Mega Man Creator Seeks Help in Funding Game-Movie Combo Project 'Red Ash'

The creator of “Mega Man” is reportedly looking for financial help with a new and more ambitious project.

Engadget reported that KeijiInafune, the man behind “Mega Man” recently started crowdfunding for “Red Ash”, his studio’s new project which consists of an open-world action game, “Red Ash: The Indelible Legend”, and an anime movie from Studio4ºC, “Red Ash: Magicicada”. “Red Ash” was announced at Anime Expo 2015. The concept will feature familiar characters in a robot apocalypse setting where players will mainly hunt for treasure. However, these will be established in parallel worlds so that the producers have more room to tell the stories that they want.

Kotaku revealed that the game aspect of “Red Ash” will present characters that have the same names as the heroes of “Might No. 9”. Beck and Call will appear together with Tyger, Beck’s “delver” partner. “Red Ash: The Indelible Legend” will be led by core members of the original “Mega Man Legends” team, including director Masahiro Yasuma and art director Kazushi Ito.

Similar to “Might No. 9”, people who wish to help Inafune are provided with several pledge options that may also allow them to help mold either project directly. The minimum pledge is $25 to acquire the game. A pledge of $24 is required for the movie. People who pledge $499 can create achievements, naming items and take advantage of more capabilities. The studio is also open to new ideas for free and will reward players whose concepts actually appear in the anime version. If Inafune gets sufficient funding and the development process moves according to schedule, “Red Ash” may become available in July 2017, based on the same Engadget report.

The Kickstarter project for “The Indelible Legend” is aiming for $800,000 to launch the game. According to the creators, the main goal of “Red Ash” is to tell a story on a grand scale. They stated that the final ending scene is already prepared. The project actually begins with a prologue chapter called “The KalKanon Incident”, which will be the foundation to build more content in the future. The Kickstarter project for “Magicicada” is aiming for $150,000 to launch the movie. Creators described it as a treasure-hunting animation presenting dozens of talented creators. Each stage of the adventure will be created with the collaborative efforts of artists and new talents.

More details and updates regarding the crowdfunding will surface in the following weeks.