There are a handful of household names in the gaming industry: Shigeru Miyamoto, Hideo Kojima, Hironobu Sakaguchi. Among the later additions to the gaming hall of fame is Masahiro Sakurai, creator of beloved video game icon Kirby and the Super Smash Bros. series. Sakurai has been hard at work ever since he started in the games industry as a teenager, but his storied career might be moving on to new pastures soon.
Since directing his first game, Kirby's Dream Land, at the age of 19, Sakurai has been a constant presence in the industry. His work with Nintendo and HAL Laboratory led to the creation of the Kirby series as well as Super Smash Bros. and its numerous sequels, while elsewhere he spearheaded hidden gems like Meteos and Kid Icarus: Uprising. Since 2003 he's also written a weekly column for Famitsu called "Think About Video Games," which is where he will reportedly discuss the idea of his own early retirement later this week.
According to reputable leaker ryokutya2089, who regularly publishes early excerpts of upcoming Famitsu articles, Sakurai has recently given a lot of thought to the idea of what he might do following the end of the current Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC schedule. According to the leak, the idea of early retirement has "a certain fondness" for him, and he feels that "everything must come to an end at some point." He also revealed that he was planning to end his Famitsu column "within this year" following the final Super Smash Bros. DLC drop.
However, there's clearly still life in the old dog yet. "It's okay to work as much as I can right now, as long as I can, even if it makes me very busy," Sakurai reportedly writes, adding later on that the end of his Famitsu column "doesn't mean [he] won't be involved in game-related work in the future." While the former comment might raise the eyebrow of anyone concerned about Sakurai's predilection for overworking himself, it's nevertheless heartening that the man seemingly wants to stay a part of the gaming industry in the future in some capacity.
Still, the idea of an early retirement has clearly been on his mind for some time. Only last year Sakurai revealed in a Famitsu interview that he had nothing planned career-wise after the final Smash DLC batch, an unusual situation for a veteran developer like himself. Whether that was a response to concerns for his own health or a more long-term idea for his future remains to be seen.
Sakurai fans will just have to wait and see what the man decides to do following the release of the final two Super Smash Bros. DLC fighters. On the plus side, if Sakurai does retire, at least he won't have to deal with quite as many complaints about the number of sword users in Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now for Nintendo Switch.
Source: ryokutya2089, Nintendo Hill (translation)