Sakurai has a long history with discussing the development of Super Smash Bros. with Japanese magazine Famitsu, and the most recent issue is no different. This time, Sakurai discussed the inclusion of Duck Hunt Dog in the new game, as well as the inclusion of 8 Player Smash for the Wii U version.
According to Sakurai, Duck Hunt Dog was on the fence for a while as they discussed the possibility of including him, but he ultimately made the cut because Sakurai liked the uniqueness of the character and how recognizable the character is thanks to Duck Hunt being one of the best-selling shooting games, as it was bundled with the NES in the United States.
Aside from the Duck Hunt Dog, Sakurai also discussed the inclusion of 8 Player Smash, which was originally supposed to make an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee. According to him, there wasn’t enough processing power at the time to pull it off and the current 8 Player Smash mode is barely possible on the Wii U version. This is why there are certain limitations to the mode, such a limited stages and no bosses.
Sakurai also notes that the exclusive modes for both the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U versions were decided ahead of time, at the beginning of development for the game.
