Masahiro Sakurai's YouTube channel will "wrap up" this year, and I want it to continue more than I want a new Smash Bros
Jan. 9, 2024Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games is a treasure and I’m not ready to let go
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In aYouTube community postpublished earlier today, Sakurai writes, “It’s a bit late to be saying this, but… Happy New Year! I’m planning to wrap up Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games sometime this year. Until then, I hope you’ll stay tuned!”
I’ve watched pretty much every single one of these videos since Sakurai launched the channel, and they’re pretty much universally fascinating - just quick, digestible bites of insight from somebody who has been making games for a long, long time. While Sakurai’s announcement that the channel is wrapping up has some Smash Bros. fans hopeful that he’ll soon return to the series, it remains to be seen what his next project will be.
I have no idea the full extent of what it takes to make these videos, but given their production value, it sure seems like they’re a time-consuming and expensive endeavor. Sakurai works with an external production company called QBIST to edit the videos and the localization house 8-4 to present them into English. 8-4 is primarily known for gaming localizations, including translating Street Fighter 6 to English and bringing Undertale into Japanese. (In another community note, Sakurai says he actually “got 8-4’s contact info from Undertale creator Toby Fox.")
“When I quit my in-house job and went independent, I did so in order to contribute more to the game industry,” Sakurai wrote in another community post. “It wasn’t just because I wanted to be free to make the kinds of games I liked. In fact, I also wondered if there was some way I could help outside of directly making games. But how? That question eventually led me to start this channel. It’s been a long time since I went independent, but my desire to contribute remains the same.”
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Sakurai has actually discussed the possibility of thenext Smash Bros. game, saying, “It’s fair to assume there will be another one,” and that he can’t imagine anyone else making it. He’s also said thathe’s “semi-retired,“so who knows what the future has in store for Nintendo’s fighting franchise. Personally, I feel like Smash Ultimate would be a perfect capstone on Sakurai’s time with the series and I’ve enjoyed his video series so much I’m not ready to give it up. Smash can find a new director for a new generation, right?
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