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In a recent interview with Game Informer magazine, Keiji Inafune insinuated that a publishing deal with Capcom might not be out of the question for the upcoming Mega Man spiritual successor/clone Mighty No. 9.
Mighty No. 9 blew its initial funding goal out of the water early this month, raising over $4 million dollars between Kickstarter and PayPal, and securing both Wii U and 3DS versions through stretch goals. In spite of this massive success, the game’s developer Comcept would apparently be willing to take on Capcom as a publisher providing that the terms were right.
“There is no reason not to publish with Capcom … If they had the best terms, the logical businessman in me would say, yes, let’s go with them,” stated Inafune, even going so far as to mention that the studio would be willing to convert Mighty No. 9 into a Mega Man game if the money was right and if Comcept was allowed to keep the rights to its intellectual property.
Should this prospective move on Comcept’s part be viewed merely as smart business practice? Or is it a betrayal of the game’s Kickstarter/PayPal backers and the spirit of crowd funding as a whole? You tell us in the comments below!
Source: Nintendo Life
Very interesting. A big part of the campaign was so that they wouldn’t need any publisher. But, given their fundraising success and the talent on-board, I suppose Comcept may be in a position where publishers are actively courting them.
I think turning Mighty No. 9 into a Megaman game would be a mistake, though if Capcom wanted to farm out future Megaman development to Comcept after they’re finished with Mighty No. 9, that’s something the whole world would benefit from.
Successful, well-connected veteran game developers using Kickstarter already feels like a slight abuse, but if this project were to become the next Megaman, then we would essentially have a Capcom team using a Capcom trademark to put out a game that Capcom didn’t have to fund. That’s exactly what Kickstarter _shouldn’t_ be used for – yet another corporate cost-cutting measure.
I agree. Siding with Capcom seems completely contrary to what the movement behind Mighty represented. Of course, if it’s wildly successful, it might push Capcom to make a new Mega Man sooner than later, so…
Although I understand why people wouldn’t want to see Capcom as a publisher, it makes sense from a business perspective.
Why not get help from people who are well-established in the business, have all needed contacts and processes in place, and have proven they know what they are doing? My take was that this isn’t about burning bridges as much as being able to plot his own destiny.
KickStarter gave Inafune the creative freedom to create what he wants, the way he wants it. As long as that freedom exists I think it’s purpose has been served.