Through his games, Sakurai has developed a huge fanbase that only grows with each game he releases. Despite this, he wants the focus to remain on the things he creates, rather than him as a person. "I think it's best if people just play games," Sakurai says. "Instead of looking at who made them." Nintendo icon Shigeru Miyamoto says while he's not as involved with making Mario games anymore, he always plays about 30 minutes during development to make sure they feel right Hideo Kojima only plays "maybe one game a year" because "games take a lot of time" and "what's happening outside the game world is more important to me to incorporate into my game" With the launch of his next game, Kirby Air Riders, on the horizon, he is always conscious of how he comes across to others. "Becoming a laughing stock on the internet would be problematic," he says. "That's why I frequently turn down requests for interviews." While the idea of the reserved Sakurai becoming an internet "laughing stock" may seem ridiculous, I can understand his desire to not be perceived. Kirby Air Riders review: "This racer is also equal parts fighting game, minigame collection, and roguelike – and I'm shocked at how well that works"