Game News Nintendo legend calls himself ‘half-retired’, future of Super Smash Bros. compromise ?
The legendary creator of some of Nintendo’s most famous licenses has just made a far from trivial statement. Masahiro Sakurai, emblematic figure of Big N recently reconverted Youtuber calls himself “semi-retired”. What to expect for his creations, Smash Bros. on your mind ?
Semi-retired Masahiro Sakurai
If you’ve played on Nintendo consoles, you’ve most likely come across the work of Masahiro Sakurai. The legendary creator, emblematic figure of Big N since his arrival at Hal Laboratory in the 80s, is at the origin of Kirby, but also of Super Smash Bros.Nintendo’s most famous fighting game that brings together all the stars of the Japanese firm.
For several months now, Masahiro Sakurai has devoted himself, in parallel to his career in video games,
creating videos on his Youtube channel.
He returns, among other things, to video game design and reveals many secrets and advice on the production of video games. A career as a videographer that he therefore leads alongside his post at Nintendo, but that he could finally completely embrace in the future. Masahiro Sakurai has indeed just declared that he defines himself as a “semi-retired”. A piece of news that could hint at the end of Smash Bros.
Smash Bros. in danger ?
Masahiro Sakurai has just confirmed once again that he is “half-retired”.During a long interview, the creator / videographer returned to his videos, but also his career at Nintendo. For him, it is time to stop at 52 years old. He reportedly “felt like (if) he continued to develop games full-time, (his) life would end before he even knew it.” A decision taken given the significant time required to develop a game, while Masahiro Sakurai spent nearly nine years on the 3DS / WiiU versions of Smash Bros. and Smash Bros. Ultimate on Switch.
These statements once again confirm the desire of the creator to distance himself from the design of video games. Already in May 2021, Masahiro Sakurai said that the time he had left to work in the video game industry was “visible”. But this new statement also potentially marks the end of the Smash series as gamers know it. Shortly after Sora’s release on Super Smash Bros. Ultimatethe director said:
I currently don’t see a way Smash can be produced without me. (…) Honestly, we tried to leave it to someone else, but it didn’t go well. (…) If the series were to continue, then I have to speak with Nintendo and discuss whether it will succeed or not. I have to seriously think about this.
Masahiro Sakurai also added that he needs to think about a potential Super Smash Bros. sequel. Ultimate “at the risk of disappointing players”. Nintendo could obviously choose to continue the exploitation of the license without its historical creator, but nothing tells us if the firm would manage to fill such a departure.
