Namco Bandai is developing new Super Smash Bros

Surprised by the 3DS XL news? Will get this – Nintendo isn’t developing the new Smash Bros. Namco Bandai is.

Yoshito Higuchi and Tetsuya Akatsuka of the Tales and SoulCalibur series respectively are leading the project, with a number of members of the Tekken development team working alongside Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai.

The game is in development for both Wii U and 3DS.

"I’ve realised that if we keep the new Super Smash Bros title’s development structure secret, it’ll only create more and more speculation, and I won’t be able to develop the game with any freedom,” director Sakurai stated. That’s why I’ve decided to announce this news right now, even though it’s still very early on.

"The project has just gotten started. Bear in mind that not only are we developing two titles simultaneously, but we announced the project before we even started actual development, so I’m afraid we will likely have to keep you waiting for quite a while. Please be patient.

"Currently, the prototype prepared by Namco Bandai Games and Namco Bandai Studio’s special team looks pretty good, and it’s working great. In order to take advantage of the fact that there will be versions for two different systems, and to maximise and offer fun new gameplay elements, the entire team is going to work hard together. Thank you."