Keiji-Inafune
Latest
Let's play the blame game: Inafune on what went wrong with Capcom's original IP push
In the latter half of 2009 and early 2010, Capcom released two major retail games in collaboration with prominent Western devs: Crimson Skies dev Airtight Games created Dark Void, and gun-for-hire Grin rebooted Bionic Commando. Those two games, however, were prominent sales flops. One even contributed to the eventual closure of Swedish dev Grin. For its part, Capcom promptly returned to its tried and true franchises, with a lineup today featuring many more sequels than back in 2009. At the time, Mega Man co-creator Keiji Inafune was overseeing production on Capcom's retail titles, and when I spoke with him this past week at the Tokyo Game Show, I wanted to know what went wrong. Beyond sales, neither game was particularly loved by critics, especially Dark Void. "[It's] very, very simple: The publisher was Japanese and the developer was foreign. Even inside Japan, when you work in two different companies, they always blame each other for any small mistakes, so that's pretty much what happened in those two games -- blaming each other," Inafune explained. He went on to compare those development experiences with that of Dead Rising -- a game that has since become a major franchise for Capcom, not to mention a commercial success.
Keiji Inafune: handheld consoles don't need to fear the smartphone... yet
Yeah, we know that the whole mobile-gaming-is threatening-dedicated-gaming thing has been done to death, but when some of the industry's software MVPs start weighing in on the matter, well... that's when our ears perk up. Nintendo has made clear that it's shunning smartphones as a gaming platform, and now it's Mega Man co-creator Keiji Inafune's turn to windmill into the argument. Speaking with our sister site Joystiq, he opines that the two worlds aren't set to eclipse each other just yet, illustrating it wonderfully through the medium of simile: "I think it's very similar between cellphone cameras and professional digital cameras. You don't use a smartphone camera for an interview, and you don't use a really professional camera to take some small pictures when you're going to work." Hard to knock the underlying logic, but it's pretty tough to pretend that handset gaming isn't seriously denting handheld gaming. For the full spiel, be sure to give that source link a tap.
Inafune envisions a future where portable gaming consoles and Smartphones coexist
When Nintendo president Satoru Iwata delivered the keynote back in March at this year's Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco, he spoke of the "commoditization" of gaming, and the resultant devaluing of games. But given his position as head of a company leading the charge in the dedicated gaming portable market, it was difficult to see past his highly vested interests in this stance. To put it more bluntly, Iwata is a man who relies on people buying his portable console's games for $30 to $40, and thusly his ideas on the subject are tainted by his own vested interests. But when Mega Man co-creator and ex-Capcom head of production Keiji Inafune feels similarly, we can't help but take note. I asked him during an interview this week at the Tokyo Game Show how he felt about Mr. Iwata's keynote, and if the Nintendo 3DS -- as well as the PlayStation Vita -- stand a chance against the rise of the Smartphone. "I think it's very similar between cell phone cameras and professional digital cameras [DSLRs]. You don't use a Smartphone camera for an interview, and you don't use a really professional camera to take some small pictures when you're going to work," he told me, drawing a comparison between the DSLR my colleague was holding and the iPhone 4 I was recording the interview with. "I think that's the same thing that happens with game consoles as well," he continued. "If you want to play a good game, you get a PS3 or Xbox or that kind of thing. You don't stay on your iPhone or on a Smartphone game for three or five hours, nobody would do that. So I think the needs difference is happening here."
Inafune: 'Messed up' working relationship led to Bionic Commando's Wifearm
"At the end of developing Bionic Commando, things got really messed up between the two companies," Mega Man creator and former global head of production at Capcom Keiji Inafune told me in an interview this week. Sitting in a quiet corner of Tokyo Game Show's business area, Inafune was addressing the retail version of BC developed by the now shuttered studio Grin -- a game that helped nail the coffin shut on the Swedish dev house, and scared Capcom off of its big third-party push. In case you weren't aware, at the end of BC's main campaign, it's revealed that the protagonist's bionic arm is, at least partially, made from his dead wife. Seriously. "I don't even know what happened there," Inafune lamented. The project was apparently rife with development issues, which Inafune exemplified with a phrase that represented the attitude Grin and Capcom had for each other at the time: "Whatever, do what you want, I don't care." Though he couldn't say what specifically happened to result in such a bizarre game ending, Inafune explained that the issue of foreign companies working with Japanese ones was at the heart of the situation. "At the beginning, things are very, very good between the two companies. Things get kind of weird from the middle, and it gets really bad at the end -- especially for the Japanese companies," he said of the development process. "They should be more flexible about things," Inafune added, no doubt part of his decision to leave his long-time employer late last year. "If you don't do that, everything will become messed up from the middle. And that's the most important part. Not the beginning, but in the middle and finishing the game."
Inafune, Suda 51 signed for mobile development
DeNA's popular Japanese mobile gaming platform, Mobage, is getting a major boost from some of the nation's leading gaming industry figures. During a press conference held earlier today (as translated by Andriasang), DeNA revealed that five famed producers will develop games for the platform, including Keiji Inafune, who's creating a game titled J.J. Rockets with his new studio Comcept, and Suda 51, who will make a new installment in the No More Heroes franchise. Other contributors include Marvelous Entertainment's Yoshifumi Hashimoto, who is working on a Harvest Moon mobile title, former Sonic Team lead Yuji Naka, who will develop an adventure game with his new studio Prope, and Crafts & Meister co-founder Noritaka Funamizu. Sounds like a pretty great lineup, though we wish the five would also collaborate on a single project. The idea of a No More Heroes farming simulator is, well, the best idea.
Keiji Inafune unveils Comcept's first game: The Island of Dr. Momo
While Capcom is canceling every Keiji Inafune-originated project that isn't about Frank West, Inafune is working on new games of his own. The first game out of Inafune's company Comcept is The Island of Dr. Momo, an iOS/Android game for Japan's GREE social gaming service, to be released this fall. It will be free to play, with the option to buy in-game items. If that title reminds you of a certain other work, it's no accident. In Dr. Momo, you play a mad scientist who combines animals in order to make the cutest possible creatures. Finally, Keiji Inafune is here to give vivisection some positive spin!
Keiji Inafune's sights are on China, still down on Japanese game industry
At the tail end of a 1400-word diatribe detailing the myriad failures of the Japanese game industry, former Capcom all-star Keiji Inafune (who else?) gave us the first big hint about what he's going to be working on next. We know about his two new companies -- the multi-faceted Comcept and the game development house Intercept -- but what has been less clear is what kind of games he's going to make. As the creator of games like Mega Man and Dead Rising, Inafune is clearly able to appeal to Western tastes, so it's a bit surprising that he's not necessarily courting Western audiences. We suppose it makes sense; for all this praise of Western game development, Inafune feels like competing there would be too difficult with a new company. "It may be too late - or too hard - to tackle the US market at this point," he writes. So instead of tackling the top spot, Inafune is looking towards the future. What's next? "The next big market is China. There I see many opportunities. My sights are on Asia," he concludes, wrapping up his essay. Maybe this is selfish of us, but you've got to look out for number one, right? Here's the thing: We don't live in China, so we don't see any way to read this without acknowledging that Inafune won't be making games for us anymore. Is this because we said mean things about Lost Planet 2?
PSA: Purported new Inafune RPG is just Neptunia
Last week, a report from business journal Bloomberg featured an interview with Mega Man creator/ex-Capcom creative lead Keiji Inafune, covering a variety of topics. As has become par for the course since Inafune left the Japanese publishing giant, he spoke to the divide between creative and management in game development, and how he believes it can be amended. He also spoke to the challenges he faced at his old employer, echoing sentiments from earlier this month. And while all of that is certainly interesting, one particular line in the piece stood out to our news-hungry eyes: "Inafune said he plans to release a social game title for Japanese market as early as this month, and a role-playing title for Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 in August." We knew about the social game, but a role-playing game for PS3, you say? As it turns out, the game in question isn't one that Inafune's studio, Comcept, is developing, but rather a game that Inafune himself is starring in. You guessed it: Hyperdimension Neptunia mk-II. You know, the game where Inafune's a weapon? That game. We reached out to the folks at Bloomberg, who clarified that, yes, the game in question isn't an unannounced PlayStation 3 RPG, as much as it is an already announced, Compile Heart-developed Japan-only RPG with Inafune as a laser-vomiting special weapon. On the one hand, we're a bit disappointed that Inafune's not crafting a secret PS3 RPG, but on the other hand we got to use that amazing header image again. You win some, you lose some.
Keiji Inafune shooting a laser out of his mouth, obviously
Some things you just have to see to believe. For instance, here's Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune's head totally vomiting a laser, as seen in the upcoming PS3 RPG Hyperdimension Neptunia mk-II.
Inafune on defeating Capcom's sequel-heavy budgeting
In one anecdote, former Capcom exec Keiji Inafune illustrates how he got so high up in the company and the kind of behavior that likely led to his hasty exit. During a presentation at Kyoto's Ritsumeikan University, the Neptunia Mk-II weapon dished on the corporate culture at Capcom, and how he gamed it to get Lost Planet and Dead Rising made. Before those games, he said, Capcom had a rule requiring 70-80 percent of the games produced at the company to be sequels, and the management rejected pitches for new titles even beyond that proportion. Inafune started up two new projects, Lost Planet and Dead Rising, and just kept them going even after the prototypes were rejected. Eventually, he exceeded the budget for Lost Planet's prototype by 400%, figuring that Capcom wouldn't cancel it if the game was half done. The strategy worked: both titles made it to retail, and started franchises that have sold over four million units each. Inafune was already well known for a successful act of guerrilla game-making. After Mega Man, his team was famously only allowed to develop Mega Man 2 if they did so on their own time, without affecting the schedules of other projects.
Keiji Inafune is shooting lasers out of his face in an RPG
Well, it's official: Keiji Inafune has the best life ever. According to this week's issue of Dengeki PlayStation (as translated by Andriasang), the former Capcom head will appear in Idea Factory's upcoming PS3 RPG Hyperdimension Neptunia mk-II -- a bizarre outcome of an even more bizarre marketing partnership between Inafune and the game's publisher, Compile Heart. The real magic comes from the descriptions of his character's special abilities, such as the "Donnahandanda Nova," in which Inafune opens up his mouth, and vomits out an assumedly potent laser beam. We can't decide what's more wonderful: The aforementioned power, or "Creator Sword Inafune," in which Inafune wields an actual photograph of himself, much like one would wield a sword. Nope! Wait, forget what we said. That's obviously the most wonderful thing we've ever heard.
Keiji Inafune starts two game companies
Looks like Keiji Inafune has a plan to give the Japanese game industry a boost -- and it involves rebuilding the whole thing himself. The former Capcom exec, known as the creator of Mega Man and Clockland Rescue, has started two new companies, Comcept and Intercept, in two separate offices. Comcept, a name that has come up in relation to Inafune before, is focused on creating and distributing a variety of entertainment media, including consumer, online and mobile games, tie-in goods, books, movies, and even events. Intercept, on the other hand, is all about game development, following three key tenets (as translated by Andriasang): "Originality -- Cannot be copied by others"; "Gravity -- Has the power to pull people in"; and "Beyond the Age -- Things that cross era." The companies have so far raised 10 million yen ($119,490) in capital each.
Mega Man Universe canceled
Capcom has posted an apology and notice of cancelation on the official Japanese website for Mega Man Universe, an odd DIY Mega Man game that was scheduled to launch on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network later this year. The retro-styled platformer was a cheeky amalgam of remade Mega Man 2 levels, customizable characters (including the crooked caricature from the North American Mega Man 1 box art) and user-created levels. According to Capcom's notice, the decision to extinguish Mega Man Universe was given impetus by "various circumstances." Those may involve the departure of Mega Man creator and Universe conceptual lead Keiji Inafune, who left Capcom in October 2010. We've requested further comment from Capcom.
Rumor: Keiji Inafune's new company named 'Comcept'
In a chance encounter with ex-Capcom creative director Keiji Inafune, alleged Japanese securities analyst Koji Ichi reportedly received a business card from Inafune denoting his new company, "Comcept" (likely not that Comcept). The analyst claims he bumped into Inafune "for the first time in two and a half years" in the Akasaka-Mitsuke neighborhood of Tokyo, where the two supposedly exchanged cards and Inafune apparently revealed Comcept is "a company that he's starting." Ichi provided no further details as to the nature of Inafune's purported new venture. Meanwhile, Inafune has kept mum about his new endeavors on his personal blog, instead choosing to reflect on back pain, among many, many other things. But not his future business plans, unfortunately.
Keiji Inafune starts new blog, smiles all the way
Keiji Inafune seems to be all smiles following his decision to leave Capcom. The now title-less former executive has launched a new blog, but doesn't have his corporate translator on hand anymore, so many of you will require the interpretive aid of Mr. Google. Andriasang's helpful human-powered translation explains that Inafune has nothing major to reveal in his first post, but hopes to make announcements through the site when he's got something to say. The Mega Man character designer and Dead Rising producer reaffirms that he still wants to be involved in games in his new, unaffiliated capacity, but would also like to explore manga, books and film -- something in which we've seen him dabble in the past. Inafune states that he'd like to exceed his former self and do the things he couldn't during his days as a "salaryman." Given his long history as an entrenched part of Capcom (and the Japanese game industry as a whole), this could be the start of some surprising developments.
Mega Man Legends 3 team reassures fans
After Keiji Inafune finally got his wish and began development of a new Mega Man Legends game ... he left Capcom. The remaining team members collectively issued a statement through Capcom-Unity to let us know that the 3DS Mega Man Legends 3 Project continues unabated. "We have been reading all of your comments from the past few days, many of them expressions of anxiety and many of encouragement," reads the open letter. "Honestly, though many of us are still a little dazed and confused about all of this, the 'can-do' fire inside us is still burning as hot as ever!" The team also promised to reveal info soon about upgrades to the Devroom community, through which fans help decide design decisions (like the new character design). You can find the full statement after the break. And though it's not explicitly mentioned, we can assure you that Capcom will also continue making Mega Man games in other series. All the time. Forever.
Capcom responds to Inafune resignation, comments on future acquisitions
Capcom's investor Q&A session for its most recent financial report sheds a bit more light on the recent departure of Keiji Inafune. When asked to explain why Inafune left the company, Capcom said it was "thinking about radical reforms in our R&D operations in response to the rapid changes taking place in our markets." At the outset of these reforms, Inafune expressed a desire to remain "an independent creator" and "Capcom accepted this request." A replacement for Inafune wasn't named, though Capcom will soon hold meetings "to reach decisions concerning the direction of our development activities and other important items." In another interesting bit of the Q&A, Capcom stated that it may acquire more developers in the future, similar to the recent acquisition of Blue Castle Games following its completion of Dead Rising 2. While the company has no specific acquisitions planned at this time, it says it would consider acquiring a development partner if "an acquisition would better enable Capcom and the partner to utilize their strengths and produce benefits for both companies." Of course, to hear Inafune tell it, Western developers like Blue Castle are Capcom's only hope for success. Inafune said as much in a recent interview, in which he stated that Western developers are "far and away more passionate" than their Japanese counterparts.
Inafune talks about Capcom split, wants to be 'driving force' in game development
Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune has blasted the Japanese gaming industry in an interview conducted by 4Gamer.net right after his recent exit from Capcom, and translated by a NeoGAF forum user. In it, Inafune says that Japanese publishers are "making developers into salarymen" and that he could no longer be the designer he wanted to be at Capcom. Inafune also revealed that he would have liked to have worked alongside his former employer after the split, perhaps as an outside contractor, but was told, "That won't be necessary." Inafune is quite honest in the interview, commenting that Capcom won't survive using its current employment structure, and that the company will have to pare down its internal workforce and commission Western developers to help make its games in the future. Western developers, says Inafune, are "far and away more passionate" than Capcom's internal teams -- and technically superior, as well. As for what's next, it sounds like Inafune is planning to start his own company. He says he wants to "do business" and be a "further driving force" in the Japanese games industry. It's a pretty epic interview; you can read it in its entirety at the via link.
Keiji Inafune leaves Capcom
Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune has left Capcom, one month after revealing his Mega Man Legends 3 Project for 3DS, six months after being promoted to Global Head of Production and 23 years after joining the company. He was also the CEO of Capcom's online games subsidiary Daletto. According to Andriasang's summary and translation of his blog post announcing the departure, Inafune declared he had no more "stairs" to climb within Capcom. "It would probably be good for me to sit gracefully in this seat and become a leading figure in the industry," he wrote. "However, I cannot do this. Settling down means death for a creator. As long as you are a creator, you cannot settle down." Inafune has been particularly unsettled lately, making frequent, harsh criticisms of the Japanese game industry, and (in what seemed like a frustrated joke at the time) declaring that he hated his job. We think we know what happened here: It wasn't that Capcom higher-ups, uh, encouraged him out for his critical statements, or that Inafune received a more lucrative offer from one of the Western publishers he has become so fascinated with -- it's just that his Mega Man Legends 3 character design got last place.
Inafune: Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright a full collaboration
If you were surprised by the announcement of a Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright crossover game (WHAT), you're not the only one. Even Capcom's global head of production, Keiji Inafune, exhibited some disbelief over the adventurous collaboration in a recent interview with Japanese mag Famitsu (translated by Eurogamer). "I thought it would be impossible," he said, citing the careful handling of the Phoenix Wright character within Capcom, as well as creator Shu Takumi's insistence on trying new things (see: the upcoming Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective). "Nobody but Hino could have thought of it." Akihiro Hino, CEO of Level-5, was apparently instrumental in conceptualizing and then realizing this 3D battle of the brains. And there will be a bumping of heads between the two logic-minded protagonists, Inafune said, "before they join hands and take on a really big challenge." Whether you're rooting for the spiky hair or the fabulous top hat, you'll be happy to know that neither Capcom nor Level-5 seem satisfied with a meet-and-greet cash-in between their cherished properties. "It wasn't a case of licensing out the Phoenix Wright characters and demanding our licence money. That isn't a collaboration, and users would see that," Inafune said. "For this standalone game, we wanted to create a great history, which would have been impossible if both parties were not fully involved."
