Overview

• Masahiro Sakurai has called on Japanese game developers to prioritize creating games that cater to domestic audiences rather than adapting to Western tastes.
• He argues that Western players are drawn to Japanese games for their unique creativity and cultural characteristics, not for Americanized adaptations.
• Sakurai believes developers should focus on making games they personally enjoy, trusting that like-minded audiences will appreciate their work.
• He reflects on past industry trends, noting that while there was a period of Americanization in Japanese game development, it is no longer necessary as culturally distinct games thrive globally.
• Sakurai recently received the Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists from the Japanese government for his educational YouTube series on game development, which has had significant international influence.