Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
The last episode of Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games is coming next week, but Sakurai put out a special Grab Bag episode to cap off that category of his videos today. The subject is a precious one: the former Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata. Sakurai claims that with the impact Iwata had on his career, he would have felt wrong not to address the legendary Nintendo leader’s effect on him.
Masahiro Sakurai released the latest Grab Bag episode focusing on Satoru Iwata this week. The episode details his first years at HAL Laboratory with Iwata working as his boss in business and management. He spoke to how Iwata was the one to interview him, and further along how Iwata aided him when problems came up with games like Kirby’s Dream Land and Kirby’s Adventure. He also mentioned how even after Iwata became head of Nintendo’s Corporate Planning Division, he rallied programmers around squashing bugs in Super Smash Bros. Melee and ultimately helped the game launch on time in 2001.
“Whenever problems arose, he’d take it upon himself to jump in and help improve things for the different teams,” Sakurai recalls. “Personally speaking, he never told me how I should approach the content of my games. I think he trusted me to handle those decisions how I saw fit.”
Sakurai claims he and Iwata enjoyed a friendship inside and outside of gaming, where he claims Iwata always responded to his requests directly and often made time for him and others he felt were important. Even when Iwata’s health deteriorated, when he started to feel better, he and Sakurai got together. Unfortunately, Iwata would eventually pass away in 2015.
Nonetheless, Sakurai claims his career as a game maker would not have lasted long without Iwata’s assistance, friendship, leadership, and overall influence on Sakurai and the companies Iwata worked for. It’s a touching tribute to the former Nintendo CEO and a great way to wrap up Grab Bag episodes on Masahiro Sakurai on Creating games. Look for the last regular episode to run on October 15, wrapping up planned episodes of the series in full for now.