After Capcom decided to cancel all of its Mega Man related projects, creator Keiji Inafune decided to leave and start his own studio. Months later his game studio, Comcept, has created a spiritual successor to Mega Man titled Mighty No.9.
The game is similar to Mega Man in many ways: You play as a boy robot who gains powers by defeating other robots in battle. The game is also a side-scrolling shooter similar to the Mega Man series.
In an interview with IGN, Inafune-san said that he is scared Capcom might sue him due to the similarities between the franchises. “I’ve wanted to make a Mega Man game title forever, but I’m not in a position to be able to make one anymore,” he said.
“If I said I wasn’t worried at all, that would be a lie. Everybody has a freedom in creativity…So I don’t think there’s anything wrong with creating a game with a similar respect.”
The Kickstarter drive for Mighty No.9 was incredibly successful pulling in over a million dollars in the first 24 hours. The drive proved that gamers are still hungry for titles like Mega Man.
Hopefully Capcom lets Inafune-san continue developing the game without threatening a lawsuit. Mighty No.9 is set to be released on the PlayStation 3 in 2014.