Sakurai sees AI as a potential solution for improving development efficiency as costs soar (update)

Update: it seems Game Infinitus may have mistranslated some of the comments from the Yahoo Japan interview with Masahiro Sakurai.

Prominent Nintendo game developer Masahiro Sakurai has talked at length about unsustainable game development in a recent interview with Yahoo Japan. Talking about a solution, Mr. Sakurai says that he now sees generative AI as a potential key to the video game industry’s future. With game costs rising as video games become bigger and more complex, due to both scope and visuals, he believes that AI could help alleviate some of the cost burdens. Here’s what Mr. Sakurai told Yahoo:

“Frankly speaking, the future is very unclear. I do feel that this situation cannot continue as it is,” he said. “At present, the only effective breakthrough I can think of is the utilization of generative AI.”

“We are now at a stage where we must change the development framework itself, such as by improving work efficiency through the use of generative AI. It may become an era where only companies that can successfully adapt to this change will be able to survive,” he observed.

“In the past, if someone worked in design they might move on to get experience as a planner, but now everyone is so specialized,” he explained. “It’s hard to grow a wide variety of skills.”

“At present, more than ten thousand titles are released each year, making it extremely difficult for any single game to stand out. In order to succeed in the market, great effort, luck, high quality, and distinctiveness are also required.” 

Comparing the situation to that of legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki, he remarked, “Mr. Miyazaki performs work that only he is capable of doing. His path is not something that others can simply follow or imitate. On the contrary, what is important is to compete by forging entirely different paths.”