Super Smash Bros. and Kirby creator Masahiro Sakurai isn't thinking about retirement, as people still want him to make games.
Masahiro Sakurai confirmed back in 2022 that he is "semi-retired," whatever that means, which was roughly one year after Sora was released as the final Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC character, bringing an end to nine years of straight development that started with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS in 2012. This was followed by a YouTube channel he ran for two years and by Kirby Air Riders, a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive that released a year ago.
Speaking at the Famitsu 40th Anniversary Festival (translated by Genki_JPN), Sakurai was asked about retirement, saying that as long as there is demand, or he can meet that demand, he won't consider it time to hang it up. He says, "Unfortunately, I’m still working at full throttle." And while there's been no confirmation of what he's up to, it's probably the next Super Smash Bros.
However, Sakurai says he has noticed a decline in some parts of his body, and his eyes are tiring far more easily. During that long Super Smash Bros. development, Sakurai suffered from calcific tendonitis but kept working on the game regardless. He notes that, because the demand for him to create remains, the only question left is "when will my spirit break?" He admits that it's "certainly not the case" when asked whether it's okay for him to maintain this workload, but that he's always thinking about what he can do for the games industry. He recently retired his Game Designers Award after 16 years due to being unable to find a successor, which should hopefully cut down on his workload a bit.
