Inafune Expresses Intense Dislike for His Job

When one sees Keiji Inafune, Capcom’s head of Research & Development, Online Business, and Global Head of Production, not to mention one of the founding fathers of Mega Man, he is often cheerful and enthusiastic about his projects, smiling and willing to give a portion of his time to do interviews and even quick sketches for fans. However, it seems he is not quite as happy as he appears.
We have seen some evidence of this in the past, as he has decried video game development in Japan, expressing a strong belief that the industry there is in a decline from which it may never recover. He has stated in past interviews that developers are creating “awful games,” and that his homeland’s game industry is “finished.”

Perhaps it would make sense then that, being right in the middle of Japan’s development scene, he would be unhappy.

During an interview with Japanese website Excite (via Kotaku, GoNintendo), a line of questioning led Inafune to speak of challenges and daunting tasks. Perhaps it was the same sort of zeal seen during the announcement of Mega Man Legends 3 Project which led the interviewer to suggest that the creator of such franchises as Onimusha, Lost Planet, and Dead Rising seems to love his work.

However, it would seem nothing could be further from the truth.

“It’s the opposite,” he responded. “I hate it! I want to retire early and take it easy.”

Inafune continued, explaining that it is for this very reason that he works so hard now. If one likes their work, he puts forth, then they are able to take things slow.

He admits that he would not have to do much in a game such as Dead Rising in order to earn a large salary. “There are loads of creators like that,” he says.

“But I’m not like that,” he continued. “If things are difficult while they are doing it, they can become a leader and a creator.”

It would be sad to think that the man behind so many of our favorite titles would not be enjoying himself as he works at creating them, especially when he has expressed such a strong desire to develop Mega Man Legends 3, a title which he has finally been able to set out upon with the help of the fans who demanded it. Of course, one can hope that perhaps he was exaggerating to some degree; perhaps that much will come to light in future interviews, as there will no doubt be some who bring it up again.

Image: Joystiq

TMMN Staff