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Long-delayed 'Mighty No. 9' arrives June 21st
No, your eyes aren't deceiving you -- after more than a few delays, Comcept has announced that Mighty No. 9 is finished. Keiji Inafune's spiritual sequel to Mega Man will arrive in Asia and North America on June 21st, and the rest of the world on June 24th. The initial release is limited to console and computer players (albeit on virtually every platform), but versions for both the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita are due "at a later point." Just be sure to think carefully about your choice of media format: while downloads are more convenient, a retail copy includes the Ray add-on.
'Mighty No. 9' is delayed. Again.
Mighty No. 9, the crowdfunded game from Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune, has been delayed for a third time. The long-awaited title has become the poster-child for how not to run a Kickstarter campaign. In a note to backers announcing the latest setback, Inafune doesn't give a firm date for release, but says he expects it "to realistically be in spring 2016."
'Mighty No. 9' team aims to calm angry backers with exclusive demo
Kickstarter backers of Keiji Inafune's Mighty No. 9 are feeling a little burned. When its Spring release came due, Comcept pushed the release back to fall; when that September launch came on the horizon, the game was delayed until 2016. "We feel bad," producer Nick Yu told us earlier this month. "Really, really bad." The company knows its messed up, and agrees that backers deserve something for their patience. So they're getting something -- on September 15th, the game's second launch date, Kickstarter backers will get access to an exclusive demo of the Mighty No. 9's single player campaign.
'Mighty No. 9' producer: 'We feel bad. Really, really bad.'
Mighty No. 9 is one of the most successful video game Kickstarters of all time. It's also been delayed. First until September, and then, earlier this week, it was pushed all the way to 2016. In the months between the two delays, the studio announced it's working with Armature and Microsoft on the Xbox-exclusive ReCore, and its developer Comcept launched two more crowdfunding campaigns for other projects. Backers are upset. So upset that the campaign for the new game failed to reach its goal. We sat down with Mighty No. 9 producer Nick Yu to ask why the game has been delayed, what Kickstarter is for and whether he feels bad. (He does.)
'Mega Man' creator wants your help making a game-and-movie combo
Mighty No. 9 might not even be out the door, but Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune is already looking for your help with a new project -- and this one is considerably more ambitious. His studio has launched crowdfunding for Red Ash, a project that combines both an open world action game (The Indelible Legend) and an anime movie from Studio4ºC (Magicicada). While both will share familiar characters and the theme of treasure hunting in a robot apocalypse, they'll otherwise be set in "parallel worlds" where the producers are free to tell whatever stories they want.
'Mega Man' creator says Japanese publishers need to 'wake up'
If you grew up playing any installment of the storied Mega Man franchise, the name Keiji Inafune should carry some weight. Inafune's one of the masterminds behind the beloved metallic man in blue we first met in the NES era. And with his new game, Mighty No. 9, a spiritual successor to his Capcom legacy, he famously kicked off a new wave of Japanese developers who've struck out on their own with the help of crowdfunding. But Inafune didn't get to this point solely because of a desire to try more modern things; he was essentially forced to turn to Kickstarter when Capcom refused to innovate the beloved Mega Man IP he helped create. "As a creator, as myself, the best thing that happened to this project [Mighty No. 9] is that I have the IP," he says of the experience with Kickstarter. "The IP is mine. The IP is the company's IP, so we can do whatever we want. And that will actually speed things up really nicely because once the backers ask for something, we don't have to go over to the publisher or the first-party [studio] ... or whoever we're working with. We can just make the decision."
Mighty No. 9 protagonist Beck gets a color change
Beck, the hero of Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune's upcoming Mighty No. 9, has taken a look in the mirror and deemed his duds too drab - or rather, developer Comcept has. In an update post on the Mighty No. 9 Kickstarter page, game director Koji Imaeda explains that Beck's color scheme has gone from one dominated by gray to one defined by white. "From the very beginning we designed Beck to have a neutral, grey base, with the idea of wanting to make something completely new and unique," Imaeda writes. "But development soldiered on, and as we approached the last leg, we started looking closer at Beck. As a protagonist that could absorb the abilities of his siblings and take on various forms, our image of his appropriate color shifted from 'neutrality' to 'containing all possibilities' ... and since white is a combination of all colors of light, we felt that would actually suit his character better!" Makes sense to us. The justification also sounds a little familiar ... [Image: Comcept]
Mighty No. 9 will feature English voice acting thanks to vote
Mighty No. 9, Comcept's spirtual successor to the Mega Man series, will feature English voice acting according to an update on the game's Kickstarter page. A vote which drew more than 20,000 participants was the deciding factor, and according to the update, the vote was never more than 1,000 votes from going in favor of English or Japanese. Back in July, Comcept updated their crowdfunding efforts and asked for $200,000 to add both English and Japanese voices. However, at the beginning of October, a Kickstarter update explained that funding was insufficient for supporting both languages. "Rather than stick to the revised target of $200K for both English and Japanese voice acting and close it down short of the goal, we've decided to lower the goal back to the original $100K for one language," the update reads. "And, rather than dictate which one voiced language we offer in the game, we want to put it to a vote and let you, our loyal backers decide: English or Japanese!" Now that the votes have been tallied, it appears the former is the winner. Mighty No. 9 is due to release in spring of 2015 for ten mighty systems: PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U and 3DS. [Image: Comcept]
Mighty No. 9 starts backers-only beta
Early access keys for Mighty No. 9 have been sent to the game's beta-level backers, Comcept announced on the game's Kickstarter page Sunday. Those that pledged at least $80 to get a taste of Keiji Inafune's latest creation ahead of the rest of its community should have received their keys in the past few days. Additionally, backers will also receive a free copy of Mighty Gunvolt, the retro-style crossover of Mighty No. 9 and Inti Creates' Azure Striker Gunvolt. Mighty No. 9 was announced during PAX Prime last year. It went on to earn over $3.8 million on Kickstarter, the most of any project during a full year that saw 340 other successful Kickstarter games. The developer also recently issued a new video, found after the break, that shows the Mega Man creator play-testing a competitive multiplayer mode in the game, online race battle. Mighty No. 9 will launch in spring 2015 for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Mac, Linux, 3DS, Wii U and Vita. [Image: Comcept]
New Mighty No. 9 footage is ready to rock, man
At this point, the best thing that could happen to Keiji Inafune's Mighty No. 9 is if Capcom straight-up sued. Free marketing, great debate, battle lines would be drawn. We don't know what the grounds for the lawsuit would be, but the latest footage of the game comes so close to sharing similarities with Mega Man, it's almost difficult to tell the two apart. Go ahead and test it yourself. Take the Mighty No. 9 footage found after the break and play it to someone who has general video game knowledge. Take out all the context and just ask: What game is this? Actually, please go ahead and do that and let us know what the other person says.
Mighty No. 9 seeking $100K more to add Japanese voice acting
Comcept revealed additional stretch goals for Mighty No. 9 a few short days ago, giving fans the opportunity to bolster the game's development with funding via PayPal on its official site. The $100,000 stretch goal was introduced to fund English voice acting for the game, which the original game's funding support won't cover. Mighty No. 9's funding page has since changed, however, upping the developer's goal to $200,000 and adding Japanese voice acting to its list of ambitions. Additionally, a Japan-only Makuake crowdfunding project from Comcept popped up with a 10 million yen (roughly $98,296) goal, specifically geared toward providing Japanese voices for Mighty No. 9. We've reached out to Comcept to clarify the two funding avenues and whether the two goals for Japanese voice acting overlap. The game, a project by Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune, earned over $4 million combined from Kickstarter and PayPal in October 2013. It was by far the biggest earner in the crowdfunding space in the past year, which saw a total of $35 million spread across 341 gaming projects. Mighty No. 9 is expected to launch in spring 2015 for many platforms: Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Mac, Linux, 3DS, Wii U and Vita. [Image: Comcept]
Soul Sacrifice Delta triangulating West, AUS rating suggests
A couple of new clues point towards a Western localization of Soul Sacrifice Delta, and first and foremost of those is a rating from the Australian Classification Board. That's a strong sign the follow-up to last year's Vita game is preparing to journey out of Japan, so a now-deleted listing from Spanish online retailer Xtralife only adds fuel to the fire. Keiji Inafune's Comcept released the beastie-butchering of Soul Sacrifice worldwide last year, but the studio only announced the sequel for Japan - the game hit retail shelves there in March. When Inafune unveiled Delta last year, he described it as more than a "mere update" to the original game: "This is a brand new version with brand new elements and brand new items which gives the unique flavor of Soul Sacrifice." The name Delta refers to the introduction of a third faction in the follow-up, Grimm, as well as a third "Luck" choice that gives you a roulette-like alternative to saving or sacrificing the beasts you defeat. There are also plenty of new monsters to take down, including ones inspired by Brothers Grimm' takes on fairy-tales like Red Riding Hood and Snow White. [Image: Sony Computer Entertainment Japan]
Mighty No. 9 alpha gameplay video looks mega, man
Comcept released a new gameplay video of crowdfunded platformer Mighty No. 9 running in alpha, and it showcases some familiar-feeling run-and-gun gameplay along with images of Mighty Numbers 1 to 8. If we had to pick a favorite it would have to be Mighty No. 6, because he's got a cross between a bomber plane and a helicopter for a head, and missiles that launch out of his ankles. He looks like he'd be a lot of fun at a party. Keiji Inafune's new platformer was one of the most successful gaming fundraisers of 2013, amassing a mighty $3.8 million through Kickstarter alone. While Comcept is starting to show more and more gameplay we're still a good year away from the estimated release date of spring 2015, when the game will rock and roll onto Xbox One, PS4, Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360, Vita, 3DS, Windows PC, Mac, and Linux. [Image: Comcept]
Abandoning Olympus: Mega Man's creator on going indie
Keiji Inafune's been making games for nearly 30 years. He's the man behind one of gaming's most iconic characters (Mega Man) and several huge franchises (Dead Rising, Onimusha). After 23 years working at Capcom, one of Japan's largest game publishers, he suddenly quit back in 2010. "Settling down means death for a creator. As long as you are a creator, you cannot settle down," he announced on his blog. Just six months after being appointed Capcom's Global Head of Production (overseeing the company's entire gaming catalog, from Resident Evil to Street Fighter), he quit. With that, he set off on his own and created two new companies: Comcept and Intercept. When we talked with Inafune last week at DICE 2014, he spoke of his plans for Comcept in detail. "I was a publisher for 20 years, so you'd be right in thinking I brought some ideas from there into Comcept," he said. That means, first and foremost, retaining ownership of IP. That's a major component of going with Kickstarter for the latest Comcept game, a Mega Man-esque action game titled Mighty No. 9. The project sailed past its target goal of $900K and took in $3.8 million. Without a publisher, of course.
Mortal Kombat: Legacy house plans Mighty No. 9 live-action adaptation
Keiji Inafune's Mighty No. 9 is getting a live-action spin-off. Contradiction Films, the same outfit responsible for the first season of Mortal Kombat: Legacy, is in charge of production. "We are building the story right now," Tim Carter, co-owner of Contradiction Films, told Electric Playground. "Inafune-san created [Mega Man], and he has now created Mighty Number 9. We don't have the rights to Mega Man, obviously, but we are working with him on a live action adaptation of it." Carter added, "I was a little apprehensive about it at first until I got his notes, and thought 'Dude, you should be working at Pixar!'" No delivery method for the planned adaptation - digital release, a physical disc or some type of feature-length film - was announced. Mighty No. 9 began life as a project on Kickstarter and earned $3.8 million throughout its pledge drive. Mighty No. 9 is Inafune's spiritual successor to Mega Man and stars a robot named Beck - the ninth in a set of combat bots called The Mighty Number. After an evil computer virus infects Beck's fellow bots and all variety of machines across the world, Beck and his partner, Call, attempt to save the world. [Image: Comcept]
Mighty No. 9 alpha screens recall Mega Man's glory days
Japanese indie developer Comcept has released a series of screenshots showcasing the current alpha build of its crowdfunded Mega Man spiritual successor Mighty No. 9, giving backers a peek at the team's progress so far. The backer-exclusive screens, obtained and reprinted by NeoGAF, show protagonist Beck facing off against minor enemies while navigating Mega Man-inspired environments. Mighty No. 9 wrapped up its crowdfunding campaign in October, earning over $4 million from backer pledges.
Mighty No. 9 co-op character design wins fan vote by less than 3%
Back in September, Keiji Inafune and the team developing Mighty No. 9 held a vote to determine the design of main protagonist Beck's helper, Call. Those votes have been counted, and developer Comcept has revealed the winner to be ... Design F! Take a bow, F! The pigtail-sporting Design H came in third, with 15.47 percent of the vote. The stewardess-looking Design E came close with 41.14 percent of the vote, but F came out a hair (in this case a ponytail) ahead with 43.39 percent of the vote. The design was created by Yuuji Natsume, of developer Inti Creates. Some of you may have just met Design F, and think it's crazy, but she's got the numbers, so she's Call now, baby. Yes we know we made that joke last time.
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z bringing that cyborg ninja to Europe a week early
Yaiba Ninja Gaiden Z-ooms to Europe one week ahead of North America, slicing up the continent on February 28. Just yesterday, Tecmo Koei announced the flamboyant spin-off will hit North America on March 4, coming to Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. Yaiba represents an unusual three-way collaboration between Team Ninja, Lost Planet 3 dev Spark Unlimiited, and Soul Sacrifice studio Comcept. The fruit borne is a mixture of Ninja Gaiden slice-and-dicing and, well, lots and lots and lots of zombies. And plenty of smut too, as a new trailer reveals.
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z pits cyborg ninja against zombies next March
Spark Unlimited, Team Ninja and Comcept collaboration Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z has been pegged for a March 4, 2014 launch in the US on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC through Steam. Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z centers around anti-hero Yaiba Kamikaze - a ninja who massacres his entire clan for perceived weakness. After dying by the hand of Ninja Gaiden series protagonist Ryu Hayabusa during a duel, Kamikaze is then resurrected as a cyborg by a mysterious corporation, which forces him to embark on a quest to quell a zombie outbreak in exchange for the power to enact his revenge on Hayabusa. Team Ninja told Joystiq back in August that the Unreal Engine 3-powered slash-em-up is its own thing - not a spin-off or sequel. Team Ninja went on to say it would love to pursue a sequel, granted Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z manages to find an audience. And if the latest trailer above is any indication, that target audience is folks who enjoy terrible, cringe-worthy euphemisms.
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z set to slash through Steam
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z will now chop, slice and dice on PC. Publisher Tecmo Koei announced this morning that the spin-off will be available on Steam, alongside the announced Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, in early 2014. Yaiba, which we haven't heard much of since Gamescom, is an action-packed bout of ninjas vs. zombies created between Spark Unlimited (Lost Planet 3), Team Ninja and Keiji Inafune's Comcept, which also has its hands full with the successful Mighty No. 9 Kickstarter.
