Keiji Inafune, the legendary designer behind the "Mega Man" (Rockman) series and a renowned producer, recently dropped some truth bombs at South Korea's Console Game Developer Conference. He urged developers and publishers to stop leaning so heavily on past successes and established franchises, warning that doing so would drag the entire industry into a mire of conservatism and stagnation. 
According to Korean media outlet This is Game, Inafune drew on his 38 years of industry experience, pointing out that many developers, after striking gold with a hit title, often find themselves shackled by that very success, losing the courage to innovate.
"Creating a successful game is definitely an achievement, but it can also become a heavy burden," he stated. "Success breeds confidence, but it can also lead to self-preservation, causing people to simply replicate what worked before."
Inafune clarified that he's not dismissing the value of sequels or popular genre games, but he stressed that "relying solely on them isn't enough." He believes developers need to strike a balance between stability and innovation, constantly asking themselves, "After success, where do we go next?"
During his time at Capcom, Inafune served as a character designer and producer, contributing to multiple series like "Mega Man," "Onimusha," and "Dead Rising," injecting fresh styles and genres into classic IPs. He proudly declared that his diverse portfolio of iconic works is a testament to his refusal to "dwell on past successes."
He reminisced about his Capcom days in the 1980s and 90s, when developing original titles was practically a given, as there weren't yet established molds like "Monster Hunter-likes" or "Resident Evil-likes." However, today's industry climate has grown conservative, with "everyone playing defense, wanting to make safe games with high success rates."
Inafune pointed out that from a business perspective, launching the eleventh or thirteenth installment in a series might seem reasonable, but he questioned, "Will this path still be correct five or ten years down the line?" He also urged Korean developers to actively dive into console game development, warning that if the Korean market continues to be dominated by "safe" mobile and online games in the future, "then it's time to rethink whether such development is truly a good thing."
via： This is Game