For the last 16 years at Tokyo Game Show, Masahiro Sakurai has handed out awards centered on game design to celebrate games that do things differently. This year, however, was the final year for this event, and in a new interview, he shared a somewhat bleak reflection on the importance of originality as he discontinued the prize.

Sakurai’s Game Designers Award was centered on promoting original game design ideas, regardless of sales performance. Winners of the award, not necessarily limited to a single game each year, have included the original Life Is Strange, Mario Kart: Home Circuit, Viewfinder, and Scribblenauts. However, during his speech at the awards show last month, he painted a somber picture, lamenting, “Though it may sound rather grave, originality doesn’t actually have a strong impact on sales. I think it actually ranks low on the list of priorities for many.”

He compared the problem to the way the novelty of a limited-time drink flavor might fade after it’s been released, although he hopes the games industry hosts enough creative minds to avoid this problem. “There likely aren’t many people who try every single new drink that comes out at convenience stores as soon as it’s released. The more you become accustomed to something, the more you gravitate toward the familiar. Most people tend to only want a taste that matches their preference and is exactly what they expect. But an industry that loses that sort of originality will only die slowly.

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