A little birdy told us that the renowned Masahiro Sakurai has started his own YouTube channel that teaches viewers tips and tricks about making games. Called Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games, the video series is a goldmine for aspiring game developers and anyone who is interested in the field. It is published in both Japanese and English. Mr. Sakurai is the father of the Kirby and Super Smash Bros. franchises. He created the character Kirby when he worked for HAL Laboratory at age 19, and has closely worked with Nintendo throughout his career.
These days Mr. Sakurai has become a bit of a celebrity figure in his own right. Many folks in the online gaming community remember him today as the plucky developer who posted a Twitter series of comical screenshots of the fighters we know and love in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The screenshots were faithfully shared with the world each day from 2018 until recently in 2022. Mr. Sakurai announced that he will begin his own YouTube channel shortly after the series ended. The channel is not related to Nintendo.
“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how I can give back to the game industry,” stated Sakurai on Twitter. “By sharing my knowledge with all of you on YouTube, I hope I can help people better appreciate how games are made, and maybe even spark some interest in aspiring game developers.” He emphasized that it is an investment in the future of the game industry and is not intended for raising profits. Less than 24 hours after the channel was created, the English version received over 200,000 subscribers. As of Friday, September 2nd, the subscribers have increased to over 405,00. You can find the English YouTube channel here.
