Holiday Recap: New Mega Man Game in the Works? And More!

Welcome back, everyone! I hope you all had a happy holiday season!

After all the hype and excitement over the 30th anniversary of Mega Man in 2018, which brought us everything from the Mega Man X Legacy Collection to color versions of the Mega Man Megamix manga from UDON, to a brand-new cartoon show (and accompanying unofficial podcast!) and, of course, the triumphant return of the original Blue Bomber in a brand new game, Mega Man 11… well, I needed a break to recharge my batteries a bit. (Oh, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate — that happened, too.)

However, the news cycle never sleeps, and so there’s a little bit of catching up to do.

First and foremost (via Destructoid and Gematsu), comes news from 4Gamer that a new Mega Man game is in development! At least, we think so.

Details are sparse, but here is what Mega Man 11 producer Kazuhiro Tsuchiya had to say in the interview with Japanese creators:

“In 2018, we were able to safely release Mega Man 11. This is also a thank-you to all of the game fans. In 2019, I would like to make steady preparations for what’s next, so there may not be any major action, but I hope you can all watch over me with warm eyes…!”

Now, it might be unwise to assume that “what’s next” is another Mega Man game, but it seems more likely than, say, him working on a new Bionic Commando or something (I would totally be down with that, for the record), but even then, it’s still anyone’s guess what it could actually entail, even if it is a Mega Man project. Mega Man 12? Mega Man X9? Mega Man Leg— yeah, let’s not get carried away. All will be revealed in due time, I’m sure.

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Mixing up game franchises is cool, and as we all know, Capcom’s far from one to be left out of that fad. So is it any surprise that Monster Hunter, a franchise known for references to other games from inside the company and out, would be doing more Mega Man?

Via Rockman Corner, it looks like Monster Hunter: Explore is following in the footsteps of its forebearers in bringing the Blue Bomber to blast some beasts.

For the 25th anniversary of the release of Rockman X, players will be able to gather up armor, weapons, and even stamps/avatars to celebrate starting January 14th.

If you happen to be using an iOS or Android device that can access the Japanese stores needed to play the mobile title (or are just curious), you can find out more here.

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Hey, remember that nifty piece of celebratory Rockman X art that Capcom revealed a few weeks ago that was hinting at a new e-Capcom product? Well, we know what it’s for now!

As ShadowRockZX explains (and you can see in the thumbnail), the product — or rather, products — are the Rockman 30th Anniversary Illustration Book and some framed artwork (classy!).

Not only will the Rockman X anniversary art that got this whole thing started be included, but tangible versions of a lot of exclusive pics Capcom has shared online for the 30th anniversary of the franchise.

None of this will come cheap, however. According to Rockman Corner, the art book (which comes with a Rockman tote bag) will cost you 5,184 Yen/$46.92 USD/€41.14 before shipping — which is something e-Capcom doesn’t do for people outside of Japan, so you’re going to have to find an importer like Nin-Nin Game to do the heavy lifting for you.

The limited edition framed art, meanwhile, goes for 12,830 Yen/$116.14 USD/€101.84 each. You can see the full assortment here, though several are already sold out. According to ShadowRockZX (though I can’t seem to find the page for it), there’s also a version that runs an even more mind-boggling 19,440 Yen, or about $175 USD.

All of this is before shipping and importing costs, mind.

I’m not going to lie: My days of being a “grab everything” Mega Man collector are well behind me, but I’d love to get my hands on the book and one of those framed pieces — the X piece that started this whole thing rolling, especially.

Both the books and artwork are scheduled to ship in March 2019.

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Finally, need some new wallpaper for your phone or mobile device?

By way of Rockman Corner, here come three, courtesy of the Mega Man 11 user interface team, Yusuke Nakamura (Tatami Galaxy, Night Is Short, Walk On Girl ), and the Capcom Design Team, respectively. No idea if these are going into the aforementioned book or not, though.

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And that’s it for now! But 2019 is just getting started, and so am I! Expect more news, more podcasts, and maybe even some changes or something special along the way!

It’s a little late, but Happy New Year, everyone!