Sakurai ends YouTube channel with a tribute to Satoru Iwata

In the final normal episode of his YouTube series, Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai posted a tribute to his former boss, the late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata.

Earlier this year, Sakurai announced on social media that he would be winding down the channel after two years of publishing videos.

Since 2022, the game designer has run his own YouTube channel, named ‘Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games‘, in which he shared game design tips.

The final regular video, which can be viewed below, focusses on Sakurai’s relationship with Satoru Iwata.

“I couldn’t possibly wrap things up without speaking about Mr. Iwata,” Sakurai began.

Sakurai first met Iwata when the former was interviewing for a position at HAL, where Iwata was the head of development. “One thing that stood out during that interview was how fast he could type,” Sakurai recalls. “The other thing was his smile.”

“When taking notes, listening, or even just talking, he’d always have the most carefree smile on his face. It wasn’t forced, either, but a true expression of joy.”

Sakurai went on to recall his time at HAL, wherein the company faced financial hardship leading to Mr Iwata taking the role of president of the company in the 90s, despite being, as Sakurai put it, “an extraordinary programmer.”

“The only time Mr. Iwata personally wrote any code for a game I was working on was the prototype of what became Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64 – Dragon King: The Fighting Game.  That, and a separate adventure game.

“Mr Iwata was extremely busy working on other projects at the time, but he was kind enough to use some days off to help me make it.”

As the video concludes, Sakurai reflects on his feelings after the death of Mr Iwata.

“Mr Iwata was truly the person who understood me best. He was full of virtue, relentlessly hardworking, committed to service, and a man who changed the game industry.”