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Smash Bros. creator explains why Wii U and 3DS get separate release dates
Super Smash Bros. for 3DS will soon be releasing very soon but why isn’t the 3DS and Wii U versions getting a simultaneous release date? Creator Sakurai explains that one of the reasons for the separate release dates for both versions is so they have proper time to debug the game.
“Checking is done both domestically and overseas, so for a game like Smash Bros., several hundred people are employed. So, debugging alone becomes a huge project. So much so that one of the biggest reasons for the separate release dates for the 3DS and Wii U versions was so that we could shift the debugging periods.”
“In a previous Smash Bros., we found a bug during the debugging process where if fighter A hits item B and fighters C and D are simultaneously affected, the game would freeze. Considering not only the different fighters, but items, stages, color settings, play rules, and game modes, the number of varying combinations are astronomical. In order to properly debug, every pattern must be tried, but such a task would be impossible no matter how many decades or centuries you take.”
“There are many reasons why a game’s release date will be delayed, but eight or nine times out of ten, it’s usually because a bug couldn’t be fixed in time. But it’s better than releasing [an unpolished] product like that.”
Super Smash Bros. is a monstrous game for a handheld, consisting of numerous characters, and an near infinite amount of variables to consider. Many things have to be considered before a product can receive the green-light. The larger the product, the more chances there are for a game to freeze, crash, slow down or cause some undesirable effect. Patches can be implemented once the product has shipped and though its nearly impossible to find every bug in a game, it is better ship a game that a developer can feel proud of than a game that feels rushed.
Super Smash Bros. for 3DS is scheduled to be released in Japan on September 13, and October 3 in Europe, Americas and Australia. Super Smash Bros for Wii U is scheduled has yet to be sometime at the end of the year.
For even more Smash Bros. news, keep it right here.
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