‘The next game to be developed has already been decided on’
Some time after Mega Man 11 was released, and it had become a bonafide hit, Capcom producer (and new Inafune-like series overseer) Kazuhiro Tsuchiya confirmed that there would be a follow-up. We all assumed this is Mega Man 12, and although we don’t get a full reveal this week, he has reconfirmed that it is still in active development.
Speaking to 4Gamer (translated by Rockman Corner), Tsuchiya states: “There are a lot of titles I personally want to work on, but to tell the truth the next game to be developed has already been decided on, I’d just like to keep the specific details hidden for the moment. Please wait until we make an announcement.” Though he does clarify that he doesn’t really think spinoffs exist with Mega Man, as “each series stands on its own.” To that end, he also teases follow-ups to .EXE and the X series by namedropping those in particular. So that presumed Mega Man 12 project could be something else.
As we’ve seen recently, the Zero/ZX subseries is coming back in full swing early next year with a re-release, and Nintendo has pretty much given us compilations of everything but .EXE and Starforce at this point. Capcom being Capcom, I can see the company pitting them against one another, seeing which one comes out on top for a follow-up.
Either way, Mega Man fans win. The series was dormant for many years in a merchandise wasteland, and Mega Man 11 allowed it to crawl out of the muck. Rockman Corner points out that Tsuchiya has confirmed “10 or 20 more years of constant stimulation” for Mega Man, which confirms a whole lot more than whatever this project is.
Mega Man [4gamer via Rockman Corner]
