Nintendo announced that Namco Bandai will be helping first-party developer Team Sora with developing the next "Super Smash Bros" for the Wii U and the 3DS during the latest Nintendo Direct livestream.
Project Sora, the team that developed Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii, will work hand-in-hand with Namco Bandai games, the studio responsible for both the Tekken and Soul Calibur fighting franchises, to make the fourth game in the SSB franchise.
The Namco Bandai team working on Super Smash Bros Wii U will be mainly comprised of designers from the Tekken team, though the game's art/sound director comes from the Soul Calibur franchise.
"All the top creators from Namco Bandai are gathered here to create a never-before-seen dream team for this project," wrote Namco Bandai designer Kobayashi. "We will fully utilize our experience and knowledge in action/fighting game development, technical capability, and organizational strength, and we hereby promise you that we will develop the best and most powerful 'Super Smash Bros.' title ever!"
The collaboration between Nintendo and Namco opens up the potential for a variety of new characters to make an appearance in the franchise mash-up fighter. In addition to fighting game franchises, Namco Bandai owns the rights to a set of classic gaming characters, including Pac-Man, Dig Dug, and Mr. Driller.
As for the timetable of Super Smash Bros Wii U, Team Sora designer Masahiro Sakurai says that both versions of the game are in the prototype stage. He assures fans that the game "looks pretty good, and it's working great."
[Via Nintendo]
