Following a change of Twitter bio, Mega Man series producer Kazuhiro Tsuchiya seems to no longer be a part of Capcom, as it now states that he has “graduated from Capcom.”
First noticed by Mega Man fansite Rockman Corner, Kazuhiro Tsuchiya—who has been the Series Producer for the Mega Man series since Keiji Inafune’s departure in 2010—has reportedly left Capcom after a change in Twitter bio states that Tsuchiya has “graduated from Capcom,” following the release of Street Fighter 6, which he was also a Producer on. He started his tenure at Capcom with 1995’s Mega Man 7 for the Super Nintendo and has worked on several Capcom titles over the last couple of decades.
Kazuhiro Tsuchiya was quite successful in his time heading up Mega Man, with total sales numbers reaching 38 million units, as well as the development of Mega Man 11, Mega Man X DiVE, every individual Legacy Collection, with Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection reaching one million units in its first two weeks on the market, which is an incredible achievement for a retro collection, as pointed out by Rockman Corner.
While it’s unclear whether or not any unreleased or unannounced work is on the way from him, after the release of Mega Man 11 in 2018, he did comment on the future of the series: “In 2018, we were able to safely release Mega Man 11. In 2019, I would like to make steady preparations for what’s next, so there may not be any major action, but I hope you can all watch over me with warm eyes…!” While it’s unclear if he was referring to any of the collections that have been released since it’s possible he might be on the way that’s had his hands on it.
During the pandemic, Tsuchiya was moved over onto Street Fighter 6 along with tons of other movements from Producers and release plans, so even if the next Series Producer is starting from scratch, the series seems to be in a much better spot now than when Tsuchiya took over the position in 2010.
While Capcom and Kazuhiro Tsuchiya have yet to directly comment on this change of employment, it appears that the Mega Man series will now be in the market for a new Front Man (let’s hope it isn’t Strike Man).
