While hardcore gamers might look down on these casual players, it seems that these casual players are integral to the survival of the Smash Bros. franchise, at least according to its director Masahiro Sakurai. Speaking in an interview with a Japanese magazine, Sakurai revealed that if they had catered purely to the competitive gamer, Smash Bros’ future would have been a short-lived one.
While this doesn’t mean that Nintendo doesn’t care about its hardcore or competitive playerbase, making the game appeal to casual gamers makes it more accessible to the masses. Sakurai states that a more competitive Smash Bros with faster speeds and more inputs would have been possible, but ultimately it would have alienated the casual or beginner from even trying the game.
In any case what do you guys make of Sakurai’s opinion? Do you think that Nintendo should be focusing more on the hardcore and competitive playerbase, or do you think that it’s a good idea to have focused on a wider spectrum?