Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai laments loss of “all rounder” devs as AAA forces devs into specific roles

Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai laments loss of “all rounder” devs as AAA forces devs into specific roles - VideoGamer

Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Kirby and Super Smash Bros, laments the loss of all-rounder developers in the games industry.

videogamer.com

TL;DR: Smash Bros and Kirby mastermind Masahiro Sakurai says today’s AAA studios have devs so pigeonholed into narrow roles—modelers, texture artists, audio engineers—that it’s almost impossible to grow “all-rounder” directors who juggle programming, graphics, sound and lead huge teams. Back in the day, folks like Sakurai, Kojima or Todd Howard cut their teeth wearing every hat, but now specialization means fewer people can helm big projects from A to Z.

Sakurai argues this fragmentation creates a “shortage” of game directors with a broad view, since modern studios don’t let you hop between disciplines. Meanwhile, he’s off working on Kirby Air Riders for the Switch 2 (and maybe remixing Smash Ultimate?), proving that sometimes, one person really can do it all.