Former Capcom and Level-5 developer Keiji Inafune says “developers with a clear message” are needed, but instead they are “on the defensive.”
¿You are playing one of the new releases of 2025? On PC, Steam Deck, PS4, PS5, Xbox. Switch and Switch 2 there’s so much to choose from it’s daunting, you only need to look at October and November of this year.
Among them is Keiji Inafune producer of several games at Capcom like Mega Man, Onimusha and Dead Rising, who said this The current video game industry only relies on famous IPs and trendy genres..
The Japanese recently gave a talk at the Console Game Developers Conference 2025 (CGDC) of South Korea on November 6th and 7th, as we read on Automaton.
The veteran apparently dedicated his session to talking about the current mindset he believes developers should maintain in these times between PC and consoles.
Inafune was very critical of the growing trend among many publishers of releasing games based solely on their IP’s fame or popular genres to ensure predictable profits.
In other words, he clarifies: “I’m not saying it’s bad to continue existing franchises or create games based on popular genres. The point is, these shouldn’t be the only games made.“.
Furthermore, Inafune believes that to maintain a healthy gaming ecosystem, the video game industry needs developers”with a clear message“; and said media believes they know what it is.
When the Japanese began his career in 1980-90, there were no trends to follow with “Monster Hunter or Final Fantasy style“, since creating new concepts in each project was “just the norm“.
Although he worked on games that are now sagas, such as Mega Man, he considers that constantly jumping between different projects was a key factor in his successful career.
Mega Man creator criticizes the current video game industry
“It was possible because I didn’t obsess over my past successes“, something that now – although the industry has matured – many believe they are too”on the defensive“.
He doesn’t think relying on the past is a bad thing, especially from a business perspective, but he doubts it will benefit the industry in the long run.
“The 11th game in a saga, the thirteenth in a franchise. While these choices may be necessary for fans and businesses, they shouldn’t be the be all and end all in the gaming landscape when considering the essence of game development: the passion for creation.“.
Do you think the same as Inafune and Do you see the current video game industry as too dependent on famous IPs and trendy genres??
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