Masahiro Sakurai Discusses Downsides Of Huge Game Development Teams

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Masahiro Sakurai is a highly respected game developer, famous for creating the Kirby and Super Smash Bros. series. He continues to be an important figure at Nintendo.

He’s currently talking about how making games has changed over time, and explaining why he prefers smaller development teams.

Masahiro Sakurai Dislikes How Game Development Teams Continue To Increase In Size

He recently told Japan’s 47NEWS that he finds working alone more rewarding because you can directly see the impact of your efforts. He believes that when you’re part of a team, the quality of an individual’s contribution can sometimes get overlooked.

Masahiro Sakurai, speaking about game development, explained that it’s incredibly rewarding to see a project come to life through your own efforts. He noted that this sense of completion is often missing when working as part of a team, which can be frustrating. He used the example of a pixel artist: when working alone, they can finish a piece and feel a sense of accomplishment, but when leading a team, much time is spent discussing and coordinating the art style.

Creating large games is becoming increasingly challenging. Teams are growing quickly, often into the hundreds of people. It’s not the same feeling of accomplishment when you build something on your own versus as part of a large group, and the nature of the work itself is also evolving.

What are your thoughts on Masahiro Sakurai’s recent statements about how big game development teams have become? Share your opinion on our Discord server! And be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for weekly updates.

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2026-01-10 02:48