In his weekly column in Famitsu magazine, Super Smash Bros. developer Masahiro Sakurai has explained why the Wii U version of the game is coming after the Nintendo 3DS version. According to Sakurai, the debugging period for the game is the result of the delay, since they can debug the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, get it out of the way to give fans something to play, and work on the Wii U version exclusively, ultimately resulting in a better game.
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.” Sakurai wrote. “But it’s better than releasing a product like that.
Of course Nintendo is known for their quality control on their products, so it’s not surprising to see Sakurai take debugging seriously. As mentioned, the idea of testing every single fighter combo with every single item to make sure there are no bugs that can be encountered during gameplay is very staggering.
If you haven’t already, be sure and check out the latest Super Smash Bros. rumor, which has the community divided on whether or not it’s true.
