Mega Man series producer Kazuhiro Tsuchiya has reportedly left Capcom
Tsuchiya had worked for the developer since the 90s
Mega Man series producer Kazuhiro Tsuchiya has reportedly left Capcom.
As noticed by Mega Man fan site Rockman-corner, the developer’s Twitter account was recently updated to note that he had “graduated from Capcom,” after working on the series and also producing Street Fighter 6.
If indeed the profile update confirms Tsuchiya has left the studo, it brings to an end a tenure at Capcom that started in the early 90s. Tsuchiya is credited on titles as far back as 1995’s Mega Man 7 and 1996’s Street Fighter Alpha: Warrior’s Dreams.
VGC has asked Capcom for comment on this story.
Tsuchiya ascended to the lead on the Mega Man series sometime after series stalwart Keiji Inafune‘s departure in 2010. Since then he has largely overseen several releases of classic Mega Man titles but was the driving force behind Capcom’s last main series entry, Mega Man 11.
Capcom has previously mentioned that it intends to release a twelfth entry in the main series, however, this has yet to fully materialize, and the departure of the series head could potentially indicate issues with the project.
Mega Man appears to be Capcom’s only main franchise that isn’t firing on all cylinders. Earlier this month it reported during its financial results that it had sold more games in its last fiscal year than in any other in its history.
This was buoyed by the success of franchises like Resident Evil, Monster Hunter and Devil May Cry. This week’s release of Street Fighter 6 will likely continue this trend.
Capcom‘s president recently said the company aims to sell 10 million copies of Street Fighter 6, which would break the series record of 7 million met by Street Fighter V.
In our Street Fighter 6 review, we said, “With the three titans of the fighting game space all releasing mainline entries this year, competition is going to be stiff, but Capcom is putting its best foot forward. The publisher’s incredible run continues with one of the most feature-rich, stylish, and enjoyable entries in franchise history.”