Smash creator Sakurai spent $630K on YouTube content to give games a “brighter future”

As a gamer with decades of experience under my belt, I’ve witnessed many legends come and go, but few have left such an indelible mark as Masahiro Sakurai. This man, the creator of one of the most iconic fighting games ever – Super Smash Bros, has shown us time and again that he is not just a game developer, but a true artist.

Masahiro Sakurai, known as the creator of Super Smash Bros, shared a final video on his YouTube channel, revealing that he didn’t earn a single cent in profits, despite investing more than half a million dollars in its production.

2022 saw renowned game developer Sakurai debuting on YouTube with an educational series aimed at teaching video game creation. Four years later, he concluded his last upload in the series.

I, a passionate gamer, found myself immersed in a captivating YouTube series dubbed “Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games.” This enlightening channel offers two versions – English and Japanese – catering to a global audience, reflecting Mr. Sakurai’s ongoing projects as the mastermind behind Smash. Throughout the series, he generously shares his wealth of knowledge about game development, gameplay mechanics, and intriguing anecdotes from his career in the gaming industry.

In a video published on October 22nd, Sakurai shared insights about the creation process behind his channel as well as disclosing that he had started work on another secret project.

Apart from detailing the countless hours he invested into scriptwriting, video gathering, and recording for his YouTube channel, he additionally disclosed the substantial expense of around $630,000 that was incurred.

(segment begins at 35:30)

As a gamer, I’ve got to admit, most of my budget for creating gameplay videos ended up going to HIKE, the video editing powerhouse. The remainder was allocated towards translation services and various other expenses that kept popping up along the way.

The creator of Smash mentioned that at the moment, there’s no revenue being generated from the channel since it hasn’t been monetized. In my opinion, this seems quite nonsensical. Apart from the financial investment, I was also responsible for uploading content onto the channel, all while managing an already busy workload. Furthermore, I shared valuable industry insights that contribute significantly to my livelihood.

Although Sakurai didn’t make any financial gains, he considers his channel as a heartfelt endeavor and an investment in the future generation of developers.

He further stated, “This is more than just a statement; it’s an investment in a brighter tomorrow for gaming.” Translating that thought, one might say, “Investments are usually made with the expectation of future returns. However, this seems less about profit and more about contributing or volunteering.

Sakurai is a global treasure that we take for granted.
— Sal Flores (@salvador_flores) October 22, 2024

People were utterly astounded by Sakurai’s generous deed. “Sakurai is an invaluable gem around the world, often overlooked,” someone commented.

I love him with my whole soul, Sakurai deserves the world. Easily up there with some of the hardest working people I’ve ever seen, dude is such an icon. One of my greatest and most influential idols growing up, and still is to this day
— T!MMY (@redroyalty) October 22, 2024

The person speaks highly of Sakurai, expressing deep affection and admiration. They consider Sakurai to be one of the most dedicated individuals they’ve encountered, and even go so far as to say that he is an icon in his field.

Although Sakurai is fully focused on his new game now, rumored to be Smash 6, he hasn’t ruled out returning to his YouTube channel in the future, saying he may use it to talk about something else down the line.

2024-10-22 22:18

Smash creator Sakurai spent $630K on YouTube content to give games a “brighter future”

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