‘I’ve thrown everything I have into this’: Sakurai says Kirby Air Riders won’t get DLC or a sequel
A demo Global Test Ride will take place next month
Kirby Air Riders director Masahiro Sakurai says the game won’t be getting any DLC and won’t be followed by a sequel.
Sakurai’s previous title, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, continued to receive downloadable content for nearly three years after its release, including 12 extra playable characters.
This won’t be the case for Kirby Air Riders, however, which will be released as a standalone, finished product according to Sakurai.
While concluding an hour-long Kirby Air Riders Direct which broke down the game in great detail, Sakurai explained that its existence was made possible because fans wanted to see it happen, and that the resulting game is the completed work.
“In this day and age, creating a game and bringing it to life takes a surprising amount of effort,” he said. “But I think that’s reflected in the final product, so I hope you enjoy it.
“I do believe the passionate support from fans was a big reason why this game was made. You have to spend time and money to make games, so those wishes aren’t always granted,
“Knowing that, I’m grateful both for the support shown to the previous game, and that thanks to that support, and the efforts of a great many people, we were able to make this game a reality.”
He then added: “Just so you know, we’re not planning any DLC. Everything is here. Also, I’m not planning on making this an ongoing series. I’ve thrown everything I have into this game from the start. So I hope you don’t miss this opportunity.”
It was also confirmed during the Direct that a Global Test Ride will take place for Kirby Air Riders next month. The free demo event will be active on November 8-9 and November 15-16.
Kirby Air Riders will be released on Nintendo Switch 2 on November 20, and will be priced at $70 / £60.
VGC went hands-on with the game during Gamescom and said the game “may be deceptively deep despite its simple controls”.
“Despite its initial apparent simplicity, Kirby Air Riders feels like it’s going to need some extra time – a review period’s worth, say – to determine whether City Trial gets better the more it’s played, or whether driving around its single environment eventually starts to feel too repetitive,” we wrote.
