During the 2025 Game Awards, Capcom released a teaser for a new Mega Man game, much to the surprise of many. Titled Mega Man: Dual Override, it looks to be the next entry in the classic series, and for the few seconds of gameplay that we saw, it seems to have promise.
Given that it has been over seven years since the last game, Mega Man 11, many fans believe it's about time that what's considered to be the 12th installment is finally announced and being worked on. Great as that may be, I believe that rather than the classic series, Capcom should have given people a new Mega Man X game.
For those who are unaware, Mega Man X is essentially a more mature subseries of the franchise, one that isn't afraid to touch on darker subject matters in its narratives. It can also be considered a sequel, given that it takes place 100 years after the events of the classic series.
It hasn't seen a new entry since 2004, awaiting the day that it may one day make a triumphant return. The 2025 Game Awards should have been that moment, but alas, it was given to the classic series instead, which I believe is a huge mistake.
One good reason for that is the difference between the last major entries of the two. Again, for classic Mega Man, it's been seven years since its major title. Meanwhile, Mega Man X hasn't seen one in over 20, which is a huge amount of time.
Some would say that since it has been that long, it's likely that nobody would care if the X series were to make a return. However, I believe it would be the exact opposite, given that it still has many fans who enjoy and prefer the Mega Man X games, even after such a long time without any updates. An announcement of a new entry to the series would have had a much bigger impact compared to the one Mega Man: Dual Override had, considering how long it has been and how many people have been looking forward to it.
Aside from the time since its last game, another reason why announcing a new entry for the X series would have been better is that it likely would have had much more appeal to modern gamers. As great as the classic games may be, there is no denying that even with the updated look and features, they're mostly targeted towards veterans and their sense of nostalgia.
While that may not be a bad thing, that won't exactly help in getting the next generation of gamers interested in becoming new fans of the franchise. However, Mega Man X may have a better shot at doing so. As for how, it's due to its more mature and cooler-looking characters, and again, how it leans more towards darker narratives that capture players' attention.
I believe potential fans would rather have that than another game with childish-looking designs with the same old story of Dr. Wily doing something nefarious and having to stop him for what feels like the hundredth time.
For the final reason why it was a mistake for Capcom to give us a new classic entry, it's that the X series should be given the chance to redeem itself. From the first entry to the fifth, the Mega Man X games felt like a superior upgrade from the classic entries, with their faster gameplay, more interesting mechanics, and deeper characters and stories. However, the quality of the series declined heavily afterwards, with Mega Man X7, the first 3D game of the franchise, being seen as the lowest point.
It certainly tried to go back to something more familiar with its eighth entry, and dedicated fans certainly enjoyed it, but it didn't have the spark that made the first five games so amazing. Due to that, it wasn't as well-received as it should have been and was seen as a commercial failure, leaving the X series to stew in silence and go on hiatus.
Considering it was able to produce quality titles that are still enjoyed by fans today, it doesn't deserve to go out in such an underwhelming way. If Capcom managed to successfully revive the classic series, then the company can easily do the same for Mega Man X. All that needs to be done is give it a new entry that reintroduces the things that worked and implements new ones that synergize with them. If that happens, there's no doubt that the X series will get the second chance in the spotlight that it deserves.
Since there's likely no shot of that happening for quite some time, given that all the attention will go to the development of Mega Man: Dual Override, all we can do now is speculate on when exactly it will or even if it will ever. There's still hope, but given that it's been more than 20 years, we shouldn't be surprised if a new game for the series never comes at this point.
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