Mega Man Creator Leaves Capcom

[Vipsoccermaster]

Head of development Keiji Inafune announces departure from company of 23 years.

Keiji Inafune is currently head of R&D at Capcom and CEO of Capcom online gaming subsidiary Daletto. This will remain true only through the end of the month. Inafune announced via his blog  today that at the end of the month, he will be taking leave of his posts at both companies. He did not say where he would end up.

Inafune entered Capcom 23 years ago, initially working as a character designer. He rose to become a major producer at the company, eventually heading up all R&D efforts and also taking on CEO duties at Daletto, a Capcom subsidiary that operates online games like Monster Hunter Frontier Online.

Recently, Inafune has been the source of some controversial comments regarding the Japanese game industry. At a Dead Rising 2 Tokyo Game Show party last year, he declared the Japanese industry dead after having seen the offerings on display at the show.

In his blog post, Inafune did not provide a clear reason for leaving. He referred to Capcom as "a truly a good company," adding "I love Capcom." However, he indicated that he would probably not end up working with Capcom in the future.

Those worried about Inafune taking flight of the industry can probably relax. He did indicate that one possible reason for his departure is that he'd reached the peak of the Capcom development hierarchy and that he had no further steps to take at the company. "It would probably be good for me to sit gracefully in this seat and become a leading figure in the industry," wrote Inafune. "However, I cannot do this. Settling down means death for a creator. As long as you are a creator, you cannot settle down."

Source

Looks like MLYW is going to be upset about this...

It's sad to see him leave Capcom...

Also, I wasn't sure if this belongs in Nintendo, Mictrosoft, or General Gaming, but it's in General Gaming for now. If this belongs in Nintendo or Microsoft, please move this. I think it might be Microsoft, but I'm not sure.

EDIT: Additional Information:

In a recent interview, Capcom's Keiji Inafune (of Dead Rising and Onimusha  fame) talks about the impossible, doing the impossible and how that makes game developers grow as people. He also says he hates his job.

After Inafune talks about challenges and daunting tasks, the interviewer says that the Dead Rising producer seems like he loves his job.

"It's the opposite," he replies. "I hate it! I want to retire early and take it easy."

Continuing, he added that is why he's working so hard now. He says if one likes their work, then they can take it slow. He says he could do, say, a small bit on a game like Dead Rising and then get paid a high salary.

"There are loads of creators like that," Inafune explains. "But I'm not like that. If things are difficult while they are doing it, they can become a leader and a creator."

For Inafune, making games isn't easy. It doesn't even sound like he's having fun. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. The man is working, not playing.

It's not only himself that Inafune is hard on. He has been a vocal critic of the Japanese game industry, claiming that it is "finished" and that Japanese developers are making "awful games". Inafune has said that he hopes his criticisms will inspire the Japanese industry to do better.

Source

 

[kingboo]

My friends are going to be pissed while I just sit back and feel slightly attentive to their reaction to this event.
I've heard the games were fun and great. Knowing this, I don't like this too.

 

[kinetic563]

Wow...23 years and finally hits the sack. That is really sucky news. I wonder what will become of Mega Man after Mega Man Legends 3 is released.