Keiji Inafune Announces His Next Zombie Title: “YAIBA”
If the name isn’t familiar, the former Capcom poster boy’s resume will be: more famously known as “The Father of Mega Man”, the game designer’s impressions are grooved into such series as Resident Evil, Onimusha, Mega Man X, Dead Rising, and Street Fighter.
Though lighter outings from his back catalog may come to mind first and foremost in many fans’ minds (such as Mega Man Legends), Inafune claims he’s been downright hounded by his admirers for him to get working in a decidedly decayed genre once more.
“Everywhere I go, people ask, ‘Are you working on it?’ 'When is it coming?,’” says Keiji. “The expectation is clear. It’s for my next zombie game.”
The 47-year-old head of his own gaming company, Comcept, admits there’s a deluge of zombie titles already shambling around the industry, but hearing excitement over a “Inafune zombie game” flatters him deeply (I’m confident there was some mild blushing). And with that, he feels he must answer the call.
Enter YAIBA, a Comcept developed zombie hack n’ slasher that boils ninjas, robots, and pure action into one gore soaked package. Keiji’s reluctant to give up details, but he seems ecstatic over the project. “I hope you are excited,” says Inafune, “I know I am.”