Megaman fans are going to have to wait a while longer to satisfy their desires for a side-scrolling shooter-platformer as Mighty No. 9 has once again been delayed. In what has almost become an expectation from the game, Mighty No. 9′s director – Keiji Inafune – stated on Kickstarter that the game’s release will be pushed to Spring 2016, and backers are furious for more reasons than one.
Originally to be released in the April of 2015, Mighty No. 9 has seen multiple delays, with the last known expected release date being February 9th, 2016. According to the official Kickstarter page, Inafune is delaying the game again to fix issues with the game’s network modes – in particular, matchmaking.
“There are two large reasons for this problem, one of them being the large number of platforms supported (the solution for each platform is slightly different) and the other stems from the fact that the engine we are using is no longer being updated which means adjustments for matchmaking and online code are being made manually (actually reprogramming parts of the engine by the dev team themselves). Unfortunately, this is all a result of miscalculations on the part of us, the development staff. As a result, our fans who have been looking forward to Mighty No. 9 have been forced to wait for over half a year longer than expected, and for that we are sincerely sorry. I want to take this chance to apologize personally, and on the behalf of the development staff.”
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“For this 3rd delay of the game, we have no excuses for disappointing our fans and especially our backers once more. We want to take this chance to express our sincerest apologies to everyone who has looked forward to the release.”
Source: Keiji Inafune, Mighty No. 9 Kickstarter update
Fans and backers of Inafune’s work have gradually become sour over the course of this game’s development. Multiple changes were made to the promised game such as opting for 3D models instead of the original artistic 2D concepts, switching to a Megaman/Megaman X hybrid, and turning the game into more of an arcade platformer. The most notorious culprit for backer rage right now is that the original campaign stated that there would be no physical copies of the game; however, the game now has a physical version that backers will not receive – despite paying more for the Kickstarter than one would pay for the actual game.
Honestly, what were fans expecting?
Considering how ambitious a 12-month development cycle, and various other side projects such as the Megaman Legends recreation Red Ash and animated series for both games, it comes to no surprise that there are more than a few angry fans. It would seem that Keiji Inafune overextended himself, riding on the popularity of a franchise that rabid fans have been pining to see resurrected. Thankfully, the game hasn’t been canceled yet, so fans can rest assured that the game will be released… eventually.
Inafune has profusely apologized for the delay in his latest Kickstarter update, so it seems as though he is putting a genuine effort to ensure this game is completed in the best possible condition it can be before release. That is admirable. However, he probably should have thought about a more realistic due date before stating one that would leave the game over a year late.
For more information you can find the official update release here.
What do you think about the delay? Are you a Mighty No. 9 backer who wants to give their thoughts on this? How many of you are actually planning on buying Mighty No. 9? Leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below!
