Masahiro Sakurai discusses bug testing for Super Smash Bros.

Masahiro Sakurai is back with yet another game development video, and this one fits into the ‘Team Management’ category.

In this video, Sakurai summarizes the difficulties of testing for bugs, especially in larger games. He notes that because of the many, many possible combinations of moves and other factors, it’s usually impossible to test for every issue. This leads to the inevitable need to patch out bugs that are discovered post release.

Using Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as an example, Sakurai lays out some of the game’s biggest problem areas; fighters taking control of another fighter (i.e. grabbing them), final smashes, terrain types, and spirits are all called out as some of the biggest culprits of possible bugs in Smash Bros. This is because those interactions can result in so many unpredictable variables.

Considering the immense size and complexity of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, I’d say Sakurai and the team did a pretty amazing job squashing as many bugs as possible!