Kirby Air Riders just got its first big update and it could be one of the game’s last. Director Masahiro Sakurai previously promised the Switch 2 exclusive wouldn’t be a DLC-fest like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and it sounds like he’s sticking to that. While the new balance patch adjusts a bunch of vehicles and fixed plenty of bugs, the veteran developer said the goal is to not have to keep fiddling with it forever.
“As discussed in Air Riders Direct 2, “Kirby’s Air Riders” does not have a production setup for DLC or anything like that,” he wrote on X on December 11, according to the site’s translation. “The team will be disbanding in the near future as well. Therefore, while we still have a short period of time to make adjustments, we’re aiming for a balance that can be enjoyed without issues even years from now. We might be able to tweak it one more time or so, but after that, please enjoy it as the completed balance!”
エアライダーダイレクト2でお話した通り、『カービィのエアライダー』はDLCなどの制作体制を持ちません。
近いうち、チームも解散になります。よって、短い期間で手を打てるうちに､何年後でも問題なく遊べるバランスを目指しています。… https://t.co/L2JzJHzFb2
— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) December 12, 2025
The response from players has mostly been relief. Players responded to the director by noting that they played the original GameCube entry “tirelessly” for years with no updates. “This is how it should be,” wrote another, arguing that its natural to play games for a while and then move one rather than expect them to constantly evolve to hold your attention.
Rick was the only character that got directly tweaked in the new update. His Rip-Roaring Rick Special was nerfed in the City Trial and Air Ride modes, as was his HP and defense. The game’s various machines, on the other hand, got lots of tweaks. In addition to changes for quick spin to all vehicles, while Star-types were nerfed across the board and Tank-types were buffed.
My favorite patch note by far, though, is one that shows just how weird game bugs can get. “An error will occur when opening the Gummies screen in the Collection menu when the number of Gummies is between 8,285 and 8,626,” it reads. “This does not occur if there are 8,284 or fewer Gummies or 8,627 or more Gummies.” That issue will be fixed in the next patch. Must be as complicated as it sounds!
Sakurai saying the Kirby Air Riders team is already getting ready to disband will of course fuel more rumors about his involvement in the next Smash Bros. for Switch 2. But it’s also in keeping with the commitment he outlined back before Kirby Air Riders launched. “Just so you know, we’re not planning DLC, everything is here,” he said back during one of the Air Rider Directs. Mario Kart World, on the other hand, could really use a fresh infusion of new content.