A History of Mega Man X9's Short Life on PlayStation 2

Mega Man X8 recently marked its 20th anniversary in Japan, reigniting the long-standing desire for a true successor. Mega Man X9—subject to rumors, fan-art, and even April Fools' jokes—has eluded us for two decades. While I’ve previously explored the history of X9, today I’m bringing new insights to light with the support of a former Capcom USA employee.

Our story begins, unexpectedly, with Mega Man X7. Released in Japan in July 2003, X7 was a commercial disappointment, selling well below expectations. The impact was significant enough for Capcom to cite it as a contributing factor to a mid-term financial downturn, with a notable decline in operating income compared to the previous fiscal year. However, things took a turn for the better following the game's North American launch in October 2003.

Speaking under the condition of anonymity, a former Capcom USA employee shares, "At that time, most Mega Man games usually performed best in Japan, so it was surprising when X7 sold better in America. That made an impression back home."

"Home" was Capcom Japan, where Keiji Inafune argued that traditional Mega Man titles still resonated strongly with English-speaking audiences. "The data showed that, while Japanese players gravitated toward handheld, kid-focused Mega Man games [Battle Network], U.S. fans showed strong interest in X7, skewing toward more hardcore players."

The former employee goes on to explain that Mega Man X8 entered development primarily with U.S fans in mind. This focus influenced both the game's sales forecast and design. "The team took X7’s criticisms to heart. We combed through all the reviews, fan message boards—got a feel for strengths and deficits—and passed that up the ladder."

Capcom Production Studio 1 adopted a back-to-basics approach, refining what resonated while addressing past missteps. "They focused on what worked—multiple playable characters, Axl's abilities, etc.—and improved what didn’t. X was the star again. We dropped the 3D camera, invested in higher-quality voice acting—all things U.S. players had strongly voiced concerns about."

Mega Man X8 launched first in North America on December 7, 2004, before arriving in Japan and Europe the following year. "We were eager to see if the momentum from X7 would carry over to a better product. Sure enough, we shipped a couple hundred thousand units in the U.S, outperforming Japan again. It was not a big seller but it played to expectations."

As 2005 rolled in, Capcom USA was busy preparing for releases like Mega Man X Collection, Mega Man Battle Network 5, and Mega Man Zero 4. But with no sign of X9 from Capcom Japan, Capcom USA took it as an opportunity to take the initiative.

"2005 was the beginning of this transitional period," the source explains. "Capcom was looking ahead to new hardware and charting a course for the next generation. New home consoles were still a ways off, and the PSP game plan was in its infancy. So they were looking to invest in smaller games to bridge that gap while continuing to support the PlayStation 2 install base. We thought, ‘Hey, let’s pitch them some more Mega Man.’"

In the early days of the year, Capcom USA formally pitched Mega Man X9 to Capcom Japan, using X8's U.S. sales to support their case. After some back-and-forth discussions, X9 entered pre-production at Capcom Production Studio 1 for PlayStation 2. "The project had a producer and an artist. No programmers, to my knowledge. It was very early. But from my understanding, the idea was to get some mileage from X8 assets to create something quickly under a limited budget."

For the first time, here’s a sample from an internal catalog from 2005 documenting X9's development:

Unfortunately, X9's production was short-lived. Capcom's priorities shifted before a formal design document was even finalized. Management and R&D redirected their focus to the PSP, scaling back extended support for PS2 in favor of porting catalog titles and creating a small selection of original games for Sony's new handheld.

"It was around spring time we heard that pre-prod stopped," recalls the source. "There was some chatter about picking things back up for PSP, but concerns emerged. The PSP’s install base would be drastically smaller compared to the PS2, and we could not rely on the hypothetical that the X7-X8 crowd would go out of their way to invest in a brand-new system. The metrics used to nudge the game to pre-prod in the first place became irrelevant."

By August, Capcom USA once again turned to the fans to help rally support for X9. They approached The Mega Man Network to gauge interest, setting up a dedicated inbox where fans could submit feedback on both X9 and a potential Command Mission sequel, although there was never any movement on the latter.

"The X Collection was our first real effort to connect with the fandom, to get on the ground level and understand what you guys wanted from the series," the source writes. "It was a partnership we hoped to carry forward here. And if there was enough interest, maybe we can get X9 moving on PSP."

But just as Capcom USA was compiling fan responses to send to Japan, word came down that X9 had been scrapped in favor of a remake: Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X.

"It wasn't a huge surprise. It was a choice made earlier in the year, and that didn't become clear to us before it was too late. There were disconnects between CJ and CUSA—just how it went sometimes." The source continues, "In the end, the consensus was that a ninth Mega Man X sequel wouldn't perform well on the PSP, the only hardware at the time capable of supporting the game's scope. From a technical perspective, the DS was off the table, and it wasn't really seen as a major priority at the time." 

The decision to pivot to Maverick Hunter X over X9 was described as a necessity to keep the X brand alive. The source writes, "Inafune and his team decided to go back to square one with a remake, hoping to ‘reboot’ the property. And honestly, given how far things had fallen (sales-wise) since Mega Man X's heyday in Japan, I think it was the right call. A fresh start, a chance to bring in new players too."

In a September 2005 interview with GameSpy shortly after Maverick Hunter X was unveiled, Inafune openly discussed the decision to develop Maverick Hunter X instead of X9. Excerpts below.

GameSpy: Regarding Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X, what prompted the idea to do a remake of Mega Man X?

Inafune: In the X series, we've gotten all the way up to X8, and the question came up, "Should we make X9 or not?" About the time when we were talking about that, the PSP had come out, and we thought that it was a really sweet piece of hardware. So we decided that instead of going the X9 route, let's go back to the series' roots and rediscover what makes the X series so classic. We felt that the best way to do that would be to make an X remake. And once again, if this remake is really popular, a remake of X2 or X3 could also be in the cards.

GameSpy: So is this revisiting of the classic Mega Man games a way for the designers to remember and then use some of the older design sensibilities to create Mega Man X9 or (and I'm crossing my fingers here) Mega Man 9 that much better?

Inafune: As more and more Mega Man games came out, they started to lose what made Mega Man so great. I personally was only involved in the X series up until X4 and then after that, other people took direction of the series. Making these remakes and showing what make the originals so fun will help the designers learn a lot about what makes Mega Man so cool. What makes him tick, so to speak. They can then use that knowledge on X9 or perhaps 9.

GameSpy: Between this remake of X, the remake of the original Mega Man (enhanced though it may be), and the recent Japanese re-releases of the two Mega Man Legends titles for PSP, are you at all afraid of people thinking that the PSP is becoming merely a place for ports or rehashes of Mega Man games?

Inafune: These remakes are supposed to symbolize me trying to get the consumer, as well as the designers in Capcom's Research and Development, to understand what Mega Man is. So by going back to the series' roots, people will play and think, "Wait, this was a lot more fun than I thought." Then maybe it will prove that making Mega Man X9 or Mega Man 9 would make sense. If these new games are not supported, as much as I dislike the idea, then it wouldn't make sense to make those sequels. The game industry, of course, is run on money. It's not like I'm making these games just for my own benefit -- we have to make a profit. If we do make a profit, and it proves that Mega Man is still popular, then I would love nothing more than to continue the series to X9 and 9. Maybe if it sells a lot in America…

Unfortunately, Maverick Hunter X and Powered Up didn’t meet Capcom’s expectations. As a result, any plans for further remakes—or sequels—were put on ice.

"Mega Man has always been Capcom's most challenging IP, and I imagine it still is," the former employee reflects. "It’s essentially a collection of smaller IPs catering to similar but different audiences. Appealing more to the classic side-scrolling fans would’ve been great, but there’s only so much fans can do to carry a franchise. So, in regard to Inafune’s comments, yeah—that about sums the whole thing up."

Although this individual hasn’t been with Capcom for several years, they shared their thoughts on the possibility of X9 becoming a reality, two decades later.

"The fact that we’re talking about it today just proves there’s demand. I’m sure the hope for X9 isn’t just coming from older fans, but from new ones too—likely kids who weren’t around for X8. The key is to keep that demand alive. If there’s demand, there’s always a chance. If there’s no demand, there’s nothing. Keep the conversation going. Keep creating. Keep introducing people to Mega Man. That’s all you can do."