There are many who would rightfully argue that the “gaming icons” that we used to look to for big announcements and big gaming breakthroughs aren’t around as prominently as they were once before. However, some still endure, and one of them is none other than Masahiro Sakurai! Today is his 55th birthday, and we hope he’s had a wonderful birthday! …and that he’s not working on his birthday, because he’s definitely the kind of guy to do that… Anyway, since it’s his birthday, let’s list all he’s done for the gaming industry and tease his future within it!
Primarily, he’s known for two franchises, the first of which is the one he created full-tilt: Kirby. Yes, the adorable puffball of Nintendo (suck it, Jigglypuff!) was indeed Sakurai’s creation, and he made all of Kirby’s main games up until he left HAL Labs to become an independent developer. However, even after that move, he still worked on the franchise that he helped create back on the N64…Super Smash Bros! Ever since then, Sakurai’s influence on it is what helped the game series become the legendary entity it is now.
Oh, and he made an epic YouTube channel called “Creating Games” that you should TOTALLY check out!
Happy 55th Birthday to Kirby and Super Smash Bros. Creator Masahiro Sakurai!
— Stealth40k (@stealth40k.bsky.social) 2025-08-02T16:05:08.901Z
As for what Masahiro Sakurai is up to next, that would be Kirby Air Riders on the Nintendo Switch 2. The game is a full-on sequel to the GameCube classic, and it’ll be the first time Sakurai has tackled a Kirby-focused game in a while! Plus, there are rumors he could be doing Smash Bros right after…
Either way, Sakurai is the best, and we look forward to whatever he creates on the Switch 2 and beyond!
