Entertainment · Gaming · 3 hrs ago
Masahiro Sakurai Says Most AI-Made Games Will Not Be Profitable
Game creator Masahiro Sakurai says AI will lead to many more games, but most will not make money.
He made the comments in an interview about the growth of games released on Steam, which rose from 275 in 2010 to 19,000, according to the interviewer.
Sakurai says AI-made games are likely to repeat ideas already used in other games, including simple puzzle concepts.
He argues that AI can draw on existing work but cannot create something truly new.
He says distinct human creativity will matter more as games are produced in greater numbers and low-quality titles become more common.
His comments come amid a boom in AI-made game mods, while the sources do not describe any next step from Sakurai on the issue.
Masahiro Sakurai said he expects most games made with AI to become unprofitable.
He argued that AI-generated games are likely to reproduce systems and ideas already seen in other games.
Sakurai said AI cannot replicate the original artistic style of creators such as Fumito Ueda.
He pointed to the increase in games released on Steam, from 275 in 2010 to 19,000.
His comments came in an interview with Denfaminico Gamer.
- Who
- Masahiro Sakurai, creator of Super Smash Bros.
- What
- He said most AI-made games will likely be unprofitable and that AI struggles to create original work.
- When
- October 27, 2026, when IGN published its report.
- Where
- In an interview with Denfaminico Gamer.
- Why
- Sakurai said there are too many games to track and that AI tends to reproduce ideas and systems already used in games.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The number of games released on Steam was 275, according to the interviewer cited by IGN.
IGN published its report on Sakurai's comments.
The number of games released on Steam rose to 19,000, according to the interviewer cited by IGN.
- Steam games in 2010
- 275 titles
- Steam games cited in the interview
- 19,000 titles
- Interview outlet
- Denfaminico Gamer
- Creator discussed by Sakurai
- Fumito Ueda
- Example game mentioned
- Needle in a Haystack Simulator
What people are saying
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
Basically, AI refers to ‘things that have been created so far,’ but it can't refer to ‘things that haven't been created before.’
That's something only he can create.