Super Smash Bros. Director Masahiro Sakurai Talks About Retirement
Masahiro SakuraiBoth were created by.KirbyTheSuper Smash Bros.franchise, has been involved in video games for a long time. At the age of 19, he created Kirby and directed his first video game.Kirby’s Dream LandFrom conception in 1991 to its completion in 1992. Sakurai, who was then working for Nintendo, has now separated from Nintendo to start his own company, Sora Ltd. His current project isSuper Smash Bros. UltimateSakurai is now in its third year post-launch of development. It’s not surprising that retirement is a common topic of conversation.
Katsuhiro Hairada from Bandai Namco, the director for the Tekken franchise, recently interviewed Sakurai. A portion of the interview has been released. Sakurai openedly discussed his thoughts on retirement and shared a deeply felt thought process. Sakurai states that he doesn’t intend to retire, but admits that he could quit at any moment if there is “no demand” for the art.
The context for his response starts with Sakurai explaining that his generation believes in contributing to society even after a typical retirement age of 60. This means that “if you are still able to do what you love and there is demand for it, you can do it.” Sakurai says that his work, which includes creating video games and managing teams of developers, was unique and “art.” Sakurai believes there will always be demand, but acknowledges that it is possible that “nobody wants your art”. At that point, it would be worthwhile to think about the next step.
Sakurai isn’t considering quitting game development. Sakurai explains that making games is “really difficult” and that he has considered quitting many times over the years. Even if you work hard on a project that you love, there are always problems or people who can pick on you. The intensity of game development can lead to “cutting your life short,” he acknowledges. These are things that Sakurai admits to thinking about, particularly in relation to retirement.
Sakurai, however, makes a surprising change and states that “you must fight and survive” to be a game developer. He doesn’t believe he can choose when he will retire. Sakurai says that he believes he should continue to work as long and hard as possible. He may eventually lose his heart and have to quit. But, as long as there is demand for his art, he can “keep doing it forever.” Suffice to say, Sakurai has a very profound approach to game development and his future.
Sakurai is not planning to stop game development in the near future. He actually says that he plans to continue making games for the rest his life. Super Smash Bros. UItimate developmentSakurai’s current projec is drawing to a close. There’s always the possibility of Sora Ltd not being in demand.SakuraiYou can also retire.
