Super Smash Bros director Masahiro Sakurai just shared a special end of the year message to fans, most notably sharing one of his favorite games of 2021 and movies, alongside some words of praise for the Souls series.

Our Japanese peers at Famitsu and 4Gamer just published their traditional end-of-the-year interviews. Over 100 Japanese developers were asked for their favorite games or entertainment works of 2021, their favorite person, and their aspirations for 2022, among other things. We translated Masahiro Sakurai's interview below.

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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai shares 2021 end of the year message to fans

Masahiro Sakurai participated in 4Gamer's interviews:

Masahiro Sakurai: "This is the first time I accept this end of the year interview. Now that the development of Super Smash Bros Ultimate is over, I don't have to worry anymore about predictions based on which games I would bring up in here. I don't like having to pick one single best game though, so I'm not sure if I'll do this again in 2022".

One of Masahiro Sakurai's favorite games of 2021 is Inscryption

When asked for his favorite game of 2021, Sakurai answered:

Masahiro Sakurai: "I played quite a lot of games in 2021, so I'll pick one of the latest: Inscryption got me good. It's a card game with a lot of meta elements, going past the common unwritten rules of gameplay. I'm sure anyone who already played the game will say that, but it's best to enjoy it without spoiling yourself beforehand."

Masahiro Sakurai's favorite entertainment of 2021

Sakurai brought up the MCU, praising the new movies including the Disney + exclusives. He mentioned how impressive it is that production managed to keep such a high level of quality & release so many movies despite the pandemic.

Sakurai's favorite person of 2021

Masahiro Sakurai: "I have a lot of respect for all creators, but if I had to pick one, then Hidetaka Miyazaki. It's impressive to see the impact he still has on the gaming industry. He's a balanced director. Balanced as in he always manages to make the right decisions for his games, always delivering top-notch works."

Sakurai's aspirations for 2022 & message to fans

Masahiro Sakurai: "I don't have anything in particular to say. I think it'll take me some time to do anything. It's best you just forget about me for a while."