In a recent interview with Entax, Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai shared his thoughts on the direction of the Japanese video game industry. Sakurai expressed his belief that Japanese developers should focus on creating games for the Japanese market. He suggested that it’s important for the industry to pursue what Japanese people enjoy, as opposed to simply catering to trends or external markets.
Sakurai acknowledged the impact of Japanese games that succeeded in the United States, which led to a trend of “Americanizing” Japanese works. He noted that there was a growing culture of following de facto standards to appeal to international audiences. This shift, he believes, resulted in a dilution of the unique qualities that originally made Japanese games special.
Masahiro Sakurai Calls for Creative Freedom in Japanese Games, Rejects Trends of AmericanizationMaintaining Japanese Game Uniqueness Sakurai Advocates Creative Freedom and Rejects Americanization Trends
The creator emphasized that international fans of Japanese games are not looking for them to be Americanized but instead seek the distinctiveness and fun that comes with Japanese titles. He stressed the importance of maintaining the unique charm of Japanese games, as this is what attracts global fans to them in the first place.
Sakurai concluded by advocating for developers to make games the way they want, suggesting that those who share similar tastes would appreciate these creations. He emphasized the importance of creative freedom within the industry and warned against allowing external pressures or other people’s ideas to dictate the creative process. Recently, Sakurai was honored with the Art Encouragement Prize from Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs for his contributions to the industry.
