Over at Game Informer, a new interview has been posted with Christian “Sven” Svensson, Capcom's VP of strategic planning and business development. Among topics, he discusses the present status of the Mega Man franchise, which as you no doubt know, has seen better days. His words are a bit reassuring, to say the least:Game Informer: Mega Man has played an important role in Capcom’s catalogue for many years, but recently he’s been missing in action. Is the mascot’s absence part of a larger plan to refocus at Capcom?
Svensson: Change has been a constant during my six years at Capcom (vastly for the positive) but I want to be crystal clear on this point. Mega Man is a key brand for Capcom and will remain so. I don’t have any products we’ve announced publicly that I can point to and say “see, I told you” but there are “top men” (“top men”? “Yes, top men”) within Capcom thinking about the future of the brand and where it’s going. We will have official announcements in due course.
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You'll find some more Mega Man talk on page 2.
The only thing we can be certain of is that Capcom is indeed analyzing and evaluating a roadmap for Mega Man. In spite of the many mishaps of 2011, it sounds like they're being proactive right now.
When these announcements will be made remains to be seen. However, something tells me that after the implosion of Universe and Legends 3, Capcom won't be saying anything until things are primed and ready. All we can do now is continue to be patient.
Source: GoNintendo
That's EXACTLY what I was thinking.
ReplyDeleteThey CANNOT risk anything anymore; it would just crush fans again.
Cannot risk anything? Uh, if they don't risk anything then we won't get anything worth playing.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, "safe" Mega Man titles are typically the least innovative. Not to mention the franchise as a whole was deemed to risky by Capcom at its inception.
At this point, all we'll get from a Capcom that won't take risks are Mega Man games with no soul.
"Top men."
ReplyDeleteFunny, when the government agents said that to Indy about studying the Ark, what they actually meant was "we're going to lock it away in the darkest recesses of our vaults, never to be heard from again."
Seems about right.
Obviously Capcom's Key brand! Like the time they destoryed Mega Man Legends 3,
ReplyDeleteI know it's not cool to be mad at Capcom for cancelling MML3...
ReplyDeleteBut I am anyway.
So don't care.
Lemme be specific TLL.
ReplyDeleteThey can't risk anything, when it comes to their game's development.
Imagine if they try something like MMU again, with barely any solid progress.
It'll take time to for people to put faith into them.
Isn't this old news I remember him saying this after Legends 3 got axed.
ReplyDeleteOr did he seriously reissue the statement?
Anyways of course Capcom thinks Mega man is a key brand think of all the merchandise they make for it and the Archie comic.
Key GAME brand though? No they've made that abundantly clear this year and if you still believe them you are too optimistic for your own good.
@3rd Anon:
ReplyDeleteIt's new. This was posted today.
Yeah right, all bark and no bite. I'll believe when we actually get something, preferably Legends 3. (which is of course, never)
ReplyDeleteCall me cynical, but I'm not exactly putting any stock in anything Sven says. Given their track record, I can't even believe it when I see it any more. Unless there is a game in my console, everything gets taken with a boulder of salt.
ReplyDeleteThere is no need to be patient, Capcom has proven that it is all talk and no show when it comes to anything that isn't Street Fighter or Resident Evil. It may be old, but they'll always be Crapcom to me. How the mighty have fallen. 6 Years ago they were the greatest video game developers ever, now they are the mightest trolls in gaming.
ReplyDelete*eye twitches*
ReplyDeleteGee, I wonder why there haven't been any Megaman to show lately.
Oh yeah, that's right, because MML3 and MMU was CANCELLED!!
This is pointless, what can ol' Crapcom dish out that will convince me otherwise? Reboot production of MML3? Even if they did they'd probably just fuck it up.
Changed mostly for the positive? In the past 6 years over half of Capcom's best developers have been fired or shunted to slave labor, while over the past two years their profits and sales have gone down over 90%. Not to mention most of their franchises have been mutilated to an extent or outright killed.
ReplyDeleteOn that note, it looks like Sven reissued the statementhe made back a few months ago. Basic PR,nothing to see. We're seeing more Megaman merchandise than ever, sure, but the chances of us seeing anything other than a heartless, horribly-handled Korean-made MMO are lower than ever.
Uh-huh.
ReplyDeleteUntil we see some actual evidence--not just merch that we were going to get anyway--I'll assume that this is just a bunch of lies. The "positive changes" bit certainly is, if Anon 6 is right.
Everyone seems to be incredibly pessimistic on the issue. I guess I'm just an optimist.
ReplyDeleteI'm willing to believe that Capcom is trying to re-evaluate their stance on the franchise. I think after the fan backlash after Legends 3, they're more inclined to be cautious. They also know that sales of the franchise have suffered for the past decade and that things are not looking good. I'm hoping they can find a way to revitalize the brand and appease longtime fans like myself at the same time. I'm willing to see what they can do, and I don't mind waiting.
The last Mega Man game we got was 10, back in March 2010. If I have to wait a little while longer, I don't really mind that much. I guess since there are many other franchises that have been left by the wayside, I'm more patient than most. I'm hoping that by the time Captivate 2012 or E3 rolls around, or even another game conference, they roll out some new game announcement.
There are many more people in Capcom that are capable of doing well with Mega Man besides Inafune. He may be considered the "father" of Mega Man, but ignoring the contributions of every other person who contributed to the franchise is more than little insensitive.
@ TTL
I don't think you get the point. They mean "not risk anything" as in not suffering through another PR disaster.
Empty reassurance is as short on collateral with me as announcing a game/green-lighting it/developing it and NOT releasing it.
ReplyDeleteI ain't taking the bait, Capcom.
Until I have a new MegaMan game in my possession, it's "Bullshit" I'll be a-cryin'!
"the chances of us seeing anything other than a heartless, horribly-handled Korean-made MMO are lower than ever"
ReplyDeleteAnd Neowiz is the only company that cares about Mega Man anymore, and you want to insult them? Real smart.
@December 8, 2011 4:56 PM Anon:
ReplyDeletePessimistic? Well, CoJ (rather, whoever keep making these bad decisions) has done nothing to prove why we shouldn't be...
I don't think (at least, I hope) anyone was ignoring the other people who've contributed to MM; it's just that Inafune's departure was followed by disaster. If anything, it might be CoJ that's ignoring these people.
I don't mean this as some cynical comment, but I hope this is not code for a "reboot" (by this point the response to DmC: Devil May Cry should be a lesson well learned, especially after the cancellation of you-know-what and the ongoing backlash).
ReplyDeleteAre you guys ready for a reboot catered to the west where MegaMan's a space marine? :D
ReplyDeleteHopefully X9, or if they're smart, get the Legends 3 project going again. Can't expect more from Sven though, he got all pissy about fans calling it like it is in the X in MvC3 thread over in the Unity. Saying he's sorry Mega Man being used in ways the fans don't like is making people angry. It's not that we don't like Mega Man being used as cameos and such, but c'mon, we want some actual games here. Then they go and cancel one major one, Legends 3. No sense made.
ReplyDeleteThree words as a common sense.
ReplyDelete"TRUST NO ONE"
In other words...never trust Capcom anymore...
I almost don't care anymore. Legends is BY FAR my favorite MM sub-series. With L3 teased and then cancelled, I can't really think of any game in the series that would make me excited
ReplyDeleteto be honest, i think something along the lines of 8 themed bosses with stages based on their design would be a bad idea to continue with. the games are still rather short, and no matter how difficult, can be beaten rather quickly once a player becomes good at the game. if they're going to continue that route, then they'll have to up the quallity of the game a great deal. some of it's best games can be completed in about 2 hours, if you're fast. but think about this: the games are of a high degree of quality, with super metroid being hailed as one of the best games of all time.
ReplyDeletequantity can be a part of quality, but only if the content itself is of good quality to begin with. to put it another way...
the main difference between mega man games and mario games, is the ammount of stages. you'll spend more time on a mario speed run than you will a mega man speed run. why? easy. the game is just plain bigger.
another difference, is that mario appeals to far more people than mega man. now, that may not easily be fixable, so what you would need to do now, is make a game that's either going to hold your interest longer, or make it more interesting. i think we can all agree, that most mega man games can become repetetive, due to similar stage layout it almost all of the games, with the first 6 being completable simultaniously with the exact same button inputs. and with most of the games having nearly the same ammount of stages, well, let's face it. you're basicly playing the same game over and over again, with a fresh coat of paint.
how many variations of the leaf shield do you need? the metal blade? heck, i got sick of the weapons in ratchet and clank for being repeats of old weapons even. and you're asking a new generation of gamers to enjoy the same repetetive stuff we like. don't you think that's a bit unfair to them? i love mega man. dearly. my first was mega man 3 on the NES, and it's still my favorite (it's the only one i have on my wii). but just how long can capcom keep repainting a house, before people decide that a new shade of blue doesn't change what's on the inside, and decide to move out?
i say keep mega man, but either change up the formula, or make the formula more interesting. capcom has to do something that will sell. i think they're dong the right thing by taking a step back and looking at different ideas before announcing anything, or even going through with anything. i don't like that they canned legends 3, i loved legends 1 (never played 2) but if they won't give legends 3, then hope that when they do give the greenlight to something, it will be something worth while.
Remember people, the keyword here is 'Mega Man', and just 'Mega Man', not 'Mega Man X', not 'Mega Man Legend', not others 'Mega Man + something'.
ReplyDelete"Unfortunately there are times that we have to make decisions that don’t make sense to the community and the fallout, while understandable is regrettable. Our relationships with fans are extremely important and I know we’ve got some that are disenfranchised right now."
ReplyDeleteWhich is why no one at Capcom has given us a straight answer, and why Sven bitched at those who didn't like X's UMvC3 situation.
I dunno--am I the only one detecting some insincerity here?
"Won't be fooled again"
ReplyDeleteI wish they'd actually interview staff from Capcom of Japan than just Chris. I mean, they're pretty much the ones who decide on the future of their franchises.
ReplyDeleteBut I guess that's easier said than done.
Sven said almost these exact same words earlier in the year in one of the Ask Capcom interviews. Guess everyone forgot. If anything, I suppose this suggests that at least HE believes it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there's anything Capcom can say to persuade some fans at this point. You can either choose to believe Capcom or not. I personally am willing to give them some benefit of the doubt because I work in the software industry and I know how these things go. And it's precisely because I know how things go that I also acknowledge the community can't be blamed for their skepticism at this moment. I know many others aren't willing to give Capcom the same chance.
I'm also sure whatever Capcom reveals for MegaMan right now will be met with blind rejection by a large number of the already-angry fanbase. Time will tell.
And I'm pretty sure Capcom knows all these things already.
F.... dejavu
ReplyDeleteAnyway this isn't good news to me since i don't want a megaman game from THEM anymore.They just don't have it.
Give up Mega CAP.It is obvious that you are incompetent
Don't... trust... anything Crapcom says.
ReplyDeleteI have lost faith in that company and is still mad at them for canning MMU and Legends 3.
MegaMan is still a Key Brand? Bullcrap if you asked me...
Capcom doesn't care about us. They want our money. I've heard all this babbling before and it won't change anything.
ReplyDelete"We are working to bring Mega Man back." Then, he appears as a character on someone's else game.
Megaman is dead for sure. Don't get me wrong. I love the series, but it's clear Capcom is only worried about money and they are trying to make up the fans in order to bring them back.
Capcom, you suck... That's all =)
I have an idea. You give a damn about your fans? Give us Prototype. We know it's ready from Hoffman because you let him play it. He said it was good, and if the actual game was like that then it would be guaranteed high scores. Give us that, and we'll be able to see if it was cancelled with good reason or not.
ReplyDeleteWe know porotype is releasable, and is part of the reason for our anger. We know damn well there is a Megaman iteration with a decent moveset already made for a fighting game that you yourselves made, which is part of our anger. We know X was the most wanted character on both sides of the pond, which you blatantly ignored and have in fact cockblocked with DLC costumes, which is part of our anger.
If you wanted Megaman to be a key brand, you should have put an iteration, specifically X HIMSELF, as a playble character in MvC3. You should have released Prototype to the 3DS users. A year of silence, failures and foolish moves IS NOT how you put focus on a brand you say is key to the company.
Don't you dare act like we're idiots Chris. Don't you f*cking dare. Because we are just as, if not more aware, than you of the foolish logic behind everything that even your 'top men' can't even realise.
Hey Capcom, you want to get your fans back so damn badly? Fix the mistakes you've made and un-cancel Mega Man Legends 3.
ReplyDelete"Mega Man is a key brand for Capcom and will remain so."
ReplyDeleteJust because you say so doesn't make it true. You have to release something. That is the only statement I will accept. Your word has become worthless over time.
A great prophet once said, "A little less conversation, a little more action please"
This is a interesting bit of information... thanks, ProtoDude.
ReplyDeleteFor everyone still trying to blast CAPCOM: they've heard our e-voices, calm down.
We've got them to talking ground, now, let's hear what they have to say. Jes' keep it civil an' positive... :)
Ok guys, lay off Sven. He is not the one you need to be directing your flaming towards.
ReplyDeleteTrust me, this man is in your corner, as you will hopefully find out sometime in the future. Give him time.
You know what I sort of find funny and ironic?
ReplyDeleteThe fans complain when there are no news, and then they complain and reject news that do come. At this rate, maybe it's just better that Capcom remains quiet, because they're gonna get hate from fans regardless of what.
Honestly, I can understand where fans are coming with this. But everyone attacks Sven at everything he says, and honestly, it's not like he's the one who plans out the outcome of things.
Honestly, if you guys want to direct your hate to somewhere, direct it to Capcom of Japan, not to Capcom of America or Europe.
Dear Capcom,
ReplyDeleteHere's a crappy pop song just for you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWAnVLbaWX8
Sven can say that many times if he thinks he could get away with it. I mean, he and Capcom KILLED Mega Man after Inafking left the company. Why would anyone wanna trust a REAL Rockman Killer who destroyed many projects and betrayed us fans' expectations, as if they're doing such crappy things for their own excitement.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather say some other company should buy Mega Man. Nintendo will do the best, or CyberConnect2 for willing to revive MML3. Forget Capcom, they're useless and hopeless. And when it comes with Mega Man comics, I'm sticking with Archie and Ariga.
Well damn, people, why don't we just start a world revolution after the remarks of one Capcom employee sets just about everyone off. /sarcasm
ReplyDeleteReally now, this going too far, even for what hell the franchise is going through. It's a slow period for the MM world. (Granted it's one that's lasted a few years...?) AND HELL, here the main Capcom headquarters is CoJ, while we're over here yelling at a simple employee, which most likely had very little to no input allowed into the decision.
Before I even begin: Yes, the decision to cancel MML3 or even MMU may have seemed unfair, but to blow up at one person over even a slight glimmer of hope for a franchise directed to a savagely heartbroken/pissed-off fanbase is so ridiculously unfair AND stupid that it falls under the level of stupidity that the Chuck Norris jokes have reached.
Here's what I'm getting at: Just about every negative comment on this post has been directed at Capcom as a whole, whereas Capcom of Japan is more or less what makes the initial decisions involving what games are made or cancelled, whereafter every subsidary involved in the games' international release or development (Capcom of America, Capcom Euro, etc.) follows suit with the initial decisions, regardless of what they want to do. (They can try and talk it through for a better outcome, but most chances are that this time wasn't the case.)
The idea that Capcom doesn't give a flying fuck about the Mega Man franchise is starting to sound like a major load of bullcrap, but what's making it worse is how a very large majority of the fanbase is now at arms over things like cancelling a game because it won't meet some expectation that the comapny has noticed or like a simple cameo or outfit for another character to even pay homage or show a little love to another character. Truth of the matter is: We WOULD NOT have ANY current references to the Mega Man franchise by Capcom, cameo or costume, AT ALL if it did not give a damn about the franchise. The fact that it even put though INTO a cameo or costume, regardless of how lazy it might seem to be, still shows that they, as the franchise's owner, STILL give a damn about the franchise.
(I may have left something out, because it's way too damn late for me to read back through this big-ass novel of rage I just wrote, but the point's hopefully gotten across by the time you get to this little message. Flame my ass, call me names, I still don't care, because this has gotten way out of hand.)
Oh God, it's here. It's now. Oh dear, how did I not see it the first time?
ReplyDeleteWelp, everything's screwed. Nice job breaking it, y'all. Now excuse me while I take on an even more silent, spectator role for the time being. Let's just leave it at this:
1>Capcom does a no-no and makes a big mistake on the franchise's handling
2>Fandom loses every bit of trust towards Capcom
3>Capcom tries to reassure its handling with the franchise by *insert action here*
4>Fandom responds with blind skepticism
5>Loop to 3, loop forever until combo breaker, which comes after a loooooooooooong time
>>Quote from some people 2 years ago: "Mega Man fandom is becoming more and more like the Sonic fandom". Me 2 years ago: total disregard
>>Me now: welp.
@Mushashia What "action" good sir
ReplyDelete@Musashi: CoJ--rather, the people at CoJ who keep making these decisions--has not done ONE FUCKING THING to prove that Megaman is still a "key brand". Fans' skepticism towards this statement is not blind when they've got recent events to back it up.
ReplyDelete@rinbu: Oh yeah, they care about MM...but only enough to give Rock a cameo that becomes horrible and depressing with context, and to reduce X to a costume for his spotlight-hogging best friend, and to throw in an X5(?)-referencing win quote for Zero that's blatantly insulting.
Just saying, there are legitimate reasons why people got so upset over those.
And you know, maybe people are just saying "CoJ" instead of "the higher-ups at CoJ" or whoever else is responsible, not because they honestly think the entire company is malicious, but because it's just shorthand. I use "CoJ" a lot, and I know that it's not staffed entirely by morons.
Really...what's better? That we reject this blatant PR move until we have something more substantial, or that we blindly take Sven at his word and assume that everything's fine even though recent visible company actions are contradicting it?
@RADIX
ReplyDeleteJust stop raging over this whole fiasco. We've seen worse game droughts than this.
This has been taken far out of proportion, and stretched for way too much time. It's been overblown, to say the least. Overblown by a very small group who are very cut-throat devoted to a niche series inside a niche franchise.
It all spread, became very vocal and public, was and still is advertised, and has led to an abnormal increase of discontent to the point it's the perfect troll tool AND bait. It's so much and so big, I can't enjoy having a normal discussion in a MM-related article without having to say all of this.
Capcom's not making MM games, or canning current projects? Doesn't surprise me now. In the end, what company in its sane state of mind would make games that will be met with such a dipshit, spiteful reaction?
They broke it when they canned L3, we're breaking it with a spiteful backlash.
How to fix it? We get over L3's cancellation fiasco and tone down the backlash OR they start making a MM game which can be put together with little effort and investment and still be a quality game, kinda like MM9 or MM10. I'd rather have the former than the latter right now.
Peace, I'm out.
@Musashi: I'm not going to repeat the reasons why people took MML3's demise so badly; something tells me you wouldn't listen anyway.
ReplyDeleteI know that not every MM fan is acting rationally right now, but victim-blaming isn't going to help anyone, nor will telling everyone to "just get over it". What WILL help are answers, and we haven't gotten any real ones yet.
MMU's cancellation proved why we can't just assume that nothing the PR guys tell us is subject to change; you've apparently completely failed to take this into account.
And yeah, I guess there have been worse game droughts. But does that mean that no one's allowed to be upset over this one, ever? We have to pretend that everything's just fine when it's clearly not, because (say) Breath of Fire is still dead?
I would certainly hope not.
I'm going to be very honest here. Normally I would feel a little assured and maybe easier at heart, I feel nothing from the statement. I honestly feel that losing Inafune left them dumbfounded on what to do with the brand. He's always the one spearheading Mega Man projects, and even if he left a good team of people behind, he was in a position of power and stepped forward with his passion. Now that he has left, who is going to step up and pick up where he left off? Where is that level of passion and drive to take Mega Man in another direction?
ReplyDeleteBesides, this is what, the millionth time it's been stated that Mega Man is an important and key brand? You're just blowing hot air into a balloon that's no longer capable of rising. Every statement I hear from Capcom these days just feels like "We're working on it, grow a backbone and shut up."
Until I actually get some sort of sign of progress that they are actually trying, I'm not buying it. Come on now, they didn't even let Inafune continue work on Legends 3 and Universe using comcept. They were waiting to cancel those games.
I've been kicked in the nuts enough times about Mega Man, so I can't really get upset anymore, but this public relations talk is just ridiculous
Hey Musassy, say "U MAD" again.
ReplyDelete@William Hearns:
ReplyDeleteOf course this thing is being so ridiculous, cuz nobody's gonnna trust anyone anymore. They'll just gonna use this place and put on a curse to Capcom so they could just go flushed down the drain like some craps.
Those "top men" should stop using "Top Spin"...
ReplyDeleteShow us proof, Crapcom. Or you only care about Street Fighter, RE and their stupid fanbase? -_-
ReplyDeleteYou're dead to me, Crapcom. You will continue to make crappy SF and RE games till we get MegaMan. That goes for the idiotic fanbases that supports those two overated franchises...