The potential cost of a great game. In his semi-weekly column in Weekly Famitsu, Smash Bros series creator Masahiro Sakurai addressed fan letters. One such letter focused on the toll developing the latest games has taken on him.
Wrote the fan, “Hello, Mr Sakurai. It sounds like development of Smash Bros was really, really hard. Reading your column sent shivers up my spine. I’ve never seen you so worn out. It made me appreciate the new Smash Bros more than ever.”
Sakurai, responded in frank honesty,
“It was very tough this time around… I doubt I’ll be able to go on making games if it continues like this. But, I consider myself lucky that so many people seem to enjoy [Smash Bros]”
今回は相当に厳しかったですね……。このままの延長線上で、ゲーム作りを続けることはできないことでしょう。しかし、多くの人に楽しんでいただけたようで、幸運だと思います。
This is a bit of a scale up from Sakurai’s previous statements regarding his doubts on working on another Smash Bros — basically going so far as to imply he’s ready to quit game development altogether if his workload remains the same.
Sakurai has been on a bit of a lamentation binge lately due to the stress and almost complete lack of a private life thanks to the time-consuming nature of his work on Smash Bros, but considering the effect it’s had on not just his mind but his body as well, it’s hard not to empathise. Everyone has a limit, and for Sakurai, it was a while ago.
I doubt Sakurai will retire from game development — it’s really hard to keep an artist from his passion. However, if the unlikely does happen, I don’t think I could blame him. Hopefully his employers will get the hint and give the man some more freedom.
And plenty of holiday time.
Comments
4 responses to “Smash Bros Could Be Its Creator’s Last Game”
The issue is likely the Japanese culture of hard work and either an unwillingness or inability to delegate. Sakurai does good work but I’ve tended to find that people who are hard workers and passionate about what they are doing will only delegate the very minimum amount. Many have felt that others could not hold to the standards that they hold.
I’m not saying game development is easy by any means but from what I have heard in interviews Sakurai strikes me as that kind of person.
Yeah it’s exactly the same with Eichiiro Oda of One Piece fame. Man works himself into ailment and still is usually heard apologising for considering it to not be good enough.
He has a problem with his arm, doesn’t he? I can see how that could also push him further into leaving game development. Hopefully they can assign him as a sort of creative manager or something. I think Miyamoto does the same sort of job. Less actual game development and more guiding newer game devs.
I think a big chunk of his problem this time around was the fact he was developing on TWO SKU’s, the 3DS and the Wii U.
In all honesty, while it’s good to have a portable Smash, the 3DS version should probably shouldn’t really be a thing. I have no doubt it’s eaten into the sales of the Wii U version (possibly eating into the sales of Wii U consoles too), and the Wii U version was gimped at least in some ways due to the 3DS (eg, Ice Climbers being cut because of the technical limitations of the 3DS). And the toll it’s taken on Sakurai to develop both versions at the same time was debateably not worth it.