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Masahiro Sakurai

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Masahiro Sakurai
Born (1970-08-03) August 3, 1970 (age 53)
Tokyo, Japan
Occupation(s)Video game director, designer, writer, voice actor

Masahiro Sakurai (桜井 政博, Sakurai Masahiro) (born August 3, 1970) is a Japanese video game director, designer, writer and voice actor, best known as the creator and director of the Kirby and the Super Smash Bros. series. Mostly working on games for Nintendo platforms, he is currently the Director of Software Development for his companies Sora Ltd. and Project Sora.

He is also the author of a weekly column for Famitsu magazine and has developed a cult following for his streamlined, yet deep gameplay. Apart from his work in the Kirby and Super Smash Bros. series, he directed the acclaimed games Meteos and Kid Icarus: Uprising. He also voiced the character King Dedede in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Biography

One of Sakurai's earliest experiences in the video game industry began when he worked for HAL Laboratory, where he created the character Kirby at age 19 and directed his first title, Kirby's Dream Land. Sakurai left HAL on August 5, 2003, ending his work on the Kirby series. Reasons for his departure are said to be because he was seeking more freedom and was disappointed there, but most of all Sakurai grew tired of the sequelization from HAL.[1][2] "It was tough for me to see that every time I made a new game, people automatically assumed that a sequel was coming," said Sakurai, in an interview with Nintendo Dream, two weeks after he resigned from HAL Laboratory. "Even if it's a sequel, lots of people have to give their all to make a game, but some people think the sequel process happens naturally."

His resignation came just days after an interview where he openly criticized the company for circumstances surrounding the development of the Nintendo GameCube racer Kirby Air Ride.[citation needed] He has publicly stated that he wishes HAL to continue working on the Kirby series. After he left HAL, Sakurai began working with Q Entertainment, along with Tetsuya Mizuguchi. This collaboration resulted in Meteos, a unique puzzle game for the Nintendo DS.

On September 30, 2005, Sakurai announced that he had formed his own company, Sora.[3] Two titles were announced to be in development but no information on the titles (other than that they were in development) had been divulged. As for the future of the Super Smash Bros. series, Nintendo and HAL Laboratory's President Satoru Iwata, during the Nintendo E3 2005 press conference, promised an online iteration of the game would come to Nintendo's video game console, Wii. In issue #885 of Famitsu magazine, Sakurai first revealed that he would be serving as a director and game designer on Nintendo's highly anticipated game Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii.

Sakurai finished Super Smash Bros. Brawl in 2008, after despite personnel borrowed from 19 different developer studios being put in charge of preliminary development.[4] Brawl was released on January 31, 2008 in Japan, and on March 9, 2008 in North America. Sakurai had also been updating daily the official Super Smash Bros Brawl web site called "The Dojo". Starting a year previous the release, he revealed Brawl secrets and gameplay content through the site. Regular updates from May 22, 2007 to April 14, 2008.

On the final day of updates, it was revealed that Sakurai provided the voice for King Dedede in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards; his name also appeared under "Voice Actors" in the final credits of Kirby 64. He and his company, Sora Ltd. alongside Nintendo have started a new first-party studio, Project Sora, which is 72% owned by Nintendo and 28% owned by Sora Ltd. It was revealed at E3 2010 that Sakurai and Project Sora were working on Kid Icarus: Uprising for the Nintendo 3DS console. In the following year at E3 2011, Nintendo announced that Sakurai would work on the next games in the Super Smash Bros. series for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, with both titles being able to interact with each other. Sakurai intended to begin full development upon the completion of Kid Icarus: Uprising.[5]

In February 2013, Sakurai developed calcific tendinitis near his right shoulder, which causes him pain when he moves his arm. Sakurai mentioned that this could substantially slow down his current work, as he does some game testing himself.[6]

Works

References

  1. ^ Bayer, Glen. "Conceiving Sickeningly Cute Puffballs". N-Sider. pp. p5. Retrieved 2006-11-29. {{cite web}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ "Masahiro Sakurai's N-Sider profile". N-Sider. Retrieved 2006-11-29. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ Gomez, John (2005-09-30). "GameDAILY, Glu, Climax, Mforma, THQ Wireless & More Make Moves". GameDaily BIZ. Retrieved 2006-05-11. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ "Iwata Asks: Super Smash Bros. Brawl". Nintendo of America. Retrieved 2007-09-19.
  5. ^ Gantayat, Anoop (2011-06-08). "Smash Bros. U & 3DS development appears to be very early". andriasang.com. Retrieved 2011-06-08. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ Gifford, Kevin. "Why Masahiro Sakurai's bum right arm is hindering work on the new Smash Bros". Polygon.com. Retrieved 2013-04-19.

External links

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