Maverick Hunter
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''Maverick Hunter'' was the codename for a cancelled
first-person shooter A first-person shooter (FPS) is a video game genre, video game centered on gun fighting and other weapon-based combat seen from a First person (video games), first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action directly through t ...
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in the ''
Mega Man ''Mega Man'' (known as in Japan) is a video game franchise developed and published by Capcom, featuring the Mega Man (character), protagonist of the same name. The Mega Man (1987 video game), original game was released for the Nintendo Enter ...
'' franchise that would have been developed by
Armature Studio Armature Studio, LLC is an American video game developer, video game development studio in Austin, Texas. The studio, founded by former Retro Studios directors Mark Pacini, Todd Keller and Jack Mathews in September 2008, developed ''Batman: Arkh ...
and published by
Capcom is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...
. 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, character designer, game designer, and businessman. In 2009, he was chosen by IGN as one of the top 100 game creators of all time. Starting his career at Capcom in the late 1980s, his job was as an artist and ...
was responsible for establishing the western-designed game and
Adi Granov Adi Granov (; born 1977) 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 ...
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. Adding (or subtracting) 0 to any number leaves that number unchanged; in mathematical terminology, 0 is the additive identity of the integers, rational numbers, real numbers, and compl ...
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 developer, video game development studio in Austin, Texas. The studio, founded by former Retro Studios directors Mark Pacini, Todd Keller and Jack Mathews in September 2008, developed ''Batman: Arkh ...
and was to be published by
Capcom is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...
for the ''Mega Man X'' series. The collaboration was established by
Keiji Inafune is a Japanese video game producer, character designer, game designer, and businessman. In 2009, he was chosen by IGN as one of the top 100 game creators of all time. Starting his career at Capcom in the late 1980s, his job was as an artist and ...
, 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 ''Mega Man'' (known as in Japan) is a video game franchise developed and published by Capcom, featuring the Mega Man (character), protagonist of the same name. The Mega Man (1987 video game), original game was released for the Nintendo Enter ...
character was to be done by
Adi Granov Adi Granov (; born 1977) 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 ...
(the concept artist responsible for the
Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
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 A first-person shooter (FPS) is a video game genre, video game centered on gun fighting and other weapon-based combat seen from a First person (video games), first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action directly through t ...
. 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. Adding (or subtracting) 0 to any number leaves that number unchanged; in mathematical terminology, 0 is the additive identity of the integers, rational numbers, real numbers, and compl ...
would be featured alongside a new human
sidekick A sidekick is a close companion or colleague who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to those whom they accompany. Origins The first recorded use of the term dates from 1896. It is believed to have originated in pickpocket slang of ...
who is a "
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-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 conferenc ...
'', ''
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''.


Reception

The response from critics and fans alike has been mixed. Despite the mixed fan reaction, a fan-led
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group and
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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 a 2002 action-adventure game developed by Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. ''Metroid Prime'' is the fifth main '' Metroid'' game and the first to use 3D computer graphics and a first-person perspec ...
'' 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'' series and has contributed to several other Nintendo- ...
(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 which was part of the Weblogs, Inc. family later owned by AOL. It was active from 2004 to 2015, acting as the primary video game blog for the group, and operating alongside ''Engadget'' and sister blogs such ...
'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
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.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 military video game series and media franchise published by Activision, starting in 2003. The games were first developed by Infinity Ward, then by Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games. Several spin-of ...
'', ''
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'', and ''
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''. 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''.


References

{{italic title Cancelled video games Mega Man X games