Japanese gaming icon Masahiro Sakurai, creator of Super Smash Bros. and Kirby has made headlines for his sharp insights on the state of the gaming industry and the Western trends currently dragging it down. Sakurai was recently honored with Japan’s prestigious Art Encouragement Prize from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the gaming industry through his Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games YouTube channel. Following this achievement, Sakurai participated in an interview with Entax where he addressed a growing trend plaguing the gaming world: the prioritization of Western tastes over authentic, homegrown creativity.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018), Bandai Namco Studios
Sakurai stressed that Japanese developers should focus on making games with domestic appeal, rather than chasing what they believe Western audiences want. He plainly stated, “I think Japanese people should keep pursuing the things that Japanese people like.” This simple yet powerful statement carries major weight in today’s climate where many developers—both in Japan and the West—are bending over backwards to accommodate Western sensibilities, often at the cost of creativity and uniqueness.
Sakurai’s perspective isn’t just relevant—it’s a necessary reality check. The Western gaming industry has found itself stuck in a creative rut, obsessed with forcing social agendas, token characters, and politically correct narratives into its titles rather than focusing on delivering engaging, well-crafted experiences. This misguided focus has come at a steep cost, not just creatively but financially.
Audiences are turning away in droves, disillusioned by the pandering and lack of substance.
A screenshot from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018), Nintendo
The most telling part of Sakurai’s comments? He doesn’t believe that Western gamers are even asking for these so-called “Americanized works.” Instead, he suggests they are drawn to Japanese games precisely because of their distinctive charm, unfiltered storytelling, and unapologetic design choices. This sentiment by Sakurai is one that’s been echoed across fanbases tired of Western gaming studios injecting overt political agendas and social narratives into what used to be straightforward entertainment.
This perspective arrives at an opportune moment. Silent Hill fans recently saw producer Motoi Okamoto express a similar view, explaining that the upcoming Silent Hill f will return to its Japanese roots after years of Western influence watered down the franchise’s core identity. Okamoto openly admitted, “As [Silent Hill] was based in the West for the longest time, it felt like the Japanese influence was fading.” That candid recognition speaks volumes about how far off-track even beloved franchises can veer when trying to cater to ideologies outside their original vision.
A screenshot from Star Wars Outlaws (2024), Ubisoft
Meanwhile, the Western gaming industry is struggling to understand why its once-loyal audiences are walking away. Massive projects like Star Wars Outlaws and Dragon Age: The Veilguard have faced harsh criticism and backlash for prioritizing diversity checklists, shallow characters, and forced messaging over compelling gameplay and storytelling. Both games were once part of legendary franchises, but now fans see them as mere hollow shells, pumped out by studios more interested in Twitter approval than crafting unforgettable worlds.
Star Wars Outlaws, in particular, has drawn flak for abandoning the feel of classic Star Wars adventure in favor of inserting generic modern sensibilities, alienating longtime fans. Similarly, Dragon Age: The Veilguard faced instant mockery after its reveal, with its cast of caricatures and sanitized designs that seem more concerned with meeting DEI standards and pushing gender politics than offering the gritty, morally complex fantasy storytelling the series was once known for.
A screenshot from Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024), BioWare
Gamers aren’t interested in lectures—they’re looking for fun, immersion, and originality, the very things Japanese developers excel at when left to their own devices. Sakurai’s comments shine a light on why studios like Nintendo, Capcom, FromSoftware, and others continue to thrive. They focus on delivering polished, unique, culturally authentic games that stand apart from the homogenized offerings flooding the Western market.
Mr. Sakurai’s approach is a breath of fresh air. Rather than chasing fleeting trends, he advocates for staying true to what made Japanese games beloved in the first place. It’s a lesson Western studios might want to consider as they continue to churn out formulaic titles that prioritize ideology over entertainment. Gamers have spoken with their wallets—and the message is clear.
Nintendo’s Masahiro Sakurai – YouTube, Mamoru Subs
Japanese developers are poised to thrive by doing what they’ve always done best—focusing on creativity, craftsmanship, and cultural authenticity. Sakurai’s comments, and the resurgence of titles like Silent Hill f, make it clear: the future of gaming belongs to those bold enough to resist homogenization.
Do you agree with Mr. Sakurai on Western gaming trends? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
Appealing to Japanese tastes was what made Japanese games so popular in the West during the Eighties and Nineties and it’s never more true now. Western devs seem to think we want woke in our games, despite us all but grabbing the executives by the throat and throttling them while having a bullhorn scream in their ears, “WE DON’T WANT WOKE!”
Japanese studios still have a chance to be saved, despite what some people insist about companies like Capcom. Western triple-A studios are too far gone at this point. Even if they reversed course now, they’ll wind up like Atari did: mere echoes of what they once were and can never be again.
Well said
My favourite games at the moment are mostly Japanese games made for Japanese audiences. I never understood where the idea of western audiences not liking Japanese games came from. Especially since it’s mostly voiced by devs, that became popular in the west with games made for the Japanese market, like SquareEnix. When those devs start to cater to western audiences, it’s usually where the downfall begins. Because suddenly it’s different games and the fans don’t get what they initially liked about the games anymore. And this has been true before woke already.
Japanese studios should also be very picky with who localises their games. Because there are also many bad actors, that can ruin an otherwise great game by injecting stuff in the localisation.
He is absolutely right. The Japanese games, that became popular in the west became popular because they were Japanese. When those studios tried to appeal to Western Fans, they usually lost some of their core audience in the west, even before all the woke nonsense.
Things like good gameplay and good stories transcend borders. What is fun for people in one culture will also be fun for people in other cultures. Though devs in different countries have unique ideas, which can lead to unique and creative gameplay experiences. This would be lost if you assume people in the west don’t like what Japanese people like.
A really BIG problem are also localisers in the west. Bad localisers, which inject stuff into the translation, that wasn’t there in the original can ruin a game, that would else have been great. Recently I’ve played Trails through Daybreak and there’s a lot of gay stuff in there, where I don’t know if it existed in the original. Also there was a “trans women”, so basically just a delusional man, cast as VA for a female role. I dropped the game and threw it in the trash. I will never play another NIS America game. I wish they had to label brainrot like this on the package, so I wouldn’t have to waste money just to find this stuff tens of hours into the game. There was the site DEIdetected, but I don’t think it got any Updates after it got shadowbanned on google. As the gaming industry is right now, we really need a place where we can look up if games are save to play.
[…] perspective is particularly noteworthy given Sakurai’s illustrious career and his recent recognition as one of the recipients of the Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists, […]