Smash Bros. designer's arm injury sounds like it's getting worse

Development on the upcoming Super Smash Bros. game for Wii U and 3DS is taking a physical toll on director Masahiro Sakurai. After revealing last year that he's suffering from calcific tendinitis and muscle ruptures in his right shoulder (which is affecting his right arm), he has now spoken out to say this condition is now affecting his left arm as well.

"The tendon sheath inflammation symptoms in my left forearm are especially hard to deal with." Sakurai said in his latest Famitsu blog (translated by Kotaku). "I've been moving the controller as gently as possible. And losing at Smash Bros…"

What specific impact Sakurai's arm injury has on the development of the new Super Smash Bros. game remains to be seen, but it could be serious. Sakurai said in February 2013 that, "If this disorder lingers, or if it never gets fixed, there's no telling what impact that would have on the project."

Sakurai is the director on the new Super Smash Bros. game, meaning he presumably tests the project on a regular basis. As fans of the series know, Smash Bros. requires fairly advanced hand/finger motions, which are likely problematic for Sakurai considering his injury.

Whatever the case, Nintendo is still expecting the new Super Smash Bros. game for Wii U and 3DS to launch later this year. Just this week, Sakurai revealed that the Home Run Bat will return for the new game, though it looks quite a bit different from the last time we saw it.

Finally, Sakurai addressed in his blog post a question about why some Japanese games take so long to make. He said what's truly important, whether a development period is long or short, is "if the man-hours spent can bring a profit or results."

Nintendo will hold a Nintendo Direct video presentation today at 2 p.m. PDT/5 p.m. EDT to discuss Wii U and 3DS games launching by this spring.