Level-5 Comcept
 | |
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry |
Computer and video games Interactive entertainment |
| Founded | December 1, 2010 |
| Founder | Keiji Inafune |
| Headquarters | Osaka, Japan |
Key people | Keiji Inafune (CCO) |
| Products | Video games |
Number of employees | 15 (as of June 2017)[1] |
| Parent | Level-5 |
| Website | |
Level-5 Comcept, formerly Comcept Inc. (Japanese: 株式会社
History
Keiji Inafune founded Comcept after his departure from Capcom in December 2010.[2] After the cancellation of Mega Man Legends 3, which he mentioned as a "long-time held dream",[3] he thought that "not only had he abandoned himself, but the fans too". The studio is largely composed of veteran staff who worked on Mega Man, but also young staff who grew up with the franchise.
In September 2012, the team's first project was revealed as a new Ninja Gaiden title, named Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, released in March 2014.[4]
In 2013, Comcept helped Sony Computer Entertainment and their Japan Studio designing the PlayStation Vita video game Soul Sacrifice and will continue with its sequel, Soul Sacrifice Delta.[5]
At PAX Prime 2013, Keiji Inafune held a special panel in order to reveal a brand new project called Mighty No. 9, a spiritual successor to Mega Man series. At the end of the panel, Inafune officially launched the game's Kickstarter campaign.[6] He thought that Kickstarter is a great way to make dreams a reality. The game was made with a partnership with developer Inti Creates. After several delays, the game was released in 2016. It was met with a mixed critical reception for its level of quality and gameplay.[7]
Following the release of the game, Keiji Inafune stated: "You know, I want to word this in a way to explain some of the issues that come with trying to make a game of this size on multiple platforms." adding "I'm kind of loath to say this because it's going to sound like an excuse and I don't want to make any excuses. I own all the problems that came with this game and if you want to hurl insults at me, it's totally my fault. I'm the key creator. I will own that responsibility."[8][9] His translator Ben Judd followed up these remarks by giving his assessment of the project: "In this case, it was do the base game and do all the ports all at the same time. And it ended up being a huge amount of work, more than they actually estimated. Definitely, when they looked at the project, they were wrong about a lot of things. They underestimated how much work, time and money was going to be necessary. All of those things create a huge amount of pressure."[8] Later he said “But, again, we can hope that if things go well, there'll be sequels. Because I'll tell you what, I'm not getting my 2D side-scrolling fill. And at the end of the day, even if it's not perfect, it's better than nothing. At least, that's my opinion.”[10]
In 2017, Comcept allowed Inti Creates to use the Mighty Number 9 characters however they wished, free of charge, in the game Mighty Gunvolt Burst for the Nintendo Switch.[11]
Comcept was acquired by Level-5 Inc. and renamed as Level-5 Comcept. The Tokyo location was closed and the Osaka location currently functions as a subsidiary of Level-5 Inc..[12]
Games developed
| Year | Title | Co-developer | Platform(s) | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Kaio: King of Pirates | Intercept | Nintendo 3DS | Cancelled in 2015. |
| 2012 | Sweet Fuse: At Your Side | Idea Factory | PlayStation Portable | |
| 2013 | Soul Sacrifice | Marvelous AQL, | PlayStation Vita | |
| 2013 | Guild02 – Bugs vs. Tanks | Level-5 | Nintendo 3DS | |
| 2014 | Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z | Team Ninja | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
| 2014 | Soul Sacrifice Delta | Marvelous AQL | PlayStation Vita | |
| 2016 | Mighty No. 9 | Inti Creates | Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Kickstarter |
| 2016 | ReCore | Armature Studio | Microsoft Windows, Xbox One | |
| TBA | Red Ash: The Indelible Legend | HYDE, Inc. | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | Kickstarter failed, and Fuze Entertainment provided funding |
| 2018 | Dragons & Colonies | Level-5, Inc. | Mobile phones | Announced for Japan-only release |
References
- ↑ Lemon, Marshall (June 14, 2017). "Level-5 acquires Mighty No. 9 dev Comcept". VG 247. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
- ↑ Plunkett, Luke; Ashcraft, Brian (October 29, 2010). "Mega Man's Creator Quits Capcom [Update]". Kotaku. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
- ↑ Niizumi, Hirohiko (September 23, 2007). "TGS '07: Mega Man celebrates 20th anniversary". GameSpot. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
- ↑ Mitchell, Richard (September 12, 2012). "Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z a partnership between Keiji Inafune's Comcept and Team Ninja [update: trailer!]". Joystiq. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
- ↑ McWhertor, Michael (September 9, 2013). "Soul Sacrifice Delta coming to PlayStation Vita in 2014". Polygon. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
- ↑ Goldfarb, Andrew (August 31, 2013). "PAX: Mega Man Creator Announces Mighty No. 9". IGN. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
- ↑ Nunneley, Stephany (April 28, 2015). "Mighty No. 9 release delayed into early September, extra subtitle languages added". VG247. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
- 1 2 Yin-Poole, Wesley (2016-06-22). "Sonic sticks the boot in to Mighty No. 9 as Inafune admits: "I own all the problems"". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2016-12-14.
- ↑ Orland, Kyle (June 22, 2016). "Amid Mighty No. 9's launch troubles, a lesson for us all". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Mighty No. 9 pre-launch livestream: 'It's better than nothing' [Updated]". pcgamer. Retrieved 2016-12-14.
- ↑ "Mighty Gunvolt Burst for Switch launches June 15, for 3DS on June 29 - Gematsu". Gematsu. 2017-05-19. Retrieved 2017-05-20.
- ↑ "Level-5 acquires Comcept, now Level-5 Comcept". Gematsu. 2017-06-13. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
External links
- Official website (Japanese)
- Comcept blog (Japanese)
- Original Comcept site