Smash Bros.’ Masahiro Sakurai named ‘Most Valuable Creator’ at Famitsu Dengeki awards

Masahiro Sakurai has been named the “Most Valuable Creator” at the Famitsu Dengeki awards.

Sakurai, who has been in the games industry since he created the character Kirby when he was just 19 years old, has directed countless acclaimed games, most notably, the Super Smash Bros. series.

The awards were voted on by Famitsu readers, other developers and voice actors.

“I received an award. Thank you to everyone who supported us!” Sakurai said in a tweet.

The full list of nominees is as follows, courtesy of Nintendo Life (winners in bold).

Game of the Year

• Uma Musume: Pretty Derby
• Tales of Arise
• Resident Evil Village
• Monster Hunter Rise
• Lost Judgment

MVC – Most Valuable Creator

• Capcom’s Resident Evil Village development team
• Cygames’ Uma Musume: Pretty Derby development team
• Masahiro Sakurai (creator of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)
• Sega’s Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
• Naoki Yoshida (producer of Final Fantasy XIV)

Best Scenario

• Tales of Arise
• Buddy Mission BOND
• Lost Judgment

Best Graphics

• Uma Musume: Pretty Derby
• Tales of Arise
• Resident Evil Village

Best Music

• Uma Musume: Pretty Derby
• NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…
• Monster Hunter Rise

Best Actor

• Takuya Kimura as Takayuki Yagami in Lost Judgment
• Daisuke Tsuji as Jin Sakai in Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut
• Maggie Robertson as Alcina Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village

Best Voice Actor

• Hitomi Ueda as Gold Ship in Uma Musume: Pretty Derby
• Shino Shimoji as Shionne in Tales of Arise
• Daisuke Namikawa as Chesley Nichols in Buddy Mission BOND

Best Character

• Alphen from Tales of Arise
• Ethan Winters from Resident Evil Village
• Gold Ship from Uma Musume: Pretty Derby

Best Online Game

• Apex Legends
• Genshin Impact
• Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker

Best Action

• Hades
• Monster Hunter Rise
• Returnal

Best Action Adventure

• Resident Evil Village
• Metroid Dread
• Lost Judgment

Best Adventure

• Jack Jeanne
• Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon-
• Buddy Mission BOND

Best RPG

• The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki
• Shin Megami Tensei V
• Tales of Arise

Best Indie Game

• Eastward
• Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
• Hades

Best Rookie

• Uma Musume: Pretty Derby
• Scarlet Nexus
• Buddy Mission BOND

Best Esports Game

• Apex Legends
• Street Fighter V: Champion Edition
• Valorant

Animal Crossing: New Horizon won the Game of the Year prize at last year’s awards, with Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us Part II, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin and Final Fantasy VII Remake also nominated.