One of Nintendo’s best-beloved and most high-profile developers is celebrating a major age milestone today. The friendly face and brilliant mind behindKirby’s Dreamland,Kid Icarus: Uprising, and the world-beatingSuper Smash Bros.franchise has hit the big five-oh.
Masahiro Sakurai has become a modern Nintendo icon, sharing the spotlight with such esteemed developers as Satoru Iwata and the legendary Shigeru Miyamoto. In addition to serving as the lead designer on some of the company’s most important properties, Sakurai has served as the face forSuper Smash Bros.in Nintendo Directs and other announcement videos dedicated to the franchise. The developer recently announced thathe is continuing to work onSuper Smash Brosremotelyduring the COVID19 pandemic, which is unsurprising, given his almost-alarmingly dedicated work ethic.
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This March, Sakurai fainted at the gym after an intense workout, which alarmed fans and raised questions about his overall health. In an interview, Sakurai clarified that he is in good health, and the fainting spell likely stemmed from dehydration and stress, as opposed to poor health. The developer has been candid about the stresses of overseeing high profile projects, however, and revealed that he may retire from game development when he finishes work onSuper Smash Bros.
Devoted admirers have taken to Twitter to wish Sakurai a happy birthday, and he responded to the well-wishing with thanks in a sub-comment on his “SmashPic of the Day,” which is another tradition that has endeared him to fans. Sakurai’s relationship with fans is almost cheeky, as he often releases cryptic tweets that hint at new characters set to join the Smash roster, and amusing anecdotes during his promotional videos. He also provideda hilarious explanation for why Mai Shiranui didn’t joinSmash, which later went viral within the game’s community.
Affability and candidness are two traits that typify Sakurai’s interactions with fans. He has conceded that theSuper Smash Bros.roster has accrued too manyFire Emblemcharacters—a frequent complaint from players—and opened his home to players in a recent Nintendo Direct, revealing an impressive dual television set-up, and a white recliner couch. Fans were so taken with the display of openness, which is a rarity among Japanese celebrities, that some they tracked downthe exact model of Sakurai’s couch so others could purchase it.
In addition to his obsessive work ethic and likable online persona, one of the qualities that help Sakurai stand out among developers is his insatiable appetite for playing games, including those developed by competitors. In a January tweet,Sakurai announced he played 240 PlayStation games while working onSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatein 2019. The sheer volume of titles is staggering, but makes a great deal of sense given theSmashfranchise’s hallmark of featuring special guest characters from other games and companies.
