For the past two years, Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai has hosted one of the best YouTube channels offering an inside look at game development, but as of October 22, it’s come to a close. In his lengthy send-off to the channel, Sakurai dropped plenty of interesting details about how and why the project came together, but the biggest revelation is the fact that he’s been working on a brand-new game the whole time.
In his final video for the Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games channel, the developer shares that the early stages of his next game actually began back three years ago as he was preparing to announce the final Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC.
“While I was busy working on those tasks, I received a request to write a game proposal, which I finished at lightning speed,” Sakurai said. “I’m sorry I can’t share more about this project, but assuming we’re able to get it made, it should be announced sooner or later.”
That’s all the information about the new game that Sakurai was willing to share in his video, so there’s no indication yet of what to expect. However, the final video does offer some fascinating insight into the inner workings of the channel. The finale video clocks in at 45 minutes, a massive change from the channel’s usual format of videos that are under five minutes long. According to Sakurai, his game proposal was accepted, but work wasn’t slated to begin on the game until April 2022, which put him in the unusual position of having a few months with no work to do.
“Directors tend to stay involved in projects longer than anyone else,” Sakurai said. “As one job approaches the finish line, you’ll often be getting ready for the next one, so you never get to rest. Yet after all these years, by some miracle, my schedule was wide open for several months straight!”
Rather than take a well-earned vacation, Sakurai set out to create his YouTube channel. While word of his new game is the most exciting announcement in the video, its biggest twist actually comes right at the beginning. As he opens the video, Sakurai reveals that every other video on the channel was recorded two-and-a-half years ago, rather than being filmed sequentially as they’re released. In fact, he says, he doesn’t even own the house where they were all filmed any more.
Sakurai said he decided to create his channel in order to continue a long-held goal of sharing his knowledge to benefit the entire games industry. He recalls how he spent time consulting and giving lectures to game development classes, but found that he was reaching very few people for the amount of work it took. Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games was started as a way to reach a much larger number of people at once, making it a much more efficient way to help other developers.
“I consider this an investment toward a brighter future for games,” Sakurai said.
If you doubt his sincerity in saying that he just wants to use his influence to make games better, Sakurai also reveals that he spent a staggering $630,000 producing his channel, which mostly went to the costs of video editing.
With work underway on his next game and the channel officially over, Sakurai says he has no plans to return to making videos, but doesn’t rule out the fact that his opinions could change later. As it stands, Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games is one of the best resources out there for anyone who wants to learn more about the art and business of games. While his channel might be most useful for developers, it’s also invaluable as a look into not just the technical aspects of game design, but the philosophy of one of gaming’s most important living figures. The channel may not be continuing, but if you’ve yet to watch the nearly 300 videos it contains, I can hardly think of a better use of your time for coming to understand games better.
