Although the two-part Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection is still set to come out next year, the latest word on the grapevine is that Capcom is working on Mega Man 12 with plans for up to Mega Man 15.
Rumors about a new Mega Man game started when Capcom registered the domains for Mega Man 12 up to Mega Man 15 in 2018. The registrant, the GMO Internet Group, is the one responsible for registering website domains for Capcom. It’s not unusual for publishers to lay claim to domains of their biggest games even though they have no plans for them at the time. It’s a lot cheaper to maintain ownership over a domain than to pay someone who claimed it first, or fight them for it. What’s interesting here is Capcom actually bothered to update the registrations of the said domains earlier this year, as noted by Rockman Corner. When you consider Mega Man is celebrating its 35th birthday this year, you can’t blame the series’ fans for thinking that Capcom is up to something. Of course, until we hear official word from the Japanese video game publisher, we have no choice but to sit tight and wait. Mega Man 11, which came out in 2018, became the second-best-selling game in the iconic video game franchise. It’s also the first installment without the involvement of Keiji Inafune, who is widely credited as the creator of the franchise. The game’s director, Koji Oda, has worked with Capcom since the 90s. Oddly enough, Mega Man 11 was his first time working on a Mega Man game. Oda is now the lead designer of Mega Man. Seeing that Capcom has become open to revisiting its older titles, a new Mega Man game definitely fits the bill. Hopefully, this announcement will encourage Konami to do the same. Who knows? Maybe giving the keys to the Castlevania franchise to Santa Monica Studio could give the Belmonts a second lease on life.
