Mega Man is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its main series. As the first title released in nine years since Mega Man 11, the entire development team is pouring great meaning into developing the new title, 'Mega Man: Dual Override', to mark this monumental occasion. A hands-on demo showcasing its various changes was unveiled at Gamescom 2026.

At the event, we met directly with the developers of this game, which centers around key elements like "Dual Heroes"—allowing players to select another robot, Proto Man, alongside Mega Man as a playable character—the new "Override" system that temporarily pushes past limits, and a variety of bosses capturing the series' history. After playing the demo version, we spoke with Director Shinya Ikuta, Producer Hiroyuki Minamitani, and Producer Shingo Izumi to discuss a wide range of topics, from the design intent and presentation of the Override system to their determination in working on a new title after nine years.

Q. It has been a very long time since the last mainline entry. How do you feel?

= Since this title marks the 40th anniversary of 'Mega Man', we are putting a tremendous amount of effort into making it. After announcing it last December, we are truly thrilled to finally bring the world's first playable demo to Gamescom. We are already looking forward to seeing players try it hands-on and reading their feedback.

Q. Out of the three provided options, I died many times before barely clearing it with the setting that doesn't use Support Chips, but using Support Chips made it quite easy to clear. Was this intentional design?

= Perhaps it's because you are such a good player. Honestly, being able to clear it without any Support Chips at all means you are a remarkably skilled player. (Fundamentally, utilizing Support Chips is important.)

Q. Is there a system you consider the most important in this entry? Would it be "Override", as in the title?

= For the 'Mega Man' series, the most important aspect is still having players conquer challenging stages as they improve their skills. We believe that the sense of accomplishment earned from doing so is the core game design of 'Mega Man', so we place great emphasis on that. Also, when you think of 'Mega Man', it's about defeating a boss to obtain their weapon, and then using that weapon to conquer the next boss's stage. This, too, is a game design unique to 'Mega Man', so we are faithfully carrying it over to this title as well.

In addition, for 'Dual Override', we have prepared features like the Custom Chip system and the Override system to broaden the scope of gameplay, so we hope you enjoy them together.

Q. "Override" somehow brings "Unicorn Gundam" to mind. Where did you get the inspiration?

Director Ikuta= I agree it might resemble something else. However, we were simply following the direction we aimed for, and as a result, some parts ended up looking similar.

Producer Minamitani= You could say it's the result of pursuing coolness and exhilarating action fitting for Mega Man.

Producer Izumi= We felt it was truly the best way to depict Mega Man unleashing power beyond his limits. We hope players enjoy that aspect as well.

Q. It was a bit disappointing that the support character Rush wasn't in Custom Chip Sets 1 and 2. Personally, I like Rush. Was this loadout intentional?

= Support Custom Chip Sets 1 and 2 don't include Rush; only Set 3 has him. But please don't misunderstand—Rush is actually one of the Custom Chips, so if you like Rush, you can equip that chip and play with Rush anytime. In this demo, we simply provided three preset sets bundling various chips together. In the full retail release, you can go to the chip setup screen from the stage select screen to freely set chips, customize, and empower Mega Man. Setting up your loadout before tackling a stage is the standard flow of the full game, so if you equip Rush there, you won't have any problem.

Q. Some fans lamented that a new game hadn't come out in far too long. Will this entry satisfy that thirst?

= Since it has been about nine years since the last mainline title, fans have indeed waited a very long time. That's why we want everyone to enjoy it to the fullest. We hope you enjoy nine years' worth of fun. In particular, we are developing it under the philosophy of "easy to enter, deep to master," lowering the barrier to entry while retaining the depth unique to the series, so a wide variety of players will be able to enjoy it.

Q. While playing the demo during the Twinkle Girl boss fight, I saw Twinkle Girl shout "Override!" as her phase changed. Is Override a system that not only Mega Man but other robots and characters can use as well?

= Rather than a system per se, you can think of it as bosses also being able to enter an Override "state." Mega Man is a character you control directly, so he can use Override freely whenever desired, but each boss has different trigger conditions. Bosses perform Overrides as well, but please understand that their trigger conditions aren't identical to Mega Man's.

Q. Proto Man was not playable in this demo. What will the gameplay experience with him be like in the future?

= Please understand that we cannot talk about when players will get to try Proto Man or specifically how Proto Man differs from Mega Man at this stage. However, what we can say right now is that playing the same stage as Mega Man versus Proto Man will offer distinct experiences.

Q. What do you think is the unique charm of the Mega Man series?

= I think one of Mega Man's greatest appeals is its cool characters. So many people have loved Mega Man for a long time simply because they love the characters themselves. I think that is a unique characteristic of Mega Man that sets it apart from other titles.

Q. It seemed that activating Override allowed the Special Weapon to be used a bit more at the end even when its energy gauge was completely depleted. Since that means players can use weak-point Special Attacks more, isn't there a risk that it might make the difficulty too easy?

= It sounds like you had an easier time playing thanks to that, and asking this question shows you caught a key strategy for this game. It's true that you can use Special Weapons more while in the Override state, and you caught onto that and utilized it well. However, this version is a build that is still undergoing final adjustments. We are still tweaking the balance, so it might not be identical in the final release version.

Q. The Twinkle Girl stage was split into three small stages. What was the intention behind this structure?

= Traditionally in 'Mega Man', the basic loop is playing a single stage from start to finish to face the waiting boss at the end, taking multiple tries to improve your skill and feel the joy of defeating the boss. This time, we created a three-part structure so players can experience that sense of accomplishment in a more condensed form.

We wanted players to taste the sense of accomplishment from improving, successfully clearing, and defeating a boss multiple times, so we structured it as a three-stage layout to offer the fun of tackling it in three parts. In terms of overall stage volume, splitting the Twinkle Girl stage into three sections will feel much more substantial than if it were one continuous stage.

Q. To mark the 40th anniversary of Mega Man, will bosses from past entries make a return?

= Yes. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Mega Man, bosses that appeared in previous entries will also reappear.

Q. The title is "Dual Override," where "Override" seems to refer to the Override system. Could you explain what the word "Dual" signifies?

= "Dual" carries several meanings, but the biggest one is that players can enjoy both Mega Man and Proto Man as playable characters.

Q. Is there anything you paid special attention to in designing this expo-themed stage? It seems a lot of care was put into the distinction and harmony between the background and foreground.

= This time, we designed the stage so that you can feel a narrative sense of progression as you move forward. It starts with a distant view of the expo, which is the theme of this stage, and going inside leads into an indoor area modeled after the expo's entrance. Heading further takes you back outside, where the background is depicted as stretching far into the distance. Moving even further leads indoors again, taking you through an interior layout displaying numerous robots.

And another thing: because Twinkle Girl plays the role of an entertainer hyper-charging the crowd's energy at this expo, we intentionally staged a sense of cohesion across the area, with Twinkle Girl's fireworks going off in various spots and decorations designed after Twinkle Girl placed throughout. In the end, night falls, fireworks burst, and the stage is structured narratively to create a festive atmosphere.

Q. Is there an element in this game that you hope players won't miss out on?

= Besides structuring the stages into three parts, above all, a massive number of bosses appear. There is a whole gathering of highly distinct bosses, and players can tackle them while enjoying different playstyles as Mega Man and Proto Man. We hope everyone takes on these bosses packed with personality and enjoys the game.

Q. Finally, do you have a message for 'Mega Man' fans in Korea?

Producer Minamitani= 2027 is not too far away now. We've packed in plenty of elements that fans will love, so please look forward to it.

Producer Izumi= Even if you aren't familiar with previous titles, starting with 'Dual Override' will be plenty enjoyable. We hope this will encourage as many people as possible to give 'Mega Man' a try.