Revival of Rockman: Have Faith, It's Coming

Regardless of what Capcom says, many are still worried about the Rockman franchise.

With the death of the traditional style games (going by ZXA's dismal sales) all that's left is Ryuusei and its army of multi media tie ins. Is this Rockman's future? Hobby styled games? Unfortunately, it seems so—for now at least.

Today I'd like to remind everyone of a few statements Inafune has recently made that might put you at ease.

The first statement is his “promise” to create a “new Rockman” in the near future: At the dawn of the 20th Anniversary bash in November, Inafune announced he plans on creating a new series that has no ties to EXE or Ryuusei. Thus, it can be assumed Rockman might be entering a new genre or returning to his action/platformer roots.

The second statement isn't as widely known as the first. In the commentary section of “R20”, Inafune mentions that the handheld hobby style Rockman games are the current rage, (by Japanese fan's standards) and he hopes R20 and future 20th Anniversary merchandise will keep old school fans busy until he can create a new “epic” Rockman game.

This isn't the first time we heard plans for an “epic” Rockman game, the enigmatic Surfer Girl brought this subject to light a few months back. SG briefly mentioned that Capcom was currently in the process of “breathing new life” into the franchise via a new, “epic” series that will disregard everything from the past.

Interesting. Can we trust Inafune and SG's statements of a “revival?” I believe so. I have no doubt in my mind Capcom is currently conjuring up some big revival game, Nique and Itou san's remarks hinted at this.

It is also quite evident that Capcom is in the mood for “revivals.” Look at Bionic Commando, the series has been hibernating for twenty something years and here it is, good as new. Same goes for the Street Fighter franchise, finally SFIV is coming.

Who's next in line to receive a revival? Rockman. (Maybe)

Fret not, the Rockman we love will be back. All it's going to take is some patience and a little faith in Capcom.

If my words don't ease your anxieties, then maybe someone at Capcom will. Feel free to shoot Nique an email (niquef@capcom.com) to express your concerns, but be polite! No hate mail and no flaming. We don't want to give ourselves a bad name.

If you do get a reply, you're more than free to share them via comments.