Capcom on the long wait for Mega Man 11

Announced earlier in the week, Mega Man 11 is in development, and is heading to Switch in late 2018. It’s been seven years since the last entry in the series. It was way back in 2010 when Mega Man 10 landed on WiiWare.

In this month’s issue of Game Informer, Mega Man 11 producer Kazuhiro Tsuchiya spoke about the long wait for a new Mega Man. Part of the problem was when Keiji Inafune left. Mega Man was something Inafune championed and he led the franchise, so after his departure from Capcom, a bit of a hole was left behind.

Tsuchiya explained:

“To be honest with you, when Inafune left it was a difficult atmosphere with the company. It was difficult for somebody to step up and say, ‘I really want to work on Mega Man.’ Inafune-san was definitely a brand leader for the franchise. He helped pave the way for its success, and he had a lot of brilliant ideas. That’s an absolute truth. So when he left, there was a sense of emptiness, and a sense that no one was appropriate to pick up the mantle and pave a new vision for Mega Man.”

Director Koji Oda also chimed in, noting how he felt that Mega Man shouldn’t be abandoned just because Inafune left:

“I still feel like Mega Man is one of the most important pillars of the company. At the end of the day, we asked ourselves, ‘What does Capcom need to do for its fans? Should we act like Mega Man is a thing of the past? Should we toss him aside?’ I felt like that would be a foolish gesture. Mega Man is such a treasure to the company that it would be a waste to let him go because someone left.”

Tsuchiya ultimately concluded by referencing something Inafune told him many years ago:

“When Inafune-san was still our boss he said, ‘Don’t let brands stagnate. Always keep moving forward.’ Yes, we did have a seven-year absence, but it doesn’t mean that we stayed still. We were always moving forward and try to figure out what to do next.”