Famitsu: Sakurai Discusses Smash Ultimate’s Multiple Awards And Attending The Tokyo Game Show

The latest issue of Weekly Famitsu has been released with Japan, and once again features a column by Masahiro Sakurai, the director of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

In the column, Sakurai shares more of his thoughts on the multiple awards Smash Ultimate won at Tokyo Game Show and talks about his involvement in the event’s “Future Award” for promising titles. Check out some translated highlights below as shared by PushDustIn and Nokoloc on Twitter.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s Awards

• Sakurai says it’s a bit silly to give games awards, as each game has its own merits
• Sakurai can’t believe Smash Ultimate won 5 awards at the Japan Game Awards this year, it’s an amazing achievement to him
• Sakurai thanks the development team, those companies that allowed them to use their IP, and the fans of Smash’s characters

Participating in The Tokyo Game Show Future Award

• The Future Award at Tokyo Game Show is given to promising games shown at the event
• Only attendees can vote for the awards
• Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout won the top prize for having standout character design
• The vote for the Future Award isn’t done by a simple tally, as a committee oversees the competition
• The committee works to make voting fair and to bring out more viable contenders
• Since the games are played by the judges, playing with as much attention to detail as possible is necessary
• It’s very difficult for Sakurai to decide after considering all of the candidates
• Every year, Sakurai’s been invited as a special guest alongside others with similar merits
• Being a part of this took a lot of time, though, since it was difficult to play games when he wanted to
• As a creator and a consultant, Sakurai says it’s an honor to be called on to do such a job
• After 10 minutes of a demo, he has to figure out what to do in his next 50 minutes of playing
• Sakurai also has his own work to do, so it would be a huge loss of time to leave his office empty for too long
• Since games like COD: Modern Warfare feature 12 players, or 4v1 in Project Resistance, his staff has played with him too
• “I’m just one person playing these games, so thanks to all of you for your help!!”
• Sakurai avoided many details about the winning games of the Japan Game Awards so he can make a fair, unbiased decision
• When it comes to playing these games, he’s usually keen on making his own conclusions about them
• If Sakurai continues to be called upon for this kind of thing, he wants to try his best to the greatest extent possible

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