'Super Smash Bros.' Coming To Wii U This Holiday Season: Why Pac-Man Was Left Out Of Previous Game

During the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles last month, players were excited when Nintendo announced that Pac-Man will be a playable character in the upcoming “Super Smash Bros.” for the Wii U and 3DS. In a recent interview with Japanese video game magazine Famitsu, “Smash Bros.” series creator Masahiro Sakurai revealed why the beloved, yellow fruit muncher was left out of 2008’s “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” for the Wii.

"During development of Smash Bros. Brawl, Mr. Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo approached me and asked, 'Can't we have Pac-Man as a guest character?'" Sakurai said. "At the time, imagining the image of Pac-Man and his incomplete pizza shape, I thought to myself, 'Hmmm... That's a little too farfetched.'"

Like any video game, imagining a concept of a feature you want to see in a game and developing the idea so it's well-received by players are two different things.

"How to give the character their own individuality as a fighter and how they'll move. Should the game system maintain a consistent form or not. What other fighters are there and how will the new character differ in strategy? Does the new idea fit with the original game? Most importantly, is it entertaining?” Sakurai pondered.

During E3 last month, we caught up with Nintendo to discuss the upcoming “Smash Bros.” installment and the addition of Pac-Man, which will launch this holiday season for the Wii U and 3DS. Nintendo even held a "Smash Bros." tournament during the conference.

“’Smash Bros.’ will just be phenomenal,” Scott Moffitt, senior vice president of marketing at Nintendo told us during E3. “The reveal of Pac-man as a playable character really excited fans. Definitely caught a lot of people by surprise.”

"Smash Bros." was one of the most popular games during E3, competing with exciting popular titles like Bungie's "Destiny" and Warner Bros.' "Batman: Arkham Knight."

The 34 year-old Pac-Man originally appeared in an arcade game of the same name in 1980. Since his first appearance, he’s starred in more than 30 titles and turned into somewhat of a retro video game icon in his own right.

Earlier this month, some of Pac-Man’s abilities were discussed on the game's Facebook page.

Check out Pac-Man's standard special move, Bonus Fruit. As you charge this move, the bonuses will change, and all of them have different characteristics and movement patterns when thrown. The bonuses cycle in the same order as in the original game, and the charge-up period doubles once you cycle beyond the orange.

"Super Smash Bros. will launch October 3 this year for the 3DS and sometime during the holiday season for the Wii U.