Wii U Super Smash Bros 4 News Update: Sakurai Has Repetitive Stress Injury; Could Ailment Delay Title?

The new Super Smash Bros for the Wii U is one of the most anticipated titles for Nintendo's new console. However, the stress and work required for the title seems to be creating health problems for series creator Masahiro Sakurai.

According to Siliconera, Sakurai is suffering from repetitive strain injury (RSI) due to his extended use of the keyboard and mouse. In an interview with Famitsu, Sakurai notes that "Using a mouse, keyboard or gamepad make my arm tired, so I can't use them in a continual manner...The only device I can use for an extended period of time is a joystick. It's posing problems when I'm test-playing something in progress."

He states that he plans to cut down on the amount of emails he sends out and will instead give more verbal instruction. However, "if I'm going to be supervising other people's work, there's no way to cut down the amount of mouse usage I need to perform. I'm trying to work it with my left hand in order to give the right one some rest, but that definitely cuts down on my work efficiency..." he adds.

Sakurai did state in the interview that he has started to use a trackpad more consistently as another alternative solution. "I've been familiar with trackballs for years," he notes, "so controlling one should be easy...in theory! Hopefully the day will come when I'm able to use them for extended periods with my right hand again. I hope this gets healed up!"

The first pictures of Smash Bros. will be showcased at E3 this year, but the game is not due out for some time as there is currently no release date attached to the title. Whether or not Sakurai's injury delays Smash Bros is an interesting story. Sakurai is known for being very involved in the process and admits that he does most of the character balancing on his own. However, he has stated recently that he will allow his team to have greater input on the process to ensure a more balance lineup of characters. If he is going to enable his team a more active part, than the injury should have no impact on the launch of the title.