Just two weeks before the scheduled release of Mighty No. 9, a spiritual continuation of the loved Mega Man game franchise, developer Comcept USA has announced the project will be delayed until spring.
Mighty No. 9, a platformer that marks the long-awaited return of influential Japanese developer Keiji Inafune and other veteran Mega Man developers, was initially due in April 2015. This was pushed to September and then again to February. In an update to the game’s Kickstarter page today, Inafune said the latest delay was caused by issues with matchmaking in Mighty No. 9’s online mode.
Inafune specifically cited the number of platforms for which Mighty No. 9 is set to be released—Linux, Mac, Nintendo 3DS, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One—as a source of development woes, in trying to get the online functionality working for such a wide range of platforms.
Mega Man fans are looking forward to Mighty No. 9 because the DNA of Inafune’s famous platformer series, which dates back to the days of the Nintendo Entertainment System, is so clearly baked into Mighty No. 9. A trailer released in June makes this enthusiastically clear.
The Kickstarter for Mighty No. 9 reached its initial fundraising goal of $900,000 in less than 40 hours and eventually brought in $3.8 million.
Mega Man has remained popular for more than 28 years out of fond remembrance for how difficult the Mega Man games were. Today, they make for a popular speedrunning challenge. There were 10 numbered Mega Man games released between 1987 and 2010, with titles released on the NES, PlayStation 1, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Saturn, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and mobile devices.
Mega Man is relevant today via appearances in the Smash Bros. series, as a costume in Super Mario Maker, the release in August of the Mega Man Legacy Collection. In September, 20th Century Fox in greenlit a Mega Man movie.
Illustration via comcept USA/Kickstarter | Remix by Jason Reed