Mega Man’s Absence Was Due To Creator’s Departure
Capcom has many lauded franchises, but one that many fans resonate with the most is Mega Man. The character was born on the NES, and went on to be a part of many major consoles and handhelds since. Yet, after 2010, there were no new releases, there were only the compilations with past games. Yet, the character is about to return in the form of Mega Man 11, but that still leaves the question of why he was abandoned for nearly seven years.
Well, we now have the answer, and it’s one that’s honestly very basic, it was because of a key departure:
“To be honest with you, when Inafune left it was a difficult atmosphere within the company,” says Mega Man 11 producer Kazuhiro Tsuchiya to GameInformer, “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.”
But, they’ve since picked up that mantle and have created a new game for the classic character. As for the future, that’ll lie in the hands of gamers and the sales of the new game. But there is hope.