Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Super Smash Bros., has shared various details about the development of his own projects on his YouTube channel, Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games4. In his videos, he has provided insightful advice about game development and discussed the creation of the games he has worked on over the years4. Some of the details he has shared include:
The creation of the original Super Smash Bros. on Nintendo 64: Sakurai discussed how the game initially didn't feature any Nintendo characters and was called Dragon King: The Fighting Game. He also explained how he designed Super Smash Bros. as an "anti-thesis" of fighting games, both in terms of gameplay and the characters it featured.
The development of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Sakurai revealed how development started early, with the team being mostly the same as the one for the previous entry in the series. This allowed the team to include every returning character, which Sakurai was passionate about. Despite the easier transition, returning fighters still saw an average of 70-100 changes during development. Sakurai also touched on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the development of the game's DLC, with challenges such as maintaining secrecy and playtesting.
Balancing perfectionism and development: In one of his YouTube videos, Sakurai went into detail about his perfectionism and how he challenges his developers to look at the smallest details in games, such as the broken boards in the Mishima Dojo stage. This demonstrates the depth of his involvement in the development process and how he constantly strives to improve and elevate the games he works on.
Throughout his YouTube channel, Sakurai has also shared tips and insights about game design, covering areas such as sound, graphics, controls, animation, and various other interesting topics related to the subject. He has also discussed the history of gaming and provided details about the development of his other projects over the years.
Masahiro Sakurai originally launched his YouTube channel in August 2022.
The status of the final episode of Masahiro Sakurai's YouTube channel, according to the latest update, is that it has been finished recording. However, it will not be released immediately, as there will be a delay before it becomes available for viewers. In the meantime, fans can continue to enjoy his regular uploads and insights about game design and development.