Super Smash Bros was a franchise that wasn’t supposed to exist, and that’s a fact. But once Nintendo gave it a shot, thanks in no small part to Masahiro Sakurai, they created a worldwide phenomenon that continues to this day. But one of the things that they did in the third entry that helped set the game apart from others was the individualized character reveal trailers that showcased what made them cool and how they fit into the gameplay. These weren’t just trailers; they were events, and starting from the Wii U/3DS games on, EVERYONE wanted to know when we’d see the next trailer.
On his YouTube Channel, Masahiro Sakurai broke down what it was like to make the Super Smash Bros character trailers and highlighted the various teams that helped bring them to life. For example, the group at Digital Frontiers made the high-quality CG parts of the trailers. They used hi-res models that were upgraded from the game models to ensure they would look good in the CG setting. Meanwhile, Bandai Namco and Mario Team worked on getting the gameplay elements that were also featured in the trailers. Sakurai goes really deep into this process, so check it out, and maybe rewatch some of the trailers yourself!
