Since Kazuhiro Tsuchiya's departure in 2023, the makeup of Capcom's internal Mega Man development team has been unclear. Masakazu Eguchi, fresh off Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, emerged as a public face for the team back in April, though his exact role remains unknown.
Fast forward to today, and we can add two new names to the mix. In the credits for Secret Level episode Mega Man: Start, we see Shingo Izumi and Hiroshi Ito. Izumi, who joined Capcom in 2018, was the producer behind Monster Hunter: World and the recent Ghost Trick HD remaster. Ito was a producer on Monster Hunter Stories, its sequel, and the Sunbreak expansion for Monster Hunter Rise.
Izumi and Ito have not worked on any known Mega Man game before, so their association with the development team, which oversees the production of Mega Man software at Capcom Japan, signals the arrival of new talent in the post-Tsuchiya era. While we can only speculate on their exact roles, their experience as producers may indicate leadership positions.
With Capcom's recent push to revive dormant IPs—seen in the unexpected reveals of an Okami sequel and the long-delayed Onimusha—a path forward for the 37-year-old Blue Bomber may be taking shape. At the very least, rest assured that the Mega Man dev team not only remains intact but continues to evolve.
Nothing ever happens.
ReplyDeleteIt's happening.
ReplyDeleteHard to get excited about additions to the Mega Man "development" team when they're not showing off any new games they've "developed."
ReplyDeleteget ready for Maverick Hunter World: Rising Wilds
ReplyDeleteIdc what the odds are IM GOING TO GET HYPED
ReplyDeleteI don’t know, I feel if this was *actually* a move with importance, we wouldn't have heard about it in the credits of an Amazon short. For all we know, Capcom could’ve just added some misc. devs to the list to make it look like there’s an actual team. And I can’t help but feel that Mega Man isn’t quite on the shortlist for “dormant IP”(though if they end up making a new Gotcha Force, I will forgive any perceived slights).
ReplyDeleteThere are few opportunities to hear about this outside of new software announcements. Capcom rarely, if ever, highlights new staff in a big way; it’s usually something we notice in passing (like in credits) or when they speak up during press runs (interviews, press junkets, etc.). With Secret Level being, in all seriousness, one of the more high profile Mega Man projects in recent memory, it stands to reason the Dev Team were consulted on the project, with Izumi and Ito specifically credited as the do wield some form of power within the team.
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