Masahiro Sakurai Calls AI Games 'Unprofitable Titles' as Clones and Mods Surge

Super Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai has shared his thoughts on the rise of AI-generated games, explaining why he believes the trend won't lead to lasting demand. In an interview with Denfaminico Gamer, Sakurai compared AI-made games to "low-quality goods" that can't hold a candle to human-crafted titles like Shadow of the Colossus.

The interviewer pointed out that the number of games released on Steam has skyrocketed from 275 in 2010 to 19,000 today. Sakurai responded, "19,000 is amazing, but I think that number will increase even more from now on. I'm sure of it. That's because AI will increase the number. However, I think most of them will become 'unprofitable titles.' There are too many to keep track of, and it's impossible to understand them all."

He continued, "When it comes to things created with AI... or things mass-produced with poor quality, I think most of them will simply be reproductions of systems seen in various other games. I think there are already a lot of those now."

Sakurai then pointed to conceptually simple puzzle games, even citing the viral Needle in a Haystack Simulator as an example. According to him, these types of games are easy for AI to recreate because artificial intelligence can't produce something original—it can only iterate on what has come before.

"Titles like, 'The supermarket has been turned upside down, let's rearrange the products,' 'Let's put the screws back in place,' or 'Let's find a needle in the haystack' have become incredibly common. They're also part of the puzzle game genre. I think that kind of imitation should be very easy for AI. However, even if AI can create various works, it's possible that we might see AI creating something similar to the works that Ueda (Fumito) has created—for example, by studying the atmosphere of ICO or Shadow of the Colossus."

He added, "But what Mr. Ueda plans to create in the future is something that AI simply cannot replicate. What kind of artistic style will his future works possess? That's something only he can create. I think that's where human creativity lies. Basically, AI refers to 'things that have been created so far,' but it can't refer to 'things that haven't been created before.' I think this is true not only for AI, but for various kinds of creative works, as well."

Sakurai concluded by saying that people like Ueda, who "forge their own path" and "can create their own unique flavor," will become "increasingly important from now on," especially "in an era of mass production and low-quality goods."

His comments come at a pertinent time. In recent weeks, AI mods have become a wildly popular trend, with players using the technology to port games to web browsers, merge two completely different games into one experience, and even create 'new' games using pre-existing properties. As layoffs continue to hit the industry and giants like Epic shift to "AI-first" production models, the outlook seems grim—but Sakurai's humanistic vision for a future that prioritizes human-made games with originality and depth offers a brighter perspective.

This is the latest news from Sakurai, who recently had to abandon his Game Designer Award for the Japan Game Awards after being unable to find a successor to take over his duties following a 16-year run.

Image Credits: Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games, YouTube