Super Smash Bros. series creator Masahiro Sakurai recently sat down with Japanese outlet Denfaminico Gamer to discuss the explosive growth in the number of games released on Steam and how Generative AI could reshape game development. Sakurai believes AI will flood the market with even more titles that imitate existing gameplay ideas—but most of them will struggle to turn a profit. In that environment, developers with a distinctive creative voice could become more valuable than ever. 
During the interview, the host noted that the number of new games released on Steam each year had surged from 275 in 2010 to roughly 19,000. Sakurai responded:
"Nineteen thousand is an astonishing number, but I think it will keep rising. And there's no question that AI will push that number even higher," he said. "But most of those games will probably be unable to make money. There will simply be too many for anyone to keep track of them all."
Sakurai said some low-quality games created with AI or churned out at scale merely recycle systems that already exist elsewhere. He pointed to puzzle games about organizing supermarket products, putting screws back into place, or finding a needle in a haystack, arguing that AI can more easily imitate gameplay built around simple rules like these.
When it comes to genuine originality, however, Sakurai contrasted those examples with Fumito Ueda, the creator of ICO and Shadow of the Colossus:
"AI might be able to study the atmosphere of ICO or Shadow of the Colossus and produce something similar, but it can't reproduce whatever Mr. Ueda wants to create next," Sakurai said. "AI can reference things that have already been created, but it can't reference something that doesn't exist yet." That, he argued, is where human creativity comes in. 
As the number of games continues to climb, Sakurai believes creators who can carve out their own path and establish a distinctive style will become increasingly important. Their value will stand out even more in an era flooded with mass-produced, low-quality releases.
Players have increasingly used AI to create game ports, franchise mashups, and other fan projects, while the industry has also moved to adopt AI-assisted development tools. Sakurai's comments arrive as the rapid expansion of game production fuels a broader debate over originality and the enduring value of human creators.
via： 電ファミニコゲーマー