Former Mega Man Producer Shares Mystery Image Before Quickly Deleting It
A new Mega Man image has appeared online, and nobody knows what it's from.
The last few years have been tough for Mega Man fans. While Capcom's blue bomber has appeared in a steady stream of compilations like Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection, he hasn't gotten much in the way of original titles. Fans are constantly looking for clues about the character's return, and they recently discovered an interesting hint from Ichiro Mihara. Mahara currently serves as the vice president of developer Arika, and has previously been the producer on games like Mega Man Network Transmission. Mahara recently shared a small piece of an image of the character on Twitter, which was picked up and shared by Mega Man fansite Rockman Corner, who noted that it does not seem to be from any existing piece of media.
The image of Mega Man follows the character's classic design, as opposed to the versions from games like Mega Man X, or Battle Network. However, there are some notable differences that make it stand out. For one, he has a face that looks silver, while his helmet has a bolt that's never been seen elsewhere. His eyes also have a glow that's more traditionally robotic. It's possible this could be from some kind of crossover, a cancelled game, or something else entirely! There's really no way of knowing for sure, but the Tweet has led to a lot of speculation from the Mega Man community. So much so that Mahara deleted the Tweet and issued a follow-up. In the second Tweet, Mahara said he deleted the original voluntarily, not expecting that level of response from fans. He also offered an apology "to the rights holders."
Mega Man the Guest Fighter?
With this Mega Man design getting major headlines over the last few days, hopefully Capcom will use the opportunity to reveal whatever it might be. If it's from something that got cancelled, we probably won't learn anything more, but if it's crossover content, we could get an explanation. It should be noted that Arika worked on Tekken 8, and Bandai Namco has addressed the possibility of guest characters from other companies. It's possible the game could add Mega Man as a guest fighter; after all, the blue bomber has previously shown up as a guest in games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
About Arika Games
For those unfamiliar with the company, Arika is a Japanese studio that has previously worked with companies like Capcom, Bandai Namco, Square Enix, and Nintendo. On Switch, the studio is responsible for a number of titles, including multiple offered free through Nintendo Switch Online, such as Tetris 99, Super Mario Bros. 35, and Pac-Man 99. During a Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase last month, it was also revealed that Arika is now working on Endless Ocean Luminous, a Nintendo Switch game set to release on May 2nd. Arika previously developed two games in the series, both of which were released on Nintendo Wii.
Where do you think this image comes from? Would you like to see a new Mega Man game? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!