"Dear Mr. Sakurai-san,
Twenty-one years ago, Mario battling Samus Aran was unheard of. Then you created Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64, setting the foundation of twelve Nintendo characters in a unique fighting/party game never seen before. Over time, across several console generations, the game has been refined and expanded upon in ways we never thought were possible. Now we live in a world where it is possible for Kirby, Bowser, Pichu, Sonic, PAC-MAN, Cloud Strife, Ridley, and Joker to all clash in an eight-way battle in an officially licensed title. When put into words it still seems surreal, yet it's true.
On behalf of every Super Smash Bros. fan and video gamer everywhere, thank you for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and for being such an amazing and inspiring game developer. The road to get to this point has been long and hard, and there were many points where you could have easily called it quits and ended a project to start on another or to take a well-earned break, but your dedication to working on Super Smash Bros. is truly astonishing. The game is not without its flaws, but that goes for anything; the sheer energy and quality of Ultimate is too much to ignore. From Mario to Min Min, and from Hyrule Castle to Final Destination, this game is practically exploding with love and effort, and somehow, with over 80 fighters, 100 stages, and 1000 songs, there is still more in development to be released periodically. Words alone simply don't express our amazement and gratitude.
We are currently living in difficult times. Yet despite the struggles of the coronavirus and the community that we are all dealing with, we have come together to send this message, and sincerely hope that it reaches you. We feel that it is something that you need to hear from us. We would like to pass the message along to your development team at Sora Ltd. and Bandai Namco, to the folks at Nintendo responsible for publishing the game and the Nintendo Switch it is held on, to everyone in the gaming industry who has cooperated to create and then lend the rights to their characters, locations, and music to Super Smash Bros. across the series, to ourselves and each other in the fandom and community for supporting the games throughout time and making them one great success after another, and to anyone else who has had any hand in the creation, development, and evolution of Smash Bros.
We would also like to give very special thanks to Mr. Satoru Iwata-san, for his hand in the initial creation and continued development of Smash Bros. through his entire life, for his legacy as an amazing game director and developer, and for remaining an inspiration for us all even long after his passing. We see Ultimate as your own final tribute to his legacy, and we are sure he is proud and smiling down on you wherever he is.
Once again, from the bottoms of our hearts:
Thank you – all of you – for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Signed..."
