Renowned game developer Masahiro Sakurai revealed how he landed the Famitsu column he’s written for more than 18 years, and it involved Final Fantasy XI. In the latest video on his Youtube channel, he explained that he started writing it because of the game. He also shared his perspective on work ethic and some of his experiences balancing his day job while writing his column.
According to Masahiro Sakurai, he met a Famitsu editor in charge of the columns while playing the MMORPG Final Fantasy XI. Although not having met in person before, the editor invited him to write a new column for the Japanese gaming magazine. This would be the beginning of his interest in sharing his knowledge and perspectives on game development, leading up to his current YouTube channel.
You can check the whole video about his experiences writing his opinion column below:
He also explained how he managed to keep writing his column for so many years, sharing three main reasons based on performance, time, and attitude. In addition, he advised not to overthink and try to enjoy the job for anyone who has to work on a routine basis.
Sakurai’s column in Famitsu has been widely acclaimed among game development enthusiasts and it has been published in book format on several occasions. As for his YouTube channel, there are more than 90 videos of him talking about different elements of video game development for beginners and sharing his opinions on topics such as COVID and the creation of Sora Ltd.