How a legendary game designer spent 90 million yen to teach the world
In short: Masahiro Sakurai, the visionary creator behind Kirby and Super Smash Bros., spent his own money to launch an educational YouTube channel. By funding the entire project out of pocket and refusing monetization, he aimed to share fundamental game design principles with aspiring developers in a way that traditional conferences often overlook.
Born in 1970 in Musashimurayama, Japan, Masahiro Sakurai began his career at HAL Laboratory, where he created the iconic character Kirby at age 19. His early success led him to direct Kirby's Dream Land, but the pressures of the industry—specifically the constant expectation for sequels—eventually prompted him to leave HAL in 2003. Alongside his wife, Michiko Sakurai, he founded Sora Ltd. in 2005 to pursue freelance work, eventually directing major titles like Kid Icarus: Uprising and the Super Smash Bros. series.
Sakurai’s career has been marked by both immense creative output and significant physical strain. In 2013, he was diagnosed with calcific tendinitis in his right shoulder, a condition that caused him substantial pain and complicated his hands-on testing process. Despite these health challenges and public musings about retirement, he continued to lead massive projects, including the 2018 release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. His dedication to the craft is perhaps best exemplified by his transition into educational outreach.
In August 2022, Sakurai launched his YouTube channel, Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games, to bridge the gap between technical industry conferences and accessible design education. He personally wrote and recorded all 256 videos, investing approximately 90 million yen of his own money into the project. By choosing not to monetize the channel, he ensured that his lessons on game development remained purely educational. His efforts were widely recognized, earning him the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association awards for Game Design and Visual Arts, as well as the Agency for Cultural Affairs' Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists in 2025.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Masahiro Sakurai
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