Sakurai has an injury in both of his arms now

[KingKirb]

I heard a rumor he was trying to imitate Little Mac and threw his arms out

 

[Kaye Cruiser]

Eh, he'll live. Not the end of the world or anything. ¦D

He honestly would've had plenty of time to rest before if he had more trust in his team to do stuff without him constantly overseeing it, but hey, that's his choice. He may be paying for it, but at least he's dedicated.

Still, it's not like he's going to die or anything like some of you are blowing this up hilariously to sound like. He's a game developer, not a martyr. He won't be the first to needlessly overwork himself this way and he won't be the first one to recover from it either.

Sakurai will be just fine...As long as he doesn't start doing something stupid like trying to choreograph what he wants certain moves to look like himself in front of his team. THEN he might be in trouble.

 

[PsychoIncarnate]

How long before he injures both his legs?

 

[Vintage Creep]

Like I said in the unpopular opinions thread... This will be the last Smash Bros game developed by Sakurai. Book it.

I'm afraid this is going to be the last game developed by Sakurai, period. That **** he has it's not getting better, it's getting worse. That's bad. I'm kinda scared for him.

 

[Sonicthesneak]

It's a sad situation that both of his arms are damaged now. It really is. But I am sure that the rest of the team could carry on without him needing to be so involved. I think that he's overdoing it at this point.

It's definitely a balancing act. On one hand, he loves his job and wants to make sure the game is done right. But from other articles, it seems that he is working more then he has to. One article had him saying he comes in 6 days a week when he could work from home and do just fine with 5 days.

As a guy who loves his job, you would think he would want to let his team pick it up a bit so he can make more games down the road. I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to go out on Smash 4.

Either way, this should be his last game until he heals completely and gets some R&R. So I'd say a year off or 2 if necessary. (It's a good thing Smash games are only once every 4 or 5 years or so, and with no planned Kid Icarus games or another Kirby, he can get that rest.)

I'd also suggest that in the future, he be less hands on. Sakurai should totally legislate more. He's earned that much. He created a great franchise through and through. There's no shame in passing the torch for your own heath or even taking a break.

I said a while back that I had a gut feeling that Smash 4 would be delayed into 2015 and that I wouldn't mind it. This would sure as hell be a good reason to not mind. I think other Smash players would feel the same. (The ones that really care. Not the E-Trolls or the Miiverse Goblins.)

 

[Oracle_Summon]

What a diligent worker he is. To show respect for his arms, I might hurt my fingers from over playing the game when it gets released.

 

[Mysteltainn]

This blows, knowing Sakurai though, he'll strain through it to the end simply because that's the kind of person he seems to be. I really think he should just take a back seat position for the remainder of SSB4's development though. Or at the very least, take a long break after it's done to heal them properly.

 

[TheTuninator]

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sm...-sounds-like-it-s-getting-worse/1100-6417712/
http://kotaku.com/smash-bros-creator-on-why-japanese-games-take-so-long-1521976301

I know we like to joke around and say Sakurai likes to troll us all the time, but the fact that he's still developing the game with these injuries is very admirable.

It's not admirable. It's horrifying. I don't want anybody to sacrifice their health for the sake of a video game reaching me sooner.

I don't know if this is attributable to Sakurai's individual work ethic or the general nature of Japanese business culture, but this man needs to stop working and seek medical treatment immediately.

 

[Smashoperatingbuddy123]

I'm afraid this is going to be the last game developed by Sakurai, period. That **** he has it's not getting better, it's getting worse. That's bad. I'm kinda scared for him.

Do think like that

the namco team is help nintendo with smash bros 4 so I'm sure there's enough members to keep it going till his arms are fixed from the hospital trips/surgerys

 

[SSBIx3M]

Eh, he'll live. Not the end of the world or anything. ¦D

He honestly would've had plenty of time to rest before if he had more trust in his team to do stuff without him constantly overseeing it, but hey, that's his choice. He may be paying for it, but at least he's dedicated.

Still, it's not like he's going to die or anything like some of you are blowing this up hilariously to sound like. He's a game developer, not a martyr. He won't be the first to needlessly overwork himself this way and he won't be the first one to recover from it either.

Sakurai will be just fine...As long as he doesn't start doing something stupid like trying to choreograph what he wants certain moves to look like himself in front of his team. THEN he might be in trouble.

I agree.
He is a grownup man. We can all say that he knows what he is doing. Not only that. He has much experience in his job.
It's not like he get forced or something. ^^

Anyways. Get well pretty soon Mr. Sakurai!

 

[Pazzo.]

Man, Sakurai needs to take a break... I'd hate it if he had this AND an arrogant, demanding fanbase... oh wait.

 

[Vkrm]

Too much PM I'm guessing

 

[Tree Gelbman]

How long before he injures both his legs?

He'll be doing a later developer direct in a wheelchair.

No, I kid.

Seriously. I know it's a culture based thing, but he needs to rest up and get better.

 

[~ Valkyrie ~]

If we'd be ever to make a new twitter tag for him, 4 words:

"PLEASE TAKE A BREAK (AFTER THIS GAME) SAKURAI"

 

[Niko Mar]

Sakurai needs to get robotic Jax arms.

 

[Lozjam]

Tendinitis is no laughing matter, it hurts, a lot. I have a juvenile tendinitis, meaning it is not serious, and I is really painful at times. What he has is probably 10 tens worse than what I have. Some days it feels like my wrists are burning, and there is nothing I can do about it, with Sakurai, it sounds like it's all the time, up through his whole arms. So people need to see how much Sakurai is giving us, before this gets any worse.

 

[cmbsfm]

Damn, hope he gets better soon, this just shows the dedication he has. Respect.

If we do get a new director for Smash 5, which we shouldn't worry about for a long time, does anyone propose any ideas who would make a good fit? Do you think they will introduce new things to the series that Sakurai would never consider?

That being said, with a new director, whoever it is would likely still get a lot of Sakurai's consultation on how the developer their game.

Hideki Kamiya will be the next director for smash, so we can expect him to tell people to"Ask their mom" when they ask "is ___ getting in".
You can also expect tweets such as
"F*** OFF ALL RIDELY IDIOTS"

 

[Rocket Raccoon]

I actually might start praying for Sakurai, he needs it.

HOPE YOU GET BETTER SOON!!

 

[mygamecube]

I hope after this game he takes a long, well deserved break. I don't think he had much of one after he made Kid Icarus: Uprising.

I get being dedicated and passionate about doing what you love, but sacrificing your health isn't a smart way to go. I can work through pain or illness myself, but from how bad his arms seem to be, I can't see myself working through something like that.

This does make me concerned about the release of the game, only because we still don't have a concrete release date. If Sakurai decides to rest his arms, production of Smash Bros. will probably slow a bit, and we won't see the game until 2015. I wouldn't mind in the long run though, I'm more concerned about Sakurai's health tbh. The game can wait.

 

[Pacack]

Honestly, I've been thinking about it, and I'm really thinking it might be best for him to either retire or go to strictly supervisory roles. He can't continue programming and testing games without causing more damage, and his health needs to take priority. I mean, I get that he's passionate, so he might not want to retire, but he needs to at least get others to do the work for him rather than doing it all himself.

 

[SuperBrawler]

Look at the comments. The utter stupidity and selfishness is so huge I almost shot my iPad.

 

[MasterOfKnees]

Sakurai will be just fine...As long as he doesn't start doing something stupid like trying to choreograph what he wants certain moves to look like himself in front of his team. THEN he might be in trouble.

I'd worry more about his mentality than his arms if he tried to choreograph things like Bowser's Koopa Claw and the drop kick.

 

[ChikoLad]

This issue cam up in the Palutena speculation thread, so I will re-post what I did there:

I've known about it for a while, and it's probably the single biggest reason why I am OK with Smash 4 spending as long as it needs in development. The guy's health is seriously at risk. I've heard stories in the past of video game developers nearly dying from overworking themselves, catching terrible illnesses that nearly take their lives. In some cases, this can be due to poor work conditions. I'm sure Sakurai's work conditions are nice, and I know they do accommodate for his injury, but I still worry about the guy. I don't know if his injury is fatal (Palutena forbid it!) or even treatable or curable, but it sounds like it is very, very limiting, and most of all, painful.

There is no doubt in my mind that Namco Bandai's involvement is in anticipation for Sakurai's worsening condition. I don't know my Japanese law, but I think the guy will need a serious break soon, with paid leave. Or at least, leave him to some lighter work such as the daily pics, and have an assistant who is always on call.

It may sound silly to most, but hearing him say that he is "losing at Smash Bros" (which I'm sure he means he is losing regularly, which likely didn't happen before) is actually heartbreaking to me. He's essentially saying "I can't play this creation of mine that millions of people around the world will be enjoying". That's a soul crushing thing for a developer to have to live with. I'm only a mere games design student, and even I would be pretty upset if I was unable to play my own games that I work hard on.

And mental health is just as important as physical health. While I'm sure he's quite pleased to see so many people support him and I know he makes these games out of pure passion and as a letter of love to the people who play them, this injury is going to effect the guy's mental health eventually (if it isn't already). And when that happens, things will get messy.

Sakurai is one of my games design idols, and as such, I care more about his well-being than I do about getting Smash as soon as possible (heck, this is an overall principle value of mine - the people behind the game matter more than the game itself). Now, Smash won't be cancelled, I know that much. Worst case scenario is that Sakurai resigns from the project due to being incapable of staying in the work environment (he is living away from home until this game is done). But my hope is that, through giving him some time to rest, he won't need to completely resign. Because again, that would hurt his mental health. This man is like a living manifestation of "determination" within the gaming community, and as such, he'd probably feel like he let people down if he resigned, and feel like a failure (especially since Japan is a much harsher place when it comes to proving credibility). Though I think we can all agree he is no failure.

Sakurai says his lifestyle during Melee's development was "destructive", and I just don't want him to do that again, especially with the added inhibition of this injury. So yeah, I'd rather Smash miss it's 2014 window if it meant the guy could recover a bit.

After reading the articles in the OP and some info posted thereafter, I'm glad to hear that he at least has the option to stay at home if he needs to. I wish he would make use of it, though. I know there's probably no persuading him at this point, he seems like a "I gotta do what I gotta do" kind of guy. And I totally relate. I've put myself through a lot of stuff I really didn't need to. I have my own work inhibitors that I deal with, both mental and physical, and still always try to work on something. However, Sakurai is a whole other level of workaholic. Me personally, I'm either working constantly on stuff or taking a nice break, with no real inbetween, but Sakurai just seems like he's always working. Which is admirable, but his health should come first. I'm a big hypocrite in saying that, but everyone is aware of this fact, even if they are always working. And we all eventually remember that lesson.

I just don't want another Chris Senn scenario. I hate when developers risk their health like this. Especially since so many ignorant, over-entitled gamer don't help the situation.

 

[Komenja]

I really wish he would take a month or a few off to let his arms recover (if they can), but he is dead set on getting this game out before the end of this year. I have nothing but respect for the man.

 

[True Blue Warrior]

This is just awful.

 

[Thirdkoopa]

If we'd be ever to make a new twitter tag for him, 4 words:

"PLEASE TAKE A BREAK (AFTER THIS GAME) SAKURAI"

Can we tell the entire staff on that game to take a break? Seriously, buy a cruise for a month or something. I'll buy two copies of each game if that helps. Between this, many of the people leaving, and some of the staff having terminal illnesses I'm left speechless.

 

[Eternal phoenix Fire]

Can we tell the entire staff on that game to take a break? Seriously, buy a cruise for a month or something. I'll buy two copies of each game if that helps. Between this, many of the people leaving, and some of the staff having terminal illnesses I'm left speechless.

Terminal illnesses? Really? What the **** man?

 

[Thirdkoopa]

Terminal illnesses? Really? What the **** man?

Hey that's exactly what I said. (Unless you're pointing out something else or I used the wrong wording)

Thankfully, it's few.

edit: There's also some sad stories up of people's deaths before their game was complete... it's actually pretty sad.

 

[Eternal phoenix Fire]

Hey that's exactly what I said. (Unless you're pointing out something else or I used the wrong wording)

Thankfully, it's few.

edit: There's also some sad stories up of people's deaths before their game was complete... it's actually pretty sad.

Aw man. That really really sucks. Prayers go out to the team.

 

[DakotaBonez]

Sakurai creates all of the animations by posing real life figures and taking photos of them which he sends to the in game model animators.
I can imagine Sakurai hunched over a Little Mac figure trying to position Mac's arm at just the right angle for an uppercut when suddenly he feels a sharp pain in his arm, he crashes to the floor writhing in pain.
Damnit Sakurai let your body heal!
I can understand him not wanting to give up.
He doesn't want someone else to step in and change his vision of the game.
Be Strong!

 

[Oniric Spriter]

Poor guy, he should rest in bed for a week or 2, or only supervising while Sora and Namco work on other things.

 

[The Curious Volnutt]

This game can get delayed as much as Brawl, as long as Sakurai is fit.
But knowing him he'll probably take a break when his arms and legs fall off and his spine explodes.

 

[BridgesWithTurtles]

This game can get delayed as much as Brawl, as long as Sakurai is fit.
But knowing him he'll probably take a break when his arms and legs fall off and his spine explodes.

[collapse=Sakurai at the release of SSB4]

[/collapse]

 

[The Curious Volnutt]

[collapse=Sakurai at the release of SSB4]

[/collapse]

XD, I can't believe that I didn't remember this guy while typing up the post!

 

[8-peacock-8]

Sakurai needs some Nanomachines.

 

[The Curious Volnutt]

Sakurai needs some Nanomachines.

Son. there I fixed it for you.

 

[Satoru Iwata]

Wow, at this point I think he's not going to be the director anymore.

How can this be?

 

[Sarki Soliloquy]

Sakurai needs some Automail.

Fixed it for a viable alternative.

 

[Vkrm]

I can already see it. This is probably gonna be sakurai's last game. He lost the functionality of both his hands. He's giving it everything he's got and more. As we get closer and closer to release day the strain on his body increases. One day he'll just give out, and on that day the community will gather round to say our good byes. We'll look down on his broken body and lament. On his death bed sakurai will quietly whisper,

"Here is smash 4. I hope it's all that you dreamed it would be."

Then someone will lean in and say the words to punctuate sakurai's existence and condemn him to ceaseless suffering in the afterlife.


" Melee was better."

 

[Arcadenik]

*groans and moans* I hate Sakurai! I hate him for what he had done to me! He Falcon Punched my butt and destroyed my sphincter. He deserves to have his arms hurt for doing that to me! This after he told me that no matter how hard I support Waluigi, he would never get in Smash. Waaa... Waaa... Waaa... my anus needs some stitches. Where is Dr. Mario when you need him?