Mega Man Creator, Keiji Inafune, To Leave Capcom

Keiji Inafune, mastermind behind Mega Man and Capcom creative director, has announced he will leave the Japan-based publisher and developer at the end of this month.

In a blog post entitled "Sayonara," spotted and translated by Kotaku, the legendary creator said that his 23 year relationship with Capcom will end, claiming he feels that he has climbed to the highest rung on the company's ladder.

"There's nowhere higher for me to go," Inafune said, explaining that he began his work with Capcom as a character designer and now leaves as the "Head of R&D Management Group, Consumer Games R&D Division and Contents Management Division."

Inafune wrote he was leaving Capcom with the intent of starting his life over. "People that really know me, can see where I'm coming from. I'm not a regular dude. It's probably because I'm strange."

In recent months, Inafune received flak from the Japanese gaming industry for questioning the East's ability to make games in the modern era, claiming that the games made in Japan are "awful."

Inafune's most recent work for Capcom included Dead Rising 2 and Lost Planet 2, the latter of which was publicly lambasted by Capcom for its "substantial underperformance" in the company's first-half of fiscal year 2010 report. The creator was also involved in two newly announced Mega Man titles: Mega Man Universe and Mega Man Legends 3.

Shacknews has contacted Capcom for a comment on Inafune's blog post and ultimate decision to leave but have yet to hear back at the time of publishing.