Topic: Keiji Inafune Leaves Capcom

[NWR_Karlie]

Mega Man character designer to leave Capcom and subsidiary Daletto at the end of the month.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/24371

Keiji Inafune announced today that he will be leaving his position as head of research and development, and management groups at Capcom, and CEO of Daletto, an online games business subsidiary of Capcom effective from the end of October. Inafune has been with Capcom for 23 years.

Inafune believes that he is no longer effective at the requirements of a CEO for Daletto, and as for Capcom, he has achieved all that he can as a developer. He feels it means death for a creator to settle down.

Translated from Inafune's blog by Andriasang, "There was a chance that I could continue to be Capcom's power. I bet on that chance until the end. The means of both Capcom and myself to be happy. That was surely possible. However, now that chance is completely closed off."

He added, "Capcom must, from here on out, walk without me. I too cannot depend on Capcom," feeling that a future collaboration would not be possible.

His resignation from the company follows comments early this month when he said he hates his job and wants to retire early in an interview on Dead Rising 2, which he produced.

Inafune will be replaced by Jun Takeuchi, a longtime Capcom producer who has recently worked on Lost Planet 2 and Resident Evil 5.

[BlackNMild2k1]

"There was a chance that I could continue to be Capcom's power. I bet on that chance until the end. The means of both Capcom and myself to be happy. That was surely possible. However, now that chance is completely closed off."

sounds like he didn't like that his MML3 artwork was dead last in the poll of < 24k votes. That's no reason to quit though Inafune.  :

[Peachylala]

So Capcom lost not only Clover, but Keiji Inafune as well?

*facepalm*

[BlackNMild2k1]

Actually, didn't Inafune kill Clover and now quit himself?

[Peachylala]

I always thought it was Capcom overestimating the PS2 audience into thinking Clover's games would give them money hats, and we ALL know how that turned out. Then they dumped them.

Hilariously, when you think about it, Platinum's games for Sega haven't been overly huge sellers either... I'm waiting for word on Vanquish' sales though, so yeah.

[Captain N the Game Master]

Isn't Inafune the guy that said Japans game industry is finished?

[Luigi Dude]

Isn't Inafune the guy that said Japans game industry is finished?

Yeah, Inafune has done nothing but talk about how the Japanese industry is dead and how America is the future.  All he talks about how inferior Japanese games are and how they can't compete with the West.  Even though the largest and most profitable videogame company is Nintendo who has shown that you don't have to completely emulate western companies in order to be successful.


Of course he say something interesting about Nintendo though.

http://www.siliconera.com/2010/09/20/keiji-inafune-expresses-discontent-with-capcom-management/

But Inafune has more to say. He continues, stating that he believes Capcom’s incentives are inadequate and says that it’s hard to tell just who’s in charge. He also comments further on the management:
 

“I’ve been fighting for many years now to change these things one by one. But the business side is resisting change. They think developers are stupid and don’t understand business. That’s why I can’t be on the board of directors.
 
>That’s the difference between Capcom and Nintendo. At Nintendo, 80 percent of the board is from development. At Capcom, it’s zero. All the business side cares about is protecting their own interests.�

This might explain why Nintendo is doing so much better then the rest of the Japanese gaming industry.

[Caliban]

I just want to wish best of luck for Inafune. I would love to see him join either Nintendo, Platinum, Grasshopper, or Valhalla.

[Peachylala]

Nintendo or Platinum. I'm personally edging towards Nintendo since their systems are where his games are the most famous.

Last two... very iffy.

[Bman87301]

So, what's the word on Mega Man Legends 3? Infune just announced it not that long ago... Does this mean it's now canned?

[BlackNMild2k1]

So, what's the word on Mega Man Legends 3? Infune just announced it not that long ago... Does this mean it's now canned?

Nope, it just means that like life, it will go on without him.

[Peachylala]

So, what's the word on Mega Man Legends 3? Infune just announced it not that long ago... Does this mean it's now canned?

Nope, it just means that like life, it will go on without him.

I just hope it doesn't turn out to be like Megaman X6.

[King of Twitch]

He's not really gone as long as we

-oh wait

[Luigi Dude]

Nintendo or Platinum. I'm personally edging towards Nintendo since their systems are where his games are the most famous.

Last two... very iffy.

Because of Inafune's current obsession with American developers and how he feels Japanese developers need to make games just like western devs, I don't think Nintendo would want him.  Last thing Iwata wants is a guy with a mid-life crisis who's just going to b!tch about how their own games need to be more like American games and cause a lot of internal drama.

I also doubt he'd go to Platinum since Hideki Kamiya and Shinji Mikami don't exactly like Inafune at the moment.  Inafune is the one who shut down Clover for being too Japanese which is what caused Kamiya and Mikami to both to leave Capcom.


So considering Inafune's current attitude regarding American and Japanese developers, I'd imagine he'll probably get a job for either EA or Activision since his current dream seems to be to work at an actual American videogame company and both of these companies seem the most likely to hire someone like him.

[ThePerm]

i can see Inafune's problem, and its that the suits are primarily in control of Japanese devs, and because of this the Japanese game industry is dying. Nintendo doesn't have this problem because they are ran by the devs. Iwata was a dev before he was president.

[Peachylala]

While the guy was the forebringer to some of the problems Nintendo faced in the N64 days, Hiroshi Yamauchi is the man we have to thank for making Nintendo the company we know today.

Because of Inafune's current obsession with American developers and how he feels Japanese developers need to make games just like western devs, I don't think Nintendo would want him.  Last thing Iwata wants is a guy with a mid-life crisis who's just going to b!tch about how their own games need to be more like American games and cause a lot of internal drama.

I also doubt he'd go to Platinum since Hideki Kamiya and Shinji Mikami don't exactly like Inafune at the moment.  Inafune is the one who shut down Clover for being too Japanese which is what caused Kamiya and Mikami to both to leave Capcom.

And now I know. Pity that. But good point made LD.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Capcom comments on Inafunes departure:
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/11/02/capcom_on_inafune_departure/

&
Cheesemiester @ NeoGAF translate the interview that Inafune did with 4Gamer.net
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=411847

[Ian Sane]

I sort of but not quite agree with Inafune about videogames in Japan.  I don't think the industry is dead in Japan I think the market is.  Japan likes portables and non-games now.  The America market is not in such a rut so Japanese companies should focus on it.

The mistake that Inafune and others make is that America does not want to play American style games made by Japanese devs.  American devs already do a great job of that.  Americans like Japanese games made by Japanese devs.  The unique Japanese design is part of the appeal.  For example Square Enix makes Japanese RPGs and that's what their American customers want.  No ones wants an FPS from them because we know Bungie will do it better.

What a company like Capcom needs to do is make the exact same games they would have made for the Japanese market if it still liked traditional games and release THOSE in America.  That's what we want.  They need some sort of American consultant to just give their games the yay or nay.  Some Japanese games don't appeal to Westerners.  They just need someone to tell them if their idea will fly here or not.

But they should not be doing dumb bullshit like reinventing DMC for the American market.  America wants Japanese DMC.  They have to make it the way they would have made it for Japan.

[ThePerm]

oh hell no do i want JRPGs, i will play Resident Evil and Mario games though