There are many video game franchises out there that have what are called “branched universes”, meaning that they are similar in terms of characters, but not always gameplay styles, or, they have the same characters and yet have entirely different themes and stories. Mario is an example of this, as is Legend of Zelda, but another is Mega Man. For Mega Man had the simpler main series, and then the Mega Man X franchise which had a more anime aesthetic. Many fans have wanted Mega Man X9 for a while now, and its fate could depend on Mega Man 11.
How so? Well, not unlike what other developers have done, developer Tsuchiya Kazuhiro noted in an interview that while Mega Man X9 could happen, it would depend first on the sales success of Mega Man 11, after all, it’s been eight years since the last entry in the Mega Man saga, so if this one doesn’t do well, why should they bring back the X series?
He cited that even if they were working on Mega Man X9, they couldn’t talk about it:
I understand everyone is looking forward to the birth of an X9, but right now there is no way to verify. Of course, we can’t say we have been doing nothing, we are actively and carefully monitoring the reactions of our gamers.
Actually, Rockman 11’s birth is also the result of the volume of voices in our gamers. The Collection that came before got very good results and feedback, this is a very convincing point, and helps back us up in striving for the approval of a new game development project.
So if you want the return of Mega Man X, Zero, Sigma, and all the other characters, plus some new ones, you’ll want to get Mega Man 11 when it arrives October 2nd.
