Timeline: Masahiro Sakurai (Tarea de TICS)

1989

Sakurai begins working at Hal Laboratories.

Sakurai begins working at Hal Laboratories after graduating from high school.

1990

The creation of Kirby

He designs Kirby when he was only 19 years old. Kirby was designed to be a simple character. In the original concept, Sakurai wanted to make a ‘one button’ game.

1996

Planning the best fighting game.

The original plan for what eventually became Smash 64 is finished. The original plan was called “Four-player Simultaneous Face-off No-Damage Battle Royale Fight.” By November, Sakurai and Iwata had a working skeleton for the game.

1997

The prototypes

Sakurai presents two prototypes to Nintendo: an action-adventure game, and a fighting game, internally called Ryuoh: The Fighting Game.

1997

The final prototype

Iwata and Sakurai created another prototype, based on Ryuoh, with four Nintendo characters: Mario, Samus, Fox, and Donkey Kong, and presented it to Nintendo. Full-scale development on this new project begins quickly.

Jan 21, 1999

Super Smash Bros for the N64.

Nintendo All Stars! Super Smash Brothers for the Nintendo 64 is released in Japan.

May 13, 1999

Planning the second smash.

While at E3, Sakurai decides to start work on a Smash Brothers game for the Gamecube.

Jul 7, 1999

Plan finished.

Sakurai is initially working on the game by himself.

Nov 21, 2001

Super Smash Bros Melee.

Super Smash Brothers: Melee is released for the Gamecube in Japan. Sakurai has referred to the 13 month development period of Melee as “an extremely grueling development cycle,” and the worst of his career.

2003

Sakurai leaves Hal.

After finishing Kirby’s Air Ride, Sakurai decides to leave Hal Laboratories. In the August 22nd, 2003 edition of Sakurai’s Famitsu column (Volume 18) he explains that he quit for two reasons “Roughly speaking, part of the reason is I felt that in the current organization that it would be difficult to continue making games. The other part of the reason that I left is because I felt there would be appeal in working with a variety of other content creators”.