Masahiro Sakurai Reflects on Super Smash Bros. Brawl’s Leaked Cutscenes
Masahiro Sakurai Reflects on Super Smash Bros. Brawl’s Leaked Cutscenes
by Remorse_123
49 Comments
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ThePickleHawk
Even back then it was super naive to think the cutscenes *wouldn’t* be posted in like a day lol
Shyinator
This is still without a doubt the most childish thing I have ever heard a director say lol. I get that this gets brought up every few months in the fandom but man it really reads like a child is saying it. Single player has been the worst part about every Smash game since Brawl, and it’s all because of something this petty.
cura_milk
Cutscenes being posted on YouTube doesn’t make them any less entertaining. This is craziness.
StoneColdAM
See why’d he say that but getting rid of them entirely is dumb. Fans will share gameplay online anyways. Just a change in how these things work
SonicWindZz
Well whatever people say, I love the fact they switched to sicj trailers every direct. Every single direct was hype because a smash trailer could be dropped
Corronchilejano
I mean sure Sakurai, but people still want to get them in game.
ImmaculateWeiss
They weren’t leaked, people just recorded them as they played – this is a crazy take for him to still be making in the world of let’s plays and streamers in general
whackabumpty
Sakurai is friends with so many other video game directors and probably plays more video games than any of them. Surely he knows this happens to every game including ones way more story driven than Subspace was.
moondog385
It’s bizarre he views cutscenes as “rewards.” Never heard this sentiment in my life.
Jonesdeclectice
I think his problem is that he’s equating a leaked cutscene meaning 100% of all players, present and future, are going to see them and choose not to play based on them. The reality is that likely less than 1% of all players will see them online.
ANGRYBIGTOASTER
I loved the in game cutscenes of Brawl. All the characters showed so much of their personality with practically no words said. Seeing them online hyped me up as a kid.
It’s such a shame it seems they might not come back.
TheSwagPatrol
Subspace Emissary was incredible, and it’s a damn shame we might not get anything like that ever again just because Sakurai wants to be petty. Like just get over it already, the game lost out on ZERO sales because of those cutscenes leaking
McBigs
I think Sakurai’s point with “you can just see them on Youtube” is misunderstood. He was probably saying videos aren’t a suitable reward for completing a challenge.
Notice how with 4/Ultimate, he still made videos but they were to PROMOTE the game.
Driz51
This was idiotic back when it first happened. If he’s really still that upset about it that’s ridiculous. Punish all the fans by intentionally creating an inferior single player mode because the scenes are on YouTube like every other game in existence.
Super-Visor
We lost cutscenes in a story mode but instead got hype reveal videos
pocket_arsenal
Love the man, but he was being a baby about this. And his decision punished everyone. Not just the people who leaked/looked at the cutscenes. Some people actually avoid spoilers…
OllyOllyOxenBitch
Honestly, everyone has something they’re petty over. I’ll give Sakurai that much, he’s human after all.
Plus it was better that we got the debut character trailers in the end.
MonochromeTyrant
Honestly, SSE never really clicked for me. It was fun, for the time, but I didn’t really care about the cutscenes. I don’t really feel any particular loss from this stance/decision, especially since we have pretty cool character reveal videos now.
Arashi5
If anyone complaining in the comments actually watched Sakurai’s videos, they know they’d have his take on this wrong. As it is, there’s no point arguing with people who refuse to understand what his point is.
nintendoleafsfan
This being the reason we never got another subspace is very disappointing but with the roster of the current games I guess it wouldnt be feasible
JDRider
I think it kind of sucks that this single phrase has overshadowed the other three minutes of the video where he says how cutscenes can be really good for immersing players and can better depict things that gameplay alone can’t (while also pointing out other things he personally doesn’t like about cutscenes like if they’re too long and/or unskippable)
Samsterwheel920
I skipped the cutscenes
randomtoken
I thought it was a stupid logic back when he first said it, and I think it’s a stupid logic today.
Wonderful_Healer_676
Considering Smash Bros. got leaked twice in a row, I honestly can’t blame him.
TheLimeyLemmon
I think the most damaging aspect of Brawl’s cutscene and content leaks was the near five month difference in time between the release in its earliest region (Japan) and its latest region (Europe). Even in 2008 that was a wealth of time for every aspect of the game to get posted and talked about at length. It made it very hard as a UK fan to get to launch day without a lot of things already spoiled for me.
It took until Smash Ultimate for the games to start coming out simultaneously and for gamers to actually get the chance to experience the games at the same time.
ViviMelia
A lack of cutscenes is the reason why I stopped buying and playing Smash brothers. Felt like it was all the same gameplay from console to console.
The cutscenes were S tier fan service, and I’ll never buy another smash brothers game until they’re back.
Havent felt like I’ve missed much, honestly.
ZenkaiZ
christ dude GET OVER IT
Brandeaux7
I get they put a lot of work into it, but man was so jilted about it that it affected future games
MaxKorben
I only liked one part the SubSpace Emissary – the very end Castlevania-esque search for the all fighters. You basically to get explore all the maps uninterrupted in search for characters. That is all SubSpace Emissary should have been. And it would be super cool if on repeat playthroughs, rooms got swapped around, characters in different spots, etc.
OkamiTakahashi
He’s still hung up on it which is…way too long to hold a grudge. He let it affect the development of 4 and U, even.
I love you, Sakurai but please, let it go. And you maybe be a brilliant developer, but cutscenes should not be a reward. They’re a storytelling mechanic.
Mr_Lapis
I’m just trying to fathom what kind of person wouldn’t buy a smash bros game because of story mode cutscenes posted online
cinepresto
By his logic filmmakers should never make movies because they’ll all ultimately be pirated. I think the people who are devoted fans will still appreciate the interactions when they play and avoid spoiling it for themselves online. I for one almost never watch trailers anymore
DarkAres02
One upside of Sakurai presumably retiring from Smash Bros is that the next director will likely be less insane about cutscenes
Rusty1031
I don’t see cutscenes as a “reward” as he calls them. They’re super cool, and tie together the different levels
127crazie
His explanation for this was complete bullshit back when Smash 4 released, and it’s still complete bullshit now.
backspace_cars
He’s right.
Coolers78
When I was older, I learnt people didn’t like Super Smash Bros Brawl’s story? It was the best thing ever to me as a kid. Still is awesome.
PMdyouthefix
At this point I’d rather just see another developer take a crack at making a Kingdom Hearts-like Smash Bros spinoff RPG adventure game.
waster1993
Bro is acting like Brawl had a rich narrative story.
CosmicOwl47
I remember there was a website (I think it was official?), called Smash Bros. Dojo, and they had almost daily drips of announcements for what was coming up in Brawl. My brother and I would check it every day on the Wii Internet browser.
I never heard about any leaked cutscenes back then though.
javierasecas
He won’t let it go
WiggyDee
My two sides to this argument as I think people get too worked up about this:
1- I was 18 years old and obsessively digesting as much Brawl based media as possible, there were no leaked cutscenes I can remember. Rather the Japanese release of the game was so far ahead of the rest of the world that naturally all the cutscenes and secret characters were shared online day 1. I’ve always found it unusual that Sakurai still uses this as a reason to not do in game cutscenes when worldwide same day release days are now the norm and the solution to this problem.
2- I’m certain Sakurai has said he uses the cut scene “budget” to produce the character announcement videos instead. Now as fond my memory is for Subspace, videos like the [Banjo announcement at Nintendo World](https://youtu.be/HP8NiQj4TEg?si=ZmVOc8Z_X8aqj45z) are simply far more emotionally charged to me. I’m sure the internet’s response is to “just so both” but personally I’m not really feeling the requirement to give Sakurai even more work to do.
Zekeloster
As weird and slow as brawl was when the characters were being announced I was never more hyped for a smash game.
uncreativemind2099
Wasn’t it only leaked because it came out in Japan before the USA ?
RocketSofa
I tried not watching the cutscenes on YouTube but Japan had their release months earlier than the rest of the world.
Sentinel10
Honestly, I wanna refrain from judging him for his stance on cutscenes.
It’s easy for me, sitting here as a non-game developer, to call him silly for thinking cutscenes should be an in-game reward (since many people kind of take them for granted in the modern era), but on the other hand, it probably feels a lot different if you’re the one putting the blood, sweat, and tears into crafting a certain experience.
LoLVergil
This is the weirdest take Sakurai has. Actually just doesn’t make sense.
49 Comments
[deleted]
Even back then it was super naive to think the cutscenes *wouldn’t* be posted in like a day lol
This is still without a doubt the most childish thing I have ever heard a director say lol. I get that this gets brought up every few months in the fandom but man it really reads like a child is saying it. Single player has been the worst part about every Smash game since Brawl, and it’s all because of something this petty.
Cutscenes being posted on YouTube doesn’t make them any less entertaining. This is craziness.
See why’d he say that but getting rid of them entirely is dumb. Fans will share gameplay online anyways. Just a change in how these things work
Well whatever people say, I love the fact they switched to sicj trailers every direct. Every single direct was hype because a smash trailer could be dropped
I mean sure Sakurai, but people still want to get them in game.
They weren’t leaked, people just recorded them as they played – this is a crazy take for him to still be making in the world of let’s plays and streamers in general
Sakurai is friends with so many other video game directors and probably plays more video games than any of them. Surely he knows this happens to every game including ones way more story driven than Subspace was.
It’s bizarre he views cutscenes as “rewards.” Never heard this sentiment in my life.
I think his problem is that he’s equating a leaked cutscene meaning 100% of all players, present and future, are going to see them and choose not to play based on them. The reality is that likely less than 1% of all players will see them online.
I loved the in game cutscenes of Brawl. All the characters showed so much of their personality with practically no words said. Seeing them online hyped me up as a kid.
It’s such a shame it seems they might not come back.
Subspace Emissary was incredible, and it’s a damn shame we might not get anything like that ever again just because Sakurai wants to be petty. Like just get over it already, the game lost out on ZERO sales because of those cutscenes leaking
I think Sakurai’s point with “you can just see them on Youtube” is misunderstood. He was probably saying videos aren’t a suitable reward for completing a challenge.
Notice how with 4/Ultimate, he still made videos but they were to PROMOTE the game.
This was idiotic back when it first happened. If he’s really still that upset about it that’s ridiculous. Punish all the fans by intentionally creating an inferior single player mode because the scenes are on YouTube like every other game in existence.
We lost cutscenes in a story mode but instead got hype reveal videos
Love the man, but he was being a baby about this. And his decision punished everyone. Not just the people who leaked/looked at the cutscenes. Some people actually avoid spoilers…
Honestly, everyone has something they’re petty over. I’ll give Sakurai that much, he’s human after all.
Plus it was better that we got the debut character trailers in the end.
Honestly, SSE never really clicked for me. It was fun, for the time, but I didn’t really care about the cutscenes. I don’t really feel any particular loss from this stance/decision, especially since we have pretty cool character reveal videos now.
If anyone complaining in the comments actually watched Sakurai’s videos, they know they’d have his take on this wrong. As it is, there’s no point arguing with people who refuse to understand what his point is.
This being the reason we never got another subspace is very disappointing but with the roster of the current games I guess it wouldnt be feasible
I think it kind of sucks that this single phrase has overshadowed the other three minutes of the video where he says how cutscenes can be really good for immersing players and can better depict things that gameplay alone can’t (while also pointing out other things he personally doesn’t like about cutscenes like if they’re too long and/or unskippable)
I skipped the cutscenes
I thought it was a stupid logic back when he first said it, and I think it’s a stupid logic today.
Considering Smash Bros. got leaked twice in a row, I honestly can’t blame him.
I think the most damaging aspect of Brawl’s cutscene and content leaks was the near five month difference in time between the release in its earliest region (Japan) and its latest region (Europe). Even in 2008 that was a wealth of time for every aspect of the game to get posted and talked about at length. It made it very hard as a UK fan to get to launch day without a lot of things already spoiled for me.
It took until Smash Ultimate for the games to start coming out simultaneously and for gamers to actually get the chance to experience the games at the same time.
A lack of cutscenes is the reason why I stopped buying and playing Smash brothers. Felt like it was all the same gameplay from console to console.
The cutscenes were S tier fan service, and I’ll never buy another smash brothers game until they’re back.
Havent felt like I’ve missed much, honestly.
christ dude GET OVER IT
I get they put a lot of work into it, but man was so jilted about it that it affected future games
I only liked one part the SubSpace Emissary – the very end Castlevania-esque search for the all fighters. You basically to get explore all the maps uninterrupted in search for characters. That is all SubSpace Emissary should have been. And it would be super cool if on repeat playthroughs, rooms got swapped around, characters in different spots, etc.
He’s still hung up on it which is…way too long to hold a grudge. He let it affect the development of 4 and U, even.
I love you, Sakurai but please, let it go. And you maybe be a brilliant developer, but cutscenes should not be a reward. They’re a storytelling mechanic.
I’m just trying to fathom what kind of person wouldn’t buy a smash bros game because of story mode cutscenes posted online
By his logic filmmakers should never make movies because they’ll all ultimately be pirated. I think the people who are devoted fans will still appreciate the interactions when they play and avoid spoiling it for themselves online. I for one almost never watch trailers anymore
One upside of Sakurai presumably retiring from Smash Bros is that the next director will likely be less insane about cutscenes
I don’t see cutscenes as a “reward” as he calls them. They’re super cool, and tie together the different levels
His explanation for this was complete bullshit back when Smash 4 released, and it’s still complete bullshit now.
He’s right.
When I was older, I learnt people didn’t like Super Smash Bros Brawl’s story? It was the best thing ever to me as a kid. Still is awesome.
At this point I’d rather just see another developer take a crack at making a Kingdom Hearts-like Smash Bros spinoff RPG adventure game.
Bro is acting like Brawl had a rich narrative story.
I remember there was a website (I think it was official?), called Smash Bros. Dojo, and they had almost daily drips of announcements for what was coming up in Brawl. My brother and I would check it every day on the Wii Internet browser.
I never heard about any leaked cutscenes back then though.
He won’t let it go
My two sides to this argument as I think people get too worked up about this:
1- I was 18 years old and obsessively digesting as much Brawl based media as possible, there were no leaked cutscenes I can remember. Rather the Japanese release of the game was so far ahead of the rest of the world that naturally all the cutscenes and secret characters were shared online day 1. I’ve always found it unusual that Sakurai still uses this as a reason to not do in game cutscenes when worldwide same day release days are now the norm and the solution to this problem.
2- I’m certain Sakurai has said he uses the cut scene “budget” to produce the character announcement videos instead. Now as fond my memory is for Subspace, videos like the [Banjo announcement at Nintendo World](https://youtu.be/HP8NiQj4TEg?si=ZmVOc8Z_X8aqj45z) are simply far more emotionally charged to me. I’m sure the internet’s response is to “just so both” but personally I’m not really feeling the requirement to give Sakurai even more work to do.
As weird and slow as brawl was when the characters were being announced I was never more hyped for a smash game.
Wasn’t it only leaked because it came out in Japan before the USA ?
I tried not watching the cutscenes on YouTube but Japan had their release months earlier than the rest of the world.
Honestly, I wanna refrain from judging him for his stance on cutscenes.
It’s easy for me, sitting here as a non-game developer, to call him silly for thinking cutscenes should be an in-game reward (since many people kind of take them for granted in the modern era), but on the other hand, it probably feels a lot different if you’re the one putting the blood, sweat, and tears into crafting a certain experience.
This is the weirdest take Sakurai has. Actually just doesn’t make sense.
Lol the thumbnail