The Mega Man creator Akira Kitamura has launched a new blogging project, with the help of the Brave Wave Productions founder Mohammed Taher.
Kitamura Blueprints is a new Patreon-funded blog, which will reportedly cover the creation of Mega Man, video game production theory, and some general "chitchat" on other-related topics.
Kitamura, in case you're unaware, was the person originally responsible for designing and directing the first two Mega Man NES games, which he did while working at Capcom in the '80s.
In addition to this, he also worked briefly on the initial development of the third game in the series, but eventually left the company before the project was finished, join the rival developer Takeru. Here he would later go on to work on the 1991 title Nostalgia 1907 for the Sharp X68000 (as a planning advisor), as well as direct the Famicom-exclusive action platformer Cocoron.
In addition to this, he would later go on to be involved with the development of several other games, like Data East's Funky Jet, Game Freak's Nontan to Issho: Kuru-Kuru Puzzle, and Tao Human Systems' Zeiramzone before pretty much vanishing from the industry in the late '90s, causing people online to speculate frequently on his whereabouts.
Then, all of a sudden, in March 2024, Kitamura made a surprising public reappearance, creating a new Twitter/X account named @ak_blueprints, where he began sharing stories about the development of Mega Man, and answering questions from fans. Now it seems he wants to build on this further, creating a new space where he feels he can talk more openly.
The first Patreon post, which is called "Press Start", serves as an introduction to the blog and reads:
"I’m AK, a former game planner at Capcom. Through this Patreon account, I’d like to share with you my thoughts and techniques on game development—shaped by my experience in the game industry and blended with my personal philosophy.
I’ll also be presenting a chronological account of how the game I planned, Mega Man, was developed. I intend to detail everything from the system structure to the backgrounds and character settings. This members-only space allows me to speak more deeply about matters I couldn’t discuss in public forums.
Why talk about Mega Man? At the time, aside from myself and the background artist, no one on the development team had any experience in game production. I was solely responsible for the idea, planning, direction, whole world and character"
Besides this introductory blog, three others are available on the site (in both English and Japanese), with the two of these being focused on Mega Man, while a third covers the topic of "Original Ideas".
Kitamura's plan is to publish two blogs a month, with the monthly membership priced at £3.50 a month. Here's a link to the Patreon page, to find out more.