Capcom talks Mega Man’s future
It’s been a rough couple of years for Mega Man. Within the past 24 months or so, two games in the series were cancelled. Capcom pulled the plug on both Mega Man Legends 3 and Mega Man Universe in 2011.
But now things are starting to look slightly brighter. Capcom today announced a free, downloadable PC game called “Street Fighter X Mega Man”. And beyond this, it sounds like there could be big things ahead for the Blue Bomber.
Capcom USA senior vice president Christian Svensson spoke about Mega Man’s struggles and future approach to the IP in an interview with IGN. You can see what he had to say after the break. There are also some notes on how the Street Fighter X Mega Man project materialized as well as a hint that Capcom will begin sharing some of its more important Mega Man news starting on December 17 – the series’ 25th anniversary.
Svensson on how it was difficult speaking about mega Man following the cancellation of Legends 3 and Universe…
“After the cancellation of Mega Man Legends 3 and Universe, there was a cooling down period where even discussing the prospect of a Mega Man title was difficult. The wounds were still fresh for us (just as they were for fans). We’re at a point now where it’s not as painful and constructive discussions are happening again.”
Svensson on finding the right balance with the amount of Mega Man games released…
“We had some years where there were more than 7-8 Mega Man SKUs being released. Suffice to say, that was probably too much. Right now, we’re at a point where it’s clearly not enough. Hopefully Street Fighter X Mega Man helps that situation a little.”
Svensson on how much Capcom was involved with Street Fighter X Mega Man…
“We funded development of the project, provided creative input and direction, handled QA, marketing (including the great trailer created by Capcom-Unity’s own Chris Antista), sorted out legal clearances and naturally, handled distribution via Capcom-Unity.com. I don’t want to downplay in any way, Zong Hui’s contribution. He was the creative visionary behind the game’s concept and execution. He was amazingly responsive all through the development process to our feedback, often turning builds into us every couple of days for more feedback. The iterative process was among the best I’ve seen.”
Svensson on how different Mega Man ideas have been discussed, like a retool or fresh approach…
“You’ve hit upon the very nature of the discussions that we’ve been having for so long now. I think there are core aspects of the franchise that can transcend genres, ages and platforms. While I’m far from the only person with an opinion internally, I’m firmly in the camp of wanting ‘jump and shoot’ as a core tenet of any project we do. Beyond that, I think the ground is still fertile with room for creative expression.”
Other notes
– SF X Mega Man developer Seow Zong Hui approached Svensson at EVO 2012
– Svensson was shown a couple of demo levels
– After seeing this, Svensson assembled a few key Mega Man fans from the Capcom office, including senior community manager Brett Elston, to check on the project
– Staffers were impressed the game, so Capcom brought in some of its resources to assist with development
– Capcom won’t yet talk about Mega Man on the 3DS eShop (like Japan)
– More Mega Man news coming on December 17
– Further announcements planned after this date
