Masahiro Sakurai, the creative mind behind the Kirby and Super Smash Bros. series, has announced that the Game Designers Award will not return to the Japan Game Awards. Sakurai founded the award in 2010 to recognize games for their creativity and originality, specifically those that incorporate new ideas departing from existing works and expand the possibilities of game software.
This year's Game Designers Award was presented to Word Game, an independent text-based puzzle title from Team9. The game, originally developed in Traditional Chinese, impressed the judging committee with its successful localization. The CESA's website highlighted the award's criteria, stating the winning title should appeal to a broad audience, including non-gamers, and achieve a memorable impact.
Sakurai explained the difficult decision to end the award during his presentation at this year's ceremony. "It's been 16 years since we started [this award]," he stated. "This is the last year that we’re doing it, and the reason is because there’s nobody who’s going to replace me. That is the only reason."
He elaborated that finding a suitable successor has proven impossible despite searching for several years. The award requires leadership from someone who has a proven track record of directing innovative games that significantly alter gameplay. While other judges were present, none were willing or able to take on the role. "I scouted and tried to find someone to replace me. I did some presentations to try to find somebody, too. I searched for a couple years, but nobody stepped up to replace me," Sakurai said.
Sakurai emphasized the importance of innovation within the game industry, noting that it does not always equate to profitability. "Although the Grand Award is always so popular, I think this shows a different side of games. Unfortunately, innovativeness doesn't always link to profitability," he commented. "You usually go with things you’re used to. It’s always hard for this kind of innovativeness and creativity to be recognized, but if the industry loses creativity and innovation, I think the industry as a whole will slowly die. We always need new discoveries and innovations to keep the industry fresh and alive."
Previous recipients of the Game Designers Award include Viewfinder, Indika, and RPG Time: The Legend of Wright. The discontinuation of the award has led to some fan speculation that Sakurai may be focusing on new projects, particularly given ongoing rumors about a potential new Super Smash Bros. game.