game and all you care about is wanting the Wii U to fail and for Smash Bros to be on PS4. That’s never gonna happen. Sorry to give you a dose of reality. Grow up and see the real world beyond you’re love for the PS4.

      1. WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU:
        YOU LIVE IN A DUMP
        YOU ARE A DUMP
        YOU WORK AT A DUMP
        YOU LOVE THE DUMP
        YOU ARE A 4 HEADED ALIEN FROM THE PLANET ZORCOCK

                    1. of course I am talking from experience , I was 5 years old in the past you know . I will stay to my word and wont reply to u untill u reach 12 .

        1. That’s all you got in response? Kindergarden insults? Guess you don’t like to hear the truth. That’s okay that you never matured passed kindergarden and your insults are weak. Perfectly okay.

  15. i hope he recovers and he shouldn’t work too hard on his arm. they should take their time on the game and release it when they thinks its ready, not when we say its ready. just like pizza in the oven, it will finish cooking when it comes out the other end, not when we pull it out 2 mins remaining

        1. PS4 isnt the only thing that will go down. Sony itself will have a very difficult time surviving the whole 8th gen. They could easily disappear mid way through the 8th gen lol.

          1. Nintendo is going to go down WAYYYYYY before the others do. The Wii U is going to die and you know it. Name one reason why it will survive.

            1. There is one thing you have to take into consideration though: It does not matter how well the PS4 will sell, but as it looks now many of Sony’s other departments bleed out money so even if the PS4 goes well Sony could still go under. Nintendo has no such money bleeders as they are focused on one industry where they are successful in.

              To answer your request of saying one reason why the Wii U will survive here it is: New Super Smash Bros

            2. Gamecube…doomed? Nope.Wii…doomed? Nope. Nintendo has been around 124 years and is still here. They could not make any money at all ever again. And lose $257 million a year and it would still take till 2052 to go bankrupt. Exposed :)

  16. Whatever they decide to show or not about the game in E3 this year, I just want some info, no matter how little info it is ^^…

  17. Sr. Sakurai, my best hopes for a fast recovery and healthy life, love your art since I was a child and guys don’t feed the troll.

  18. He will kill himself to bring us Smash Bros lol. He just needs to take a few weeks off. His story reminds me of when I broke my right arm in grade 5. When I was in the hospital they had a Super Nintendo and I was playing Mario with only 1 hand. I am not left handed but I beat the whole game with just my left hand lol.

      1. It’s not my job to entertain you. Sorry you fell asleep reading comments you have no interest in reading yet, here you are still on a NINTENDO site doing what you do best. NOTHING.

  19. If Sakurai is been in terrible pain just to brought us Smash bros, then I willing to be on a Midnight release date of Smash bros. 4 launch day, even if it takes me 10 hours under the rain. The guy is a badass for resisting such thing.

  20. This is what I like to hear! Developers sacrificing their lives (or limbs in this case) to bring us the very best products. If he dies whilst finishing these games…then so be it…death is just another path, one that we all must take; the grey rain clouds of this world roll back and all turns to silver glass…then you it…Smash Bros 3DS…and beyond Smash Bros Wii-U under a swift sunrise.
    Joking aside, repetitive strain injuries can be very painful and last months, hope he gets better soon, Nintendo need all of their elite workers at full strength.

      1. I think I know why you hate Nintendo so much.
        You have a micro penis don’t you?
        I know I know…but yes…you were born to become our bitch and Nintendo’s

  21. Do you think someone else could help play test the game, if not then I think Sakurai should take a break for a bit as his health is more important than a game even though I really want the game to come out as soon as possible.

  22. Pingback: Masahiro Sakurai Right Arm Pain Is Bothering Him And Slowing Him Down On Smash Bros Wii U And 3DS Progress | NintendoChronicle

  23. Even though I want Smash 4 to be made, I’m more concerned over Sakurai’s health. He is one of my all-time favorite video game developers, hope he gets better a soon a possible.

  24. Take all the time u need :) this game will be amazing :) ill wait a long time for it :) I’m getting the 3ds version but ill get the WiiU version when I get the WiiU :) does anyone think sonic will return?? Someone reply plz :)

  25. I think it would best if he takes like a month off or something. I want to play the next SSB but I would prefer him getting rest.

  26. Sakurai has to worry about his health, even if a game people wanna see at E3 this summer will get delayed.
    Nintendo ain’t Capcom man, they won’t force you to overwork yourself and go to the hospital

  27. why is this guy whining like a little bitch? jesus, go doctor, go hospital, see a masseuse, do whatever, an get back to making the damn game, we dont need to hear the crying, we need to hear that the game is allmost hear, sheesh,my wii u cries every time i look at it, an i feel like i spent £450 for nothing, even though i own an game on all platforms,iam getting fed up,we need a mario 3d,a metroid prime,an smash brothers an mario kart to move units,an get more 3rd party support! jesus i cant wait for the ps4,the xbox 720 i will get later,after i see if the console works, an th red ring of death de-buckle, at the moment i play my ps3 an pc allot more,an am craving next gen, wii u is next gen, but so far none of the games have shown this! nintendo buck your bloody ideas up! an remove that damn eshop restriction, i hate not being able to buy or watch videos an games for adults during 11pm an 3am, i live in uk, an so i dont like being forced to follow some damn german retarded law!

  28. All the trolling in the world doesn’t change the fact that Nintendo has Smash Bros. ^_^ It’s the good life. *sits back and relaxes*

  29. Pingback: Super Smash Bros 2/3DS/4 |OT| The Train of Stupidity Rides to E3 - Page 86 - Nintendo 3DS Forums

  30. im gonna go off topic, does a little yoshi know that ps4 is not backwards compatible with ps one-3 games? second, while someone did say that smash bros is a nintendo ip, does that info go straight through his skull or deflects like he has a info reflector (starfox ref)? anyways i cant wait for smash bros to come out when nintendo says its ready, the longer they work on it, the better. why? adding new content, adding content from previous games that were scrapped, working out the kinks (close to release) and the list goes on

  31. I believe health is more important than getting this game done. It will get done when it gets done. I recommend that he take a break and relax his arm. It would be risky to push it too far. We have plenty of games to play and other things to do in the meantime.

  32. Knowing Sakurai, he is probably pushing himself too hard. I hope he takes the time to get better. Miyamoto said a rushed game is forever bad but a delayed game is eventually good (or something like that). On a positive note, can’t wait to play SSB and look forward to future Sakurai games. He is one of the best.

  33. Pingback: Sakurai Tells People Not To Worry About His Injury And Smash Bros Development | My Nintendo News

  34. Pingback: Sounds As Though Smash Bros Designer’s Arm Injury Is Getting Worse | My Nintendo News

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