Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai concluded his extensive YouTube series on game development with a final video. In it, he discusses the journey of his channel and shares that he has been developing a new game.
In the opening of the video, Sakurai disclosed that he received a request to propose a game, which gained approval. However, he was required to wait for the team to form and production to kick off, targeting an April 2022 start. This left him with a gap of approximately seven months between the launch of the final playable character, Sora, in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and his forthcoming project.
“I apologize for not being able to share more about this project, but if all goes well, it should be announced eventually,” he mentioned.
When the channel debuted, this new game was already in development. This was in 2022, indicating it has either been in development for nearly two years or that it has faced cancellation since then. Regardless, Sakurai’s remarks suggest it remains in its early developmental stages.
This concluding video also sheds light on the efforts involved in producing all the content and why he initially decided to embark on this journey. While part of it was about keeping himself occupied during the seven-month hiatus, he also wished to share his extensive knowledge with others.
“How can I share the wisdom I’ve accumulated over the years with as many people as possible? That thought occupied my mind for quite some time. Ultimately, I chose to create this channel—a permanent collection of information available for anyone to access whenever they wish,” he articulated.
By the end of the series, roughly 260 videos had been published, in both Japanese and English (totaling around 520 videos). Sakurai mentioned that he drafted all the scripts himself within a month, organized them by topic, and scheduled everything. Most footage for the videos was filmed two-and-a-half years prior. He produced a couple of pilot videos, presented them to Nintendo, and received their endorsement and support to utilize assets and official clips. Starting in 2022, he collaborated with Hike Inc. to edit and produce the videos.
Having worked with Nintendo at HAL Laboratory before his departure in the early 2000s, Sakurai noted that the overall expenditure for the channel reached around $600,000 (or 90 million yen), mainly due to video editing and translation costs. This significantly exceeded his initial budget expectations, though he remarked that it could have been higher had he needed to compensate others for writing and filming rather than managing those tasks himself. Additionally, the channel generates no income.
“I recognize that might seem rather absurd,” he commented. “However—I genuinely mean this—I’m viewing this as an investment in a promising future for gaming.”
