Masahiro Sakurai is wrapping up his YouTube channel and today released the final Grab Bag video: a touching tribute to former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata.
Sadly, Iwata passed away in 2015 at the age of 55. He became the fourth president in the company's history in 2002.
“When he was taking notes, listening or even just talking, he always had the most carefree smile on his face,” Sakurai said, recalling his first job interview with Iwata.
“It wasn't forced either, but a true expression of joy.”
Sakurai continued, “Personally speaking, he never told me how I should approach the content of my games. I think he trusted me to handle those decisions as I saw fit.”
Iwata was a notable contributor to Sakurai's Smash Bros. series, providing code for the initial N64 prototype (the only time he wrote code for one of Sakurai's games) known as Dragon King: The Fighting Game.
“From what others have told me, he In fact I enjoyed my time working on it,” Sakurai said.
Iwata also weighed in on the naming of Super Smash Bros. Specifically, he highlighted the use of “brothers.” “Their reasoning,” Sakurai explained, “was that, although the characters were not brothers at all, the use of the word added the nuance that they were not simply fighting: they were friends working out a minor disagreement.”
Iwata later contributed to fixing bugs in the GameCube game Super Smash Bros. Melee. “Without their help, I doubt Smash Bros. Melee would have been released before the end of 2001,” Sakurai said.
He continued, “Of all the people I have ever met personally, I would say that Mr. Iwata was the smartest. 'Smart' can mean many things, but I felt like he used logic instead of instinct to figure out the best way to do it. proceed.
“He was more than just a programmer: he was a learner and someone who often thought about psychological issues, such as why people think the way they do.”
Sakurai concluded: “Mr. Iwata was truly the person who understood me best. He was full of virtues, tirelessly hardworking, committed to service, and a man who changed the video game industry.”
Sakurai launched his YouTube channel in August 2022 and has since uploaded 268 videos covering all facets of game design.
Perhaps most revealing were his comments about the Smash Bros. series for which he is best known. He detailed, for example, how all fighters have a nearly equal chance of winning, and in a later video, he jokingly apologized to fans who have played for thousands of hours.