''Maverick Hunter'' was the codename for a cancelled
first-person shooter
First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...
in the ''
Mega Man
''Mega Man'', known as in Japan, is a Japanese science fiction video game franchise created by Capcom, starring a series of robot characters each known by the moniker "Mega Man (character), Mega Man". Mega Man (video game), The original game w ...
'' franchise that would have been developed by
Armature Studio
Armature Studio, LLC is an American video game development studio in Austin, Texas. The studio, founded by former Retro Studios directors Mark Pacini and Todd Keller in September 2008, developed '' Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate'' (2013) and ...
and published by
Capcom
is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. It has created a number of multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being '' Resident Evil'', '' Monster Hunter'', '' Street Fighter'', '' Mega Man'', '' ...
. It was intended to be a darker entry in the
''Mega Man X'' series. ''Mega Man'' artist and producer
Keiji Inafune
is a Japanese video game producer, illustrator and businessman. Starting his career at Capcom in the late 1980s, his job was as an artist and illustrator. The first two games he worked on were the original ''Street Fighter'' and ''Mega Man'' in ...
was responsible for establishing the western-designed game and
Adi Granov
Adi Granov (;) is a Bosnian-American comic book artist and conceptual designer. He is best known for his painted work with Marvel Comics, for whom most of his comics work is produced, in particular his work on Iron Man. He is especially known for ...
was responsible for
X's new design. It was intended to be the first of a trilogy of games, where players controlled its protagonist X in the first two games and then as
Zero
0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. In place-value notation such as the Hindu–Arabic numeral system, 0 also serves as a placeholder numerical digit, which works by multiplying digits to the left of 0 by the radix, usu ...
for the third. The game would have had similar platform elements found in earlier ''Mega Man X'' titles.
It had a lifespan of about six months in 2010 before it was ultimately cancelled, due to internal disagreements around the same time Inafune departed from Capcom, during which other ''Mega Man'' titles were also scrapped.
Concept and development

''Maverick Hunter'' was in development by
Armature Studio
Armature Studio, LLC is an American video game development studio in Austin, Texas. The studio, founded by former Retro Studios directors Mark Pacini and Todd Keller in September 2008, developed '' Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate'' (2013) and ...
and was to be published by
Capcom
is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. It has created a number of multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being '' Resident Evil'', '' Monster Hunter'', '' Street Fighter'', '' Mega Man'', '' ...
for the
''Mega Man X'' series.
The collaboration was established by
Keiji Inafune
is a Japanese video game producer, illustrator and businessman. Starting his career at Capcom in the late 1980s, his job was as an artist and illustrator. The first two games he worked on were the original ''Street Fighter'' and ''Mega Man'' in ...
, who had previously worked on the Mega Man series as an artist and producer. He had since rose in the ranks at Capcom to become a producer. The goal was to attract a new audience to the ''Mega Man'' series.
Its development would have been overseen by former Capcom producer
Ben Judd
Ben Judd (born October 25, 1974) is an American translator, producer, and agent. He is a former Capcom employee. Judd is an American and lives in Japan and became Capcom's first non-Japanese producer. Judd has had several voice acting cameos in ...
.
The redesign for the
Mega Man character was to be done by
Adi Granov
Adi Granov (;) is a Bosnian-American comic book artist and conceptual designer. He is best known for his painted work with Marvel Comics, for whom most of his comics work is produced, in particular his work on Iron Man. He is especially known for ...
(the concept artist responsible for the
Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...
redesign found in the
2008 film of the same name).
An initial concept design showed
X with a red glowing 'X' on his face.
Unlike other ''Mega Man X'' titles, ''Maverick Hunter'' was a
first-person shooter
First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...
. The genre was chosen in response to the rising interest in first-person shooter games in the west.
The gameplay would have adhered to core ''Mega Man X'' concepts; the ability to take and utilize the powers of enemies, his dash, and his X-Buster were all to be redesigned.
His weapon designs were made to be more realistic than earlier ''Mega Man X'' titles. Instead of his arm transforming into a cannon, his armor transforms to create a gun. Additionally, his charged attack would launch a missile instead of launching a larger energy blast.
Melee attacks would cause the game to switch to a third-person perspective for the attack.
X's ability to steal abilities from others would have been expanded to allow the combination of abilities and the use of temporary weapons, such as bombs or tank turrets, from fallen enemies. The stolen abilities could also be used to exploit weaknesses in certain enemies.
Platform elements such as his wall jump from the ''Mega Man X'' games would have been "re-imagined in new ways." The game was also planned to have branching paths and upgrades to find throughout.
''Maverick Hunter'' was going to build upon the mythology and feature characters from the original ''Mega Man X'' titles.
Capcom Japan was responsible for the design of key story points and twists while the overall plot would be handled by Armature Studio.
A source familiar with the game stated that the game would "be like taking an 8-bit game that doesn't have a very deep story to it, and then building around it and keeping some of the key pieces intact." Both
X and
Zero
0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. In place-value notation such as the Hindu–Arabic numeral system, 0 also serves as a placeholder numerical digit, which works by multiplying digits to the left of 0 by the radix, usu ...
would be featured alongside a new human
sidekick
A sidekick is a slang expression for a close companion or colleague (not necessarily in fiction) who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to the one they accompany.
Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, ...
who is a "
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series '' Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero ...
-like police officer." The inclusion of the human sidekick was part of the game's "man versus machine contrast."
It was to be the first of a trilogy of games; players would control X in the first two games while they would switch to Zero in the third game, who must destroy X (who had become "incredibly powerful and infinitely intelligent over the course of two games").
Cancellation
It was ultimately cancelled before it was revealed to the public as one of several recent cancellations in the ''Mega Man'' series (including ''
Mega Man Legends 3
''Mega Man Legends 3'' is a cancelled video game set to be the sequel to '' Mega Man Legends 2'' and the fourth game in the ''Mega Man Legends'' series. It was announced for the Nintendo 3DS on September 29, 2010, during a Nintendo press conferen ...
'', ''
Mega Man Universe
was the name of a cancelled 2.5D side-scrolling platform game in the ''Mega Man'' series that was being developed by Capcom for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. Mainly based on ''Mega Man 2'', the game would have allowed players to creat ...
'', and ''Mega Man Online'').
Its lifespan lasted for about six months in 2010, and was prototyped and playable. Despite positive internal reception, Capcom deemed it a "significant gamble" and cancelled it.
Its cancellation coincided with Inafune's departure from Capcom.
The playable version of the game was intended to be a proof of concept more so than a real game.
Capcom senior vice president Christian Svensson noted that the game was the subject of "very polarized opinions internally." Granov expressed disappointment over the cancellation and stated that he was "very happy" with his design work. Inafune collaborated again with Armature on the 2016 game ''
ReCore
''ReCore'' is an action-adventure and platform video game developed by Comcept and Armature Studio, with assistance from Asobo Studio, and published by Microsoft Studios for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One. The game was released worldwide ...
''.
Reception
The response from critics and fans alike has been mixed. Despite the mixed fan reaction, a fan-led
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin ...
group and
Change.org
Change.org is a worldwide nonprofit petition website, based in California, US, operated by the San Francisco-based company of the same name, which has over 400 million users and offers the public the ability to promote the petitions they care abo ...
petition intended to revive the project was created called "Operation Maverick Hunter".
Michael McWhertor and Wes Fenlon felt that - with the information available - the game seemed like a "formula for success." They compared the direction to that of ''
Metroid Prime
''Metroid Prime'' is an action-adventure video game developed by Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. ''Metroid Prime'' is the fifth main installment in the ''Metroid'' franchise and the first game in the series to use 3D co ...
'' by developer
Retro Studios
Retro Studios, Inc. is an American video game developer and subsidiary of Nintendo based in Austin, Texas. The studio is best known for its work on the ''Metroid Prime'' and ''Donkey Kong Country'' series, and has contributed to several other N ...
(which Armature Studio spun off from).
Thomas Whitehead was also positive about it; he stated that it could have been a "bold, exciting new direction for the franchise."
Joystiq
''Joystiq'' was a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 as part of the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs, now owned by AOL. It was AOL's primary video game blog, with sister blogs dealing with MMORPG gaming in general and the popular MMORPG '' Wo ...
's JC Fletcher noted that while ''Mega Man X'' didn't need a "gritty" reboot, it is a better alternative than to have no ''Mega Man'' games. Tony Ponce compared the redesign of X to that of Bomberman in ''
Bomberman: Act Zero''. He also stated that it was a ''Mega Man X'' game "in the very loosest sense." He felt that the cancellation was for the best and that a "cold, gritty first-person shooter" was not the ideal direction for the series. He compared it to ''Metroid Prime''s design by noting that the art style did not change much while X's redesign was "virtually unrecognizable." He later commented that an early concept design by Adi Granov was "not that bad" if it had no relation to the ''Mega Man X'' series.
Chris Carter felt that while he didn't think the series needed a "gritty reboot", he would have enjoyed it if it was good.
Clint Mize wrote an article for
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
.com's gaming section detailing why ''Maverick Hunter'' was a terrible idea. He felt that it could have turned off "core fans" of the ''Mega Man X'' series and that X required a "solid core title to reintroduce the character" rather than a "dark reimagining". He added that the decision to make it a first-person shooter made it feel like it was the product of an "out of touch executive". He also criticized it due to the risk involved in competing with big FPS games such as ''
Call of Duty
''Call of Duty'' is a first-person shooter video game franchise published by Activision. Starting out in 2003, it first focused on games set in World War II. Over time, the series has seen games set in the midst of the Cold War, futuristic ...
'', ''
Halo
Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to:
* Halo (optical phenomenon)
* Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head
HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Video games
* Halo (franchise), ...
'', and ''
Battlefield
A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troops ...
''. He noted that the perspective introduces other problems, such as reduced emphasis on platform segments. Its art design and gameplay have been compared to the video game ''
Vanquish
Vanquish may refer to:
* Aston Martin Vanquish, a grand tourer automobile
* Vanquish, a brand name formulation of dicamba pesticide
* Vanquish (analgesic)
Aspirin(acetylsalicylic acid) / paracetamol(acetaminophen) / caffeine is a combination d ...
''.
References
{{italic title
Cancelled video games
Mega Man X games