Keiji Inafune deserts Capcom

   The man responsible for designing Rockman and giving him that natty blue suit is leaving Capcom, effective immediately. Keiji's been at Capcom for 23 years where he oversaw the production of the Rockman series of games and most recently, Dead Rising 2.

   Keiji was promoted to the title of "Global Head of Production" in April 2010 where he managed underlings and gave them direction. He was living the life of a corporate manager but apparently, that's not the kind of job that a designer necessarily desires. Based on some of his comments, it's my opinion that working in a huge corporation like Capcom is rife with politics and internal strife that can wear a manager down. His comments about the lack of innovation in Japanese game design may have also played a part in Keiji's departure.

   That's why I want to work in small and nimble firms where the hours are flexible and the workers have independence and autonomy (for the most part). A large corporation moves slowly and deliberately since there are multiple layers between upper management and the working stiffs. When there are that many layers, elements of mediocrity like politics, backstabbing, ass kissing, nepotism, and all that other crap gets shoveled into the mix.