The Blue Bomber gets another go at television.
Japanese animation studio Dentsu Entertainment has partnered with Man of Action Entertainment (Ben 10, Generator Rex) to bring Capcom’s Mega Man video game franchise to television with a 26-episode animation slated for worldwide distribution. Dentsu is hoping to utilize the creative power of comic writer collective Man of Action, which produced Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man and created the characters for Disney’s Big Hero 6, to reimagine Mega Man in time for the franchise’s 30th anniversary in 2017. Between loyal fans and a new, younger audience, Dentsu should be able to duplicate the success Yo-Kai Watch, a franchise that is poised to make its westward expansion this year with the help of Nintendo and is currently the top-rated show in its time block in Japan.
Japanese game publisher Capcom has built a loyal following for the Mega Man action game franchise since its launch in 1987. Since then, 131 games have released on various platforms, selling over 30 million game worldwide. While the last official franchise game came out in 2010 (Mega Man 10), the hero has appeared in other games lately, such as Nintendo’s popular fighter Super Smash Bros.
Mega Man also lives on in spirit through Mighty No. 9, a new game from the game’s original creator, Keiji Inafune. Following a highly successful Kickstarter campaign, a Mighty No. 9 game will release this September on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U, among others. An animated show will follow, produced by Japanese studio Digital Frontier.
Mega Man’s first go at television lasted two seasons starting in late 1994, and was the No. 1-syndicated children’s show at one time in the Nielsen ratings. It was successful at the time because it was different from other offerings for kids. Man of Action writer Duncan Rouleau says that that the franchise is even more relevant for kids today and that the group is looking to create something new while respecting the tradition of Mega Man.