by Matt Bird

Created on: February 02, 2011   Last Updated: February 07, 2011

Keiji Inafune, a major name at Capcom and the creator of the ever-popular Mega Man series, recently left Capcom to form his own company. He did not, however, take the Blue Bomber with him - how could he, since Mega Man is now more or less Capcom, and vice versa? - and so future Mega Man games will come without Inafune's input.

This leaves gamers with a big question to answer: what impact will the change have on the Mega Man franchise? Will it plow ahead regardless and keep churning out awesome games? Or will it stutter to a halt and die?

Inafune's impact on the series is undeniable. He served as the character designer in the first game, fashioning all of the out-of-game art as well as many of the pixelated characters, and contributed heavily - both thematically and structurally - to most of the Mega Man games that came after. He's also been the producer of the latest two games in the series, Mega Man 9 and 10, and a major contributor to the upcoming Mega Man Legends 3 - or, at least, a big reason why fans will be seeing the game in the first place.

Does that mean, however, that Inafune's presence is a make-or-break deal for Mega Man? Despite his power over the series, probably not.

Consider, for a moment, the structure of the games to which Inafune has contributed. They have changed over the years, yes, but the core essentials - multiple robot masters, adaptation of powers, a central villain to be fought at a giant mechanical castle at the end - have remained fairly stable. New mechanics and faces do not necessarily make new games... and that's part of the problem the Mega Man series has consistently faced since its inception: too much of the same.

A Mega Man game is - with a few exceptions, like Battle & Chase and Maverick Hunter X - based upon the notion of running, jumping and shooting. Add spice on the top to change that up as you wish, but the basics are pretty much always the same, and even the three-dimensional games more or less kept to that formula. And, in most cases, they did so with Inafune at the helm, often as the main 'voice' behind the game. This can hint at two things:

1.) Inafune, content with his established formula, decided to ride with it. He was, quite obviously, successful in doing so, and a massive franchise was the result.

2.) Capcom, seeing Mega Man (or rather Mega Man 2, since it brought the series into its current popularity) as a successful formula, decided to ride with it. Now all of the games follow the same premise, over and over. Even the branching games, like Mega Man Battle Network, wind up copying one another in an endless cycle of profit.

Inafune doubtless brought innovation to the games. Style. Neat, innovative ideas. Ultimately, though, a Mega Man game is a Mega Man game. And, by now, the people at Capcom have doubtless seen the style so much that they can churn out new Mega Man titles at will, whether Inafune is there or not. The bosses will keep getting dumber and dumber as time goes by, true, but people will probably still buy the new games anyway.

So does Inafune's leaving spell doom for the Mega Man franchise? Of course not. The chances are good that, if anything, new designers and producers with a fresh vision for the Blue Bomber will have a chance to stretch him in new, exciting directions. More, Inafune won't be stuck in the same constantly-repeating rut and can have a chance to develop some new games that will showcase his talents anew. It seems like a win-win situation.

Make no mistake, Mega Man is a staple of Capcom's brand base. They can't allow him to die, as he'll take too much of the company with him. Expect bright things for him in the future.

Learn more about this author, Matt Bird.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.