Mighty No. 9 Developer Takes Full Responsibility

So! Mighty No. 9 is out and boy gosh golly people are not enamored with it at all. There was already enough backlash and hate for the game following the antics of Comcept, who did everything from delay the game to change the art style to release unsatisfactory demos to the backers... and now that the game is out, we find that 4 million in funding and countless delays were spent creating a game that is thoroughly mediocre at the best of times. People are unhappy, people demand to know why the trusted and beloved creator of Megaman, Keiji Inafune, failed them in such a dramatic way.

And to his credit? While he might not be able to repair his tattered reputation, at the very least, Mr. Inafune is owning his mistakes. During a stream to celebrate the game's final launch, Keiji Inafune sat down with Ben Judd, an old friend who runs Digital Development Management, who translated for him as he wholeheartedly and earnestly accepted the criticism sent his way. As translated by Ben Judd:

“I’m kind of loath to say this because it’s going to sound like an excuse and I don’t want to make any excuses. I own all the problems that came with this game and if you want to hurl insults at me, it’s totally my fault. I’m the key creator. I will own that responsibility...”

"...At the end of the day, at the end of a Kickstarter name, don’t look at the final number. Imagine that being 60%. But in order to increase the content in a wide variety of ways—stretch goals are largely going to be based around new platforms, etc— you really need to be able to estimate the amount of financial burden that’s going to occur on the project..."

"...During production, the key creative pieces really happen for the first 70% and then beyond that, it’s all about doing porting and bug testing. I promise you Inafune-san’s time is best spent focused on taking this IP in new directions. Again, as I said, to be an independent studio and get a chance to own your IP, it just doesn’t happen"

These are just a few of the comments made in the stream, which was hosted over Twtich. While porting a bad game isn't really 'excusable' especially after so many delays and with so much fan support, it's admirable that Inafune is taking responsibility rather than passing the buck or accusing fans of being ungrateful. So, good on you, Mr. Inafune.

...But the game is still bad, as Sonic the Hedgehog's twitter pointed out like a freakin' savage.

It's probably would have been funnier from a better developer, but still, it's worth a chuckle.