The Japan Game Awards, an annual event organized by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) of Japan in conjunction with the Tokyo Game Show, announced its 2026 winners during the awards ceremony held tonight (September 15).
During the ceremony, renowned game creator and founder of the award, Masahiro Sakurai, discussed the "Game Designer's Award," which will officially conclude this year. He revealed that the reason for its discontinuation was that he "couldn't find anyone to replace me," a statement that has sparked much discussion among players.
The "Game Designer's Award" was established by Masahiro Sakurai in 2010. It aimed to recognize creative and innovative works, with game industry professionals evaluating submissions from a specialized perspective.
Masahiro Sakurai explained that for an award focused on "originality" to maintain sufficient credibility, the judges must be game creators who have personally crafted innovative game designs. Therefore, he had spent years searching for a successor who could take over the arrangement of judges and overall coordination, but ultimately failed to find a suitable candidate.
He further elaborated that the person taking on this role is not only responsible for selecting and organizing the list of judges but also for inviting and commissioning suitable individuals as judges when necessary. Additionally, they must present other winners' works and give presentations on stage during the awards ceremony. In other words, even while busy with their own game development, they would have to shoulder these extra responsibilities. Masahiro Sakurai stated that with game production itself being quite demanding, it's not easy to consistently manage these additional responsibilities long-term.
However, Masahiro Sakurai also reflected that the "Game Designer's Award" has held various values throughout its run. He believes that by selecting and honoring works based on "originality," the award offered a different evaluation standard compared to typical awards that prioritize popularity or market response.
He also urged everyone, when evaluating games, to pay more attention to the freshness, originality, and unique characteristics that only a particular work possesses.
▼ The final "Game Designer's Award" in 2026 was awarded to "Word Game," developed by Taiwanese indie game studio Team9.
The organizer, the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA), announced on September 8 that the "Game Designer's Award" would officially conclude. They stated that after this 17th edition's announcement and awards ceremony, the award would have fulfilled its historical mission.