Mega Man creator returns to video games

Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune – the man who famously declared "Japan is dead" - has returned to video game development following his exit from Capcom last year.

He's founded two companies, "Comcept" and "Intercept", both based in Tokyo.

Intercept is, according to a report on Andriasang, strictly a game production company. It's "my new challenge for consumer game development", Inafune said.

Its focus is on originality, gravity and "beyond the age" – things that cross eras.

Comcept, however, deals with all forms of entertainment, including games, mobile content, books, music, video and even events.

Inafune quit Capcom in October last year after a whopping 23 years at the company.

He was head of Capcom's consumer games R&D division, and had the final say on which games should and shouldn't be made.

"I'm leaving Capcom with the intention of starting my life over," he said at the time.

Inafune's career at Capcom was long and illustrious. He's best known for establishing Mega Man, but has also helped bring Resident Evil, Onimusha, Lost Planet, Dead Rising, Street Fighter IV and many more games to fruition.

Inafune was charged by Capcom an April to oversee all Western-developed games to ensure they adhered to the publisher's style. His swansong is Dead Rising 2, which was released at the end of September.

Development of Mega Man Universe – a game Inafune helped get off the ground – was cancelled yesterday.

A press conference is planned for 4th April, at which Inafune will reveal more information.