Sakurai says Smash Bros. merch is generally prohibited

Plenty of Nintendo’s franchises have mountains of merch behind them, but one brand you don’t see getting much love is Smash Bros.. You’d think being the best-selling fighting game of all-time would make merch a given, but according to creator Masahiro Sakurai, that simply isn’t allowed.

In his latest development video, Sakurai opens up about the creation of Smash Bros. Wii U and 3DS, but there’s an aside about Smash Bros. in general that’s quite interesting. According to Sakurai, creating merch for the Smash Bros. series is generally prohibited by Nintendo.

Sakurai elaborates by saying that certain items are allowed to be created, such as limited giveaways or promotional items. Obviously amiibo are allowed in the merch process as well, but that’s about as far as it goes. Unfortunately, Sakurai doesn’t share the exact reason why merch isn’t allowed for Smash Bros. titles, but one would have to imagine it’s tied to the licensing nightmare that is Smash Bros..