Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune raised nearly $1 million on Monday on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, just 24 hours after posting a pitch for his new game Mighty No. 9. Inafune’s Japan-based studio Comcept raised $983,888 from 16,911 backers in just a day, based on stats available on Monday morning.
Mighty No. 9 is a brand-new side-scrolling action game for PC that combines classic 8-bit and 16-bit arcade games with modern technology. In it, you play as Beck, the ninth in a line of powerful robots and the only not infected by a mysterious computer virus. You have to deal with berserk mechanical creatures and confront the evil that is threatening the planet. Your robot’s body can reconfigure itself into different shapes to deal with threats. For example, his limbs can become giant magnets that rip away enemy shields.
The game will try to appeal to both Western and Japanese audiences, which won’t be easy. The project leader is Inafune, and his team includes veterans working on the art, level design, music, and programming. The game will be made available through the Steam distribution system and digital-rights-management-free platforms. Other platforms will be possible if the fundraising hits its stretch goals beyond the $900,000 target.
The title is expected to be out in the spring of 2015. Humble Bundle will help fulfill digital rewards, and Fangamer will do the physical rewards related to large Kickstarter pledges.