Masahiro Sakurai warns AI could flood gaming market with unplayable clones

Renowned video game designer Masahiro Sakurai, creator of the ‘Super Smash Bros.’ and ‘Kirby’ franchises, has expressed significant concern regarding the impact of artificial intelligence on the gaming industry. In a recent interview following his departure from the presidency of the Japanese Game Designers Awards, Sakurai warned that AI could lead to a market saturated with unplayable titles and direct copies of existing games.

Sakurai noted that while platforms like Steam already see tens of thousands of releases annually, AI will likely accelerate this volume, making it impossible for players to track or understand new content. He emphasized that true originality is a difficult ‘wall of ice’ to climb, as developers often face rejection when deviating from established player expectations. He argued that while AI might be able to mimic the atmosphere of specific creators, it lacks the essential ‘human element’ required to innovate.

Reflecting on his career, Sakurai highlighted that his most successful projects, such as ‘Super Smash Bros.’, succeeded precisely because they broke traditional genre rules rather than following them. He cautioned that an industry losing its drive for originality faces a ‘slow death.’