No story mode for Super Smash Bros. on Wii U or 3DS

One of Super Smash Bros. Brawl's most significant additions was The Subspace Emissary. The single-player (or two-player co-op) campaign starred much of the game's franchise-crossing cast in battles, platforming segments, and cutscenes.

But according to series designer Masahiro Sakurai's latest column in Weekly Famitsu (translated by Kotaku), that darn internet ruined the fun.

"Unfortunately, the movie scenes we worked hard to create were uploaded onto the internet." Sakurai wrote. "You can only truly wow a player the first time he sees [a cutscene]. I felt if players saw the cutscenes outside of the game, they would no longer serve as rewards for playing the game, so I've decided against having them."

The change of direction means Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS won't have a distinct story mode like the Subspace Emissary, though the 3DS will have some kind of mode apart from standard competitive matches. It also means all the CGI work will go into YouTube-centric trailers like that unsettling Villager and Mega Man reveal.

Sakurai also mentioned that players will be able to customize their characters' performance and appearance in some way, and that his team is working on a way to import 3DS customizations into the Wii U version.

TOPICS
CATEGORIES
Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.

Latest in Super Smash Bros
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Super Smash Bros. creator says instead of making more "Americanized works," Japanese devs should "seek the uniqueness and fun of Japanese games"
Minecraft characters Alex and Steve riding in mine carts in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, being chased by Bowser Jr..
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate villain Minecraft Steve is the star of the "best Smash clip of all time," as genius player makes a literal Trojan Horse to destroy an unsuspecting opponent
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS key art.
Masahiro Sakurai says Super Smash Bros "might have died out" if not for late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata: "There's no doubt that he influenced me in many ways"
Luigi fighting Snake in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
After packing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with content, Masahiro Sakurai unsurprisingly says that working out a game's volume from the start is important
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Isabelle
Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai says he'll make a game "even if it's the opposite of what I like," because "you have to think of it as work, not entertainment"
Fox from Star Fox surfs on a space ship against a cloudy sky
Super Smash Bros Melee Major ends up the first in 20 years to feature an all-new top 4, and the winner almost refunded his flight when he saw his "scary" bracket
Latest in News
Lunar Remastered Collection
"Will today’s players still enjoy a game from 30 years ago?": JRPG icon Kei Shigema says he was thrilled to see Lunar getting a remaster even after all this time
Nick Offerman as Bill and Murray Bartlett as Frank in The Last of Us episode 3
The Last of Us season 2 showrunners tease a "gorgeous" episode akin to season 1’s Emmy-nominated Bill and Frank story: "Just you wait"
The Witcher 4 screenshot with Ciri using sword and sorcery to fight an ancient monster
CD Projekt boss says "cutting-edge single-player games" – you know, like The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 – will "continue to enjoy great popularity" despite industry shifts
Cyberpunk 2077
Despite releasing exactly zero new games, CD Projekt bagged $120 million in profit for 2024 – the Witcher and Cyberpunk studio's third-best result ever
Muse
Daredevil: Born Again midseason trailer teases Matt Murdock’s violent fight with Muse, including a gory scene straight from the comics
Batman looking over the city during Batman: Arkham City, one of the best PS3 games.
The PS2 Batman Begins game was considered such a "disaster" that Christopher Nolan turned down a Dark Knight-inspired game