Mega Man was originally planned for a Famicom Disk System release

The original Mega Man game launched on the NES in 1987, but apparently it was originally planned for a different type of release. This new info comes to us from Akira Kitamura, the director/planner of the very first Mega Man title. He recently answered some fan questions on Twitter, which led him to revealing this fun tidbit.

According to Kitamura, Mega Man was first conceived as a title for the Famicom Disk System. The Famicom Disk System was an add-on for the original Famicom released only in Japan. The accessory used floppy disks and was meant to produce cheaper games, as well as higher quality sound. Apparently Mega Man was switched to a more traditional Famicom/NES release because its production was running on schedule, and the developers wanted to get it out to take advantage of year end sales. Kitamura says that this had no impact on the overall development or final outcome of the game.

History might have been very different if Mega Man’s release had gone as originally planned. It might not have been as successful for Capcom, and America might not have seen the game until much later, if at all. Fortunately, everything worked out and Mega Man’s legacy is safe and secure.