Tag: Masahiro Sakurai
Random Missed Out On A Switch 2 Pre-Order? Sakurai Has The Perfect Solution
Good idea, slick
If you happened to have missed out on a Switch 2 pre-order, then chances are you're feeling pretty glum at the moment. We get it. Over in Japan, prospective owners had to enter a lottery system in order to be granted the opportunity to place their pre-orders. We know that legendary developer Masahiro Sakurai managed to bag one, but...
Random Masahiro Sakurai Finds Success In Switch 2 Lottery
"I what…?"
If you've entered the lottery to get a Switch 2 in Japan, then you may well be hearing back from Nintendo relatively soon. Many have been receiving emails from Nintendo to confirm that they've been successful in securing a Switch 2 pre-order over the past day, with one of the successes coming from none other than Smash and Kirby creator...
News Masahiro Sakurai Provides Brief Development Update On His New Switch 2 Game
"Please wait a bit longer"
Nintendo officially revealed Masahiro Sakurai's new game project Kirby Air Riders during its Switch 2 Direct. In case you missed it, this is a sequel to the 2003 GameCube original Kirby Air Ride and will be coming to Nintendo's new hardware in 2025. Sakurai has now shared a quick development update on social media -...
Random Sakurai Sends Fans Into Meltdown Ahead Of Switch Direct
Update: "I can't just tweet carelessly..."
Nintendo is hosting a special Direct broadcast for the Switch this week which will feature around half an hour of information about upcoming games for the aging platform. Excitement about what might be announced is already building and now Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai has sent his fans into a huge...
News Sakurai Says Japanese Developers Should Avoid Trying To Appeal To Western Tastes
"I think that they seek the uniqueness and fun of Japanese games"
Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai was recently awarded the Art Encouragement Prize from the Japanese government’s Agency for Cultural Affairs for his remarkable achievement with the 'Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games' YouTube channel. As part of that, he conducted an...
News Masahiro Sakurai Receives Award From Japanese Government
For his YouTube video tutorials
Masahiro Sakurai, the legendary creator of Kirby and Super Smash Bros., has been recognised by the Japanese Government's Agency for Cultural Affairs. Sakurai revealed on social media platform X (spotted via VGC) has been listed as a recipient of the Cultural Affairs' annual Art Encouragement Prize for New Artist
Capcom's fighter welcomes "good girl" Mai early next year
During the development of Smash Ultimate's DLC, game director Masahiro Sakurai revealed he couldn't add Mai Shiranui from SNK's fighting series because Smash was for the "good boys and girls". While Mai unfortunately missed out on joining Nintendo's all-star brawler, one game she will make a...
Random Link Cosplayer Gets Advice From Sakurai After Master Sword Blunder
Wisdom of Sora
Legendary game designer Masahiro Sakurai has offered up some invaluable wisdom (as if he hasn't already been sharing his knowledge for the last two years or so) after noticing a cosplayer showcasing a rather awkward blunder with their impressive Link costume. The costume, based on Link's appearance in Zelda: Breath of the Wild, is...
Random Game Director Masahiro Sakurai Reveals His Daily Work Routine
Balancing a new game and YouTube channel
When development on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate finally ended, fans were relieved the game's director Masahiro Sakurai would be able to take a break and get some rest. Although that's what we were hoping for, it seems this living legend hasn't really had a proper break. Even though his schedule was "wide open...
News Masahiro Sakurai Confirms He's Working On A New Game
But what could it be..?
Masahiro Sakurai has just finished premiering the finale video for his YouTube channel, and as part of the presentation, he confirmed he has written a proposal for a brand new game. In explaining why he created the YouTube channel in the first place, Sakurai states that he found himself with very little to do for several...
News Masahiro Sakurai Teases His YouTube Channel's "Special Finale"
Expect it to run for "a bit over 40 minutes"
In case you missed the news earlier this week, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai will be airing one last YouTube video for his channel 'Creating Games' early next week. Now, in another brief update, he's shared a few more details mentioning how it will premiere on 22nd October at 8PM...
News Masahiro Sakurai's Final Regular YouTube Video Is Here
Up is down, down is up!
Masahiro Sakurai has released his final regular YouTube video before a one-off special currently planned for next week. This one delves into the relationship between a game director and the development team at large. He explains that while a director is technically at the top of the development ladder, they could rather be...
News Sakurai's Penultimate YouTube Video Is All About Iwata
Get the tissues ready
We have finally arrived at the home stretch of Masahiro Sakurai's excellent YouTube channel uploads and today's penultimate video is all about the late, great Satoru Iwata. Over the past two years, we've seen Sakurai get personal on the channel, opening up about his time in the industry with surprising honesty. But today's...
News Masahiro Sakurai's Excellent YouTube Series Is Coming To An End This Month
But a special one-off is in the works
Masahiro Sakurai has announced that his YouTube series, titled Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games, will cease uploading regular new videos this month, with the last episode scheduled for 15th October 2024. We all knew this was coming, of course: Sakurai announced that he would be winding the channel down a...
Random Sora's Addition To Smash Bros. Required An Insane Amount Of Tweaks
Fixing those Sora spots
Masahiro Sakurai is back with yet another video (though not for much longer, of course), this time taking a look at the kind of feedback he provided on the development of Sora for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Spoiler alert, the video contains a lot of interesting pre-development images and footage of Sora, with Sakurai...
Video Gather 'Round Kids, Sakurai Talks About CRT Displays
Back in my day...
Masahiro Sakurai is back with another video, and in this week's 'Grab Bag' episode, the legendary game creator delves into the world of CRT displays. Now, if you've been around long enough to actually own and play games on a CRT (which, yes, you can still do now if you happen to find one out in the wild), then Sakurai's video will...
Random Sakurai And Team Asobi Exchange Pleasantries Over Astro Bot
"Great game"
Since its launch on 6th September 2024, PS5's Astro Bot has been making waves in the gaming community thanks to its high quality and ingenuity. By taking heavy inspiration from Nintendo (and specifically the Super Mario franchise), developer Team Asobi has undoubtedly crafted one of the finest platformers in recent memory. One...
Random "The Time Players Spend In A Game Is A Cost" - Sakurai Talks Long Runtimes
Blocking out a week
Masahiro Sakurai is back with more words of wisdom in his latest YouTube video, which this time is a cautionary tale against long game runtimes. To be clear, Sakurai isn't against putting hundreds of hours into a game — he even apologises for Smash Ultimate being such a time sink — but, he says, a game's length is something...
Random Sakurai Gives Some Workplace Advice That We All Need To Heed
Teach us, senpai!
Masahiro Sakurai is back with another video, but rather than focusing on specific aspects of game development, he's insteading providing some general workplace advice that we reckon everybody should heed, regardless of what kind of industry you work for. The advice is pretty simple: don't fight with your colleagues. With the games...
Random Sakurai Used To Invite Devs' Children To Play Test Upcoming Games
"you'll always get their honest reactions"
Here's your wholesome story of the day, folks. According to Masahiro Sakurai's latest YouTube video, the creator used to invite fellow developers' children to the office to play test upcoming games. Describing children as "the purest of the pure", Sakurai states that allowing them to play a game that's...
Video "Keep Your Peaks And Valleys!" - Sakurai Explains Fighter Balance In Smash Bros.
When everyone's super, no one will be
The legendary Masahiro Sakurai is back with another look into the intricacies of game development on his YouTube channel and, of course, he's drawing from his wealth of Smash Bros. Ultimate anecdotes to make things clear. Today's lesson is all about character balance and the need to stress their differences to...
News Masahiro Sakurai Has Already Toured Nintendo's Museum
Here's what the Smash Bros. creator thought...
One absolute legend who has helped bring the world of Nintendo to life over the years is Super Smash Bros. creator and director Masahiro Sakurai - so it's no surprise he's been given the chance to tour the whole thing ahead of its official opening in Kyoto, Japan on 2nd October 2024. Yes, that's right...
Random Sakurai Shows Off His LEGO NES
He got it for his birthday
When he's not making games or recording videos about game design, Masahiro Sakurai likes to entertain himself in all sorts of ways. In his latest post on social media, the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director revealed a LEGO set he received for his 54th birthday earlier this week. It's not just any old Lego set, either -...
Random Sakurai Breaks Down The Differences Between Famicom And NES Music
Explaining why Castlevania 3 sounds better in Japan
Masahiro Sakurai is once again delving into his video game knowledge with a video all about the intricacies of NES and Famicom audio. What begins as an introduction to the consoles' different audio processing channels (pulse, triangle, noise and DPCM), soon turns into a history lesson about how...
Random "Let Them Play, First Thing!" - Sakurai Is Tired Of Slow Game Openings
Up and at 'em!
Forget your lore-establishing backstories. Forget your character introductions. Forget your long cutscenes. A game's opening needs to be fast, it needs to be exciting, and it needs to throw us into the action as quickly as possible. At least, that's according to Masahiro Sakurai's latest YouTube video. The legendary game designer is...
Random Directors And Producers - What's The Difference? Sakurai Explains
Now you know what Aonuma does
If you're anything like us, then chances are you already have a pretty good idea of what various game development roles entail. Sometimes, however, it can be good to get a bit of a refresher. Take directors and producers, for example. It's not entirely uncommon that the two roles get confused sometimes, particularly...
Random Sakurai Explains How Manga Influenced Smash Ultimate's Character Designs
It's all in the mouth
Masahiro Sakurai is back with another game development video and today's lesson is all about Manga-like visuals. The legendary game designer discusses the expressive and unrealistic techniques employed by manga and anime artists to achieve the most expressive result, specifically, how a character's mouth appears in profile and...
Video Sakurai Explains The Need For Online Updates And Patches
"Just getting things to work correctly is a miracle in itself"
During Masahiro Sakurai's most recent YouTube video, the legendary creator delves into the requirement for online updates and patches in modern video games. It might seem fairly obvious, as consumers, as to how patches can be beneficial, and Sakurai himself states that he is "very...
News Masahiro Sakurai Has Finished Recording His Final YouTube Video
"I think it will be a while before it is released"
Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai has previously mentioned how he planned to wrap up his YouTube channel, and now he's shared another update about this on social media. According to a rough translation, he's now finished recording the final episode. Just don't expect to see it any time...
Random "Everyone Keeps The Gameplay In Mind" - Sakurai Talks Teamwork On Smash Ultimate
It's not all game designers, you know
Masahiro Sakurai is back talking about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on his YouTube channel (what do you know!). This time, the focus is on collision animations and how it's more of a collaborative effort than you might expect. Those who have been paying attention to the legendary game designer's videos over the...
Random Sakurai Demonstrates The Importance Of The Finer Details
Breaking the fourth, fifth, sixth wall
Masahiro Sakurai is known for his keen eye for detail and staunch perfectionism, but his latest YouTube video demonstrates just how many revisions are required for even the smallest details. The majority of the video focuses on one particular example of this. He discusses the Mishima Dojo stage from Super...
Random Sakurai Likens Boss Battles In Nintendo Games To Tutorials
"I think I'd prefer it if I had the freedom to choose how I fight"
In his latest YouTube video, Masahiro Sakurai highlights boss battles in Nintendo games as being similar to tutorials, noting that he prefers games that offer up more strategic freedom. Aptly titled Madatory Strategy and Strategic Balance, the video dives into the difference between...
News Sakurai On Smash Ultimate Win Rates: "Any Fighter Has A Shot At Winning"
"The internet can tend to be an echo chamber"
If you main a particular character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate because you saw it at the top of a certain tier list, you might want to read on... Game director Masahiro Sakurai has shared "win rate data" of online battles in his latest YouTube video - revealing the highest win rate with a character is...
Random Sakurai Cut Dolby Surround From Kirby Game To Trim Player Wait Time
One second too long
Super Smash Bros. developer Masahiro Sakurai has frequently demonstrated his desire to make game experiences as smooth and accessible as possible for the player. In a recent livestream event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Hamster's Arcade Archives series, he talked on-stage with fellow creator Hideki Kamiya (Bayonetta,
Random Sakurai's Game Storage Solutions Are A Sight To Behold
Cabinet envy
Masahiro Sakurai's latest YouTube video has us looking at our measly game collections in shame as the legendary designer has given a full rundown of his storage solutions for just about every cartridge/disk size that you can think of. It should come as no surprise that this is a man with a beefy games collection (even if he has said...
Random Sakurai Talks About "The Most Incredible Year For The Game Industry"
In his "personal opinion" it's 1986
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai is back at it with a new "Grab Bag" video - this time discussing the "most incredible year for the game industry". In his own "personal opinion", it's 1986 - a year that marked the beginning of multiple major franchises, the arrival of the NES in Europe, and the...
Random "No Differences, No Fun!" - Sakurai Talks Unique Fighters In Smash Ultimate's DLC
"It's no fun if everyone's basically the same!"
Masahiro Sakurai is back again with another YouTube video and this one is all about 'using parameters' to keep characters feeling fresh. As expected, the legendary game designer touches on examples from Kirby and Smash Bros. to illustrate his point, though it was his explanation of "special...
Random Sakurai Endorses Powerwash Simulator And Other 'Work' Games
"I love these kind of games"
Masahiro Sakurai is back at it again with another YouTube video, this time looking at games that don't feature the 'pull and pull' or 'risk and reward' mechanics that he generally believes make up a games 'essence'. As such, he goes on to endorse "work" games such as PowerWash Simulator, Car Simulator, House Flipper,...
News Sakurai Acknowledges End Of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Development
The final major update arrived yesterday
It's been a long development cycle for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with the team not only celebrating the initial launch of the game but also multiple updates and DLC fighters over the past five years. Now that the Sora (Kingdom Hearts) amiibo has arrived, the game's director Masahiro Sakurai has taken to...
Random Even Giving Gifts To His Staff Was A Big Game To Sakurai
That's one way to break the ice
Masahiro Sakurai is best known for making video games (you don't need us to tell you that), but according to his latest YouTube video, he also made a game out of gift-giving. If Sakurai found himself with duplicate copies of games, or items that he didn't particularly need (even expensive things like graphics cards...
Random Sakurai Takes A Stand Against CGI Game Trailers
"Please don't do that!"
CGI trailers that refrain from showing any actual gameplay have often been a source of discourse in the video game community. On the one hand, they can be pretty effective in building hype - particularly if it's for a highly anticipated release - but on the other, they often fail at demonstrating what the game will actually...
News Sakurai Breaks Down How To Make Game Customisation Fun
"Make the designs cool"
Masahiro Sakurai has released a new YouTube video looking into the concept of customisation in video games. It's not the most groundbreaking stuff imaginable and it will likely only truly resonate with budding game developers. Still, since Sakurai has announced that he will be winding down his YouTube channel this year,...
News Masahiro Sakurai Plans To "Wrap Up" His YouTube Channel This Year
Back to Smash?
Super Smash Bros. creator and video game developer Masahiro Sakurai has been riding the waves of YouTube fame over the last 18 months or so. But the channel, Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games, will be ending sometime this year. This is straight from Sakurai himself, who shared the news over on his Community tab on the YouTube...
News Masahiro Sakurai On His Future: "I'm Still Creating Games For The Time Being"
The Smash Bros. creator shares an update
There has been quite a bit of conversation about the future of the legendary video game developer and Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai calling time on his career, and even he's spoken about this himself previously. Now, in the latest upload on his YouTube channel, Sakurai has briefly mentioned how he's...
Random Sakurai Wanted The GameCube Controller To Include A Scroll Wheel
"I want to choose fast!"
Masahiro Sakurai has revealed that during the development of the Nintendo GameCube, he had suggested that a scroll wheel be implemented into the design of the controller. In his latest YouTube video, Sakurai explains the reasoning behind the suggestion, stating that a scroll wheel might have several useful functions for...
Random Sakurai Showcases Some Of Nintendo's Oldest Character Art In Latest Video
With "extremely special" permission from the Big N
Masahiro Sakurai's YouTube channel has long been a one-stop shop for all things gaming history. Be it showcasing his awesome collection or putting his retro gaming skills to the test, you know that the legendary game designer will have
News Sakurai Is Sceptical That Future Smash Bros. Titles Can Match Ultimate's Scope
"It would be difficult to push it any further than we have"
Masahiro Sakurai, the director of the Smash Bros. franchise, has released a new video looking back on the development of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Switch. During the 12-13 minute presentation, Sakurai delves into the copious adjustments and additions required to make Ultimate...
Video Masahiro Sakurai Shows Off His Retro Game Skills In "Special" YouTube Collab
Competing against Game Center CX
Update #2 [Fri 20th Oct, 2023 03:30 BST]: Masahiro Sakurai is back for one final special with Retro Game Master. The games on show this time included Space Harrier (1985), Fantasy Zone (1986), Nekketsu Koha Kunio-kun, The Genji and the Heike Clans (1986), Darius, Contra,
News Masahiro Sakurai Is Teaming Up With 'Retro Game Master' For YouTube Crossover
First video will launch today
Update [Fri 13th Oct, 2023 09:30]: Masahiro Sakurai has confirmed that he will be teaming up with Retro Game Master (known as Game Centre CX in Japan) for his special YouTube crossover event. The first video will air today at 11am BST / 12pm CET and will be localised for Western audiences by 8-4, just like Sakurai's...
Random Masahiro Sakurai Showcases His Rare Gaming Collectibles
Autographs, engravings, and more
Being one of the most recognisable and influential figures in gaming, it should come as no surprise that Masahiro Sakurai has managed to accumulate a number of extremely rare collectibles over the years. In his latest YouTube 'Grab Bag' video, the legendary game designer has taken a bit of a different approach to...
