Capcom Is Considering New Mega Man Games, It Just Needs Some Ideas

Mega Man has a long and storied video game history. Even Capcom thinks so.

In a recent shareholder’s meeting, the publisher called the series “one of Capcom’s historic franchises” and noted that it’s “loved by fans.” Since the departure of series designer Keiji Inafune, though, Mega Man’s appearances have been few and far between, with the Blue Bomber last appearing in a mainline game in 2018, and Mega Man X’s last major console outing being in 2005.

But take heart, Mega Man fans. Capcom says that it’s still thinking about the future of the series, and that also includes older favorites like Sengoku Basara and Onimusha.

“We are considering how to approach the production of new entries in the series, which requires numerous factors, including the development of a solid concept, ideas and gameplay, etc,” Capcom says.

Capcom’s comments follow the release of Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, which has managed to surpass 1 million units sold since its release back in April. Capcom also showed Mega Man X Dive Offline at the recent Capcom Showcase, which is planned for release on Steam, iOS, and Android.

Mega Man’s storied history stretches back to the days of the NES, where it helped to establish Capcom as a major player on the platform. In the years that followed, Capcom released many more entries in the series plus a host of spin-offs, leading some to complain that there were too many Mega Man games.

Inafune departed Capcom in 2010, leading to the cancellation of multiple projects, including the much-anticipated Mega Man Legends 3. Since then, Mega Man has primarily been seen in retro collections and mobile titles, with the biggest exception being the moderately well-received Mega Man 11. As for Inafune, his attempt to recreate the magic of Mega Man with Mighty No. 9 was famously a bust.

In the meantime, Capcom is gearing up to release Exoprimal, its new multiplayer game pitting humans in exosuits against dinsaurs. Its due July 14.

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.