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Masahiro Sakurai

Masahiro Sakurai

Earlier this week, some comments made the rounds from Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai’s latest Famitsu column. Some took his words to mean that he could be retiring soon, but that’s not actually the case.

It’s true that retirement is a topic that has at least crossed Sakurai’s mind. That being said, he won’t be leaving game development in the near future.

IGN translated a few of Sakurai’s comments from the column. He started out by reflecting on a recent holiday in Japan – which is his personal first in a decade:

There’s no question that Masahiro Sakurai is a veteran developer of the games industry. He’s been working on various projects for nearly three decades, and has contributed to some major IPs. Of course, he’ll always be recognized for his involvement in Kirby and Super Smash Bros.

There are some early leaks from Sakurai’s column in this week’s Famitsu, and he delves into what lies ahead in the future. As for that column which been ongoing since 2003, he would likely be ending it “this year at the latest.”

Masahiro Sakurai tends to recognize a lot of gaming anniversaries, and often acknowledges these events on his Twitter account. Today, it’s actually one of his own titles that celebrated a birthday. Kid Icarus: Uprising first launched in Japan on March 22, 2012. It’d come west a day later.

On Twitter, Sakurai celebrated Kid Icarus: Uprising with a simple Smash Bros. screenshot. He also mentioned how he receives many fan requests for a sequel or a remake, though added that this would be “difficult.”

Last week, Pyra/Mythra was added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as the latest DLC character. The two-in-one fighter is the new representative from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 instead of Rex, who has the starring role.

You may recall that Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai talked about the decision to feature Pyra/Mythra over Rex a bit during a presentation from earlier in the month. In his latest column in Famitsu though, he went into a bit of extra detail about the thought process behind it all.

We’ve now gone ahead and prepared a complete translation of Sakurai’s piece from the Japanese magazine. Continue on below to read it in full.

Masahiro Sakurai

During the latest episode of Washa Live hosted by writer Mafia Kajita and voice actor Yuichi Nakamura, Masahiro Sakurai stopped by for a chat. Given the popularity of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate it’s only natural that he was asked about the game.

Pyra/Mythra from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 will soon be joining the Smash Bros. roster, and there have been all sorts of reactions to the reveal. Some fans have been disappointed to see another sword fighter being added to the game. However, as part of the conversation, the Smash Bros. director reiterated that those kinds of decisions aren’t up to him.

Here’s the full translation from Nintendo Everything:

Masahiro Sakurai

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai published his latest Famitsu column this week. Given that Sephiroth just joined the game as the latest DLC character, it makes sense that the piece was entirely about the new roster addition.

Sakurai’s column offers insight into how Sephiroth was implemented, including the challenges involved and his “Winged Form”. He also briefly touches on the game’s reveal trailer.

Here’s our full translation:

Sakurai Minecraft

In his 651st column for Famitsu, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai discussed the new DLC for Minecraft’s Steve. Sakurai apparently had several challenges with implementing the fighter – despite the popularity of the character, he did not want Steve to be a watered-down addition to the roster. Though he kept it vague, Sakurai also stated the music for Minecraft gave the team quite the headache.

Check below for the column’s full translation by Nintendo Everything’s Oni Dino.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate recently received new DLC based on Minecraft. In the latest issue of Famitsu, director Masahiro Sakurai opened up a bit more about the development of Steve / Alex.

Below are just a few of the noteworthy comments, courtesy of Siliconera:

Masahiro Sakurai

In his 611th column for Famitsu, Masahiro Sakurai revealed some interesting details regarding the recent update to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Sakurai is known for getting particular about the finest of adjustments, and the most recent update is no different. He elaborates on the development of the recently added “Small Battlefield” stage, online connectivity changes, and more.

Check below for the column’s full translation by Nintendo Everything’s Oni Dino.

Masahiro Sakurai

Masahiro Sakurai is back in this week’s issue of Famitsu with another column. This time around, the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director addressed the game’s netcode.

Here are the highlights, courtesy of Siliconera:


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