Mega Man artist and Mighty No. 9 creator Keiji Inafune has been an enormous identify within the business for almost 4 a long time, so you possibly can say he is obtained a good bit of expertise. Lately, the producer gave a chat at South Korea’s Console Recreation Developer Convention 2025, and has a couple of robust phrases for builders and publishers counting on large IPs and style traits.
Reported on by ThisIsGame (through Automaton), Inafune was essential of studios that depend on these established manufacturers and IPs or simply shoot for “style traits” as a result of they’re supposedly assured to earn a living.
“I am not saying it’s dangerous to proceed present franchises or make video games that riff on widespread genres,” Inafune states (translated through machine by Automaton), “What I imply is that these shouldn’t be the one video games being made.”
It is laborious to argue with that, although clearly each studio goes to fluctuate. Nintendo has an enormous vary of IPs to dip into, for instance, and whereas we see regulars corresponding to Mario, Pokémon, and Zelda pop up each different 12 months (or generally yearly), the Large N sometimes dips into its deeper previous (Rhythm Heaven in 2026, anybody?).
By way of “widespread genres”, looter shooters, Battle Royales, and extraction shooters are all carrots the business has been attempting to chase for years with various outcomes.
In his speech, Inafune talked about “Monster Hunter-style” and “Closing Fantasy-style” video games and that, again in his day, new ideas had been “merely the norm” and put down his personal success to leaping between completely different initiatives, despite the fact that he spent essentially the most time engaged on the Mega Man collection.
He informed the viewers that his success “was attainable as a result of I didn’t dwell on my previous hits”, and that the business has taken a way more “defensive” stance because the business has matured.
Whereas he understands that enterprise might must fall again on the more-popular issues, “when contemplating the essence of recreation improvement and the fervour for creation, it mustn’t develop into the whole lot of the gaming scene.”
Inafune has certainly had a particularly diversified profession, labored as a graphic designer on Avenue Fighter, varied Disney Capcom video games, producer on the DualShock launch of Resident Evil, the Onimusha collection, govt producer on Misplaced Planet, Apollo Justice: Ace Lawyer, Ghost Trick… we might listing a whole lot.
Put up-Capcom, Inafune has labored with Inti Creates on the Azure Striker Gunvolt collection and launched the massively profitable Kickstarter for Mighty No. 9, a recreation which was closely impressed by Mega Man and, sadly, turned out to be a essential flop. In 2022, he introduced an NFT undertaking referred to as Beastroids, as soon as once more impressed by Mega Man.
Inafune additionally joined Degree-5 after the acquisition of Comcept in 2017, ultimately working as producer on Fantasy Life i: The Lady Who Steals Time. He left the corporate in 2024, with Degree-5 CEO Akihiro Hino saying that following his departure, “we needed to reassess and restructure the undertaking”. He has since joined Rocket Studio.
What do you consider keiji Inafune’s phrases? Do you would like there was extra selection from the massive recreation builders? Tell us within the feedback.
