Masahiro Sakurai has gone on record regarding the patch Sora released for Super Smash Bros for Wii 3DS, and the possibility of future patches.
So, regarding the original patch, they timed it in reference to the worldwide release of Super Smash Bros for Wii U (the game came out November 21 in the US, November 28 in Europe, and November 29 in Australia and New Zealand). Sakurai assigned a smaller team to accumulate data from all the online battles the 3DS version had up until that point, and figure out what were the most common issues that sprung up. He then went through the process of applying changes and rebalancing before releasing the patch on November 20.
About the chances that Sora will continue supporting the game with future patches, Sakurai is still undecided. Sakurai does admit that the team is constantly collecting game data, so they would stay up to date on how the game balances out. He is aware that hardcore, competitive players would notice which characters had small advantages that would give them the edge in competitive play.
However, Sakurai explains he is also looking at the big picture, and does not want to make any serious alterations to any character. Without overtly saying so, Sakurai seems to want the broader fanbase to enjoy using the characters the way they want to, and this could be a priority over balanced play.
Furthermore, Sakurai says that barring any serious issues with the game, which has not popped up thus far, it would be hard to justify gathering the manpower needed to constantly rebalance the game for competitive play, like other fighting game developers do. Core fans can at least rest assured that if anything seriously game breaking comes up, Sakurai and Sora will be aware and they will take action then.
How do you feel about Sakurai's take on patching Super Smash Bros for Wii U and 3DS? Should they cater to core players more than they are now, or is this just the right paradigm, to keep all fans happy? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
