Mighty No. 9 Backers Struggling With Broken Codes And Three Years Of Disappointment

It would be unfair to suggest that every Mighty No. 9 backer is unhappy with the Kickstarter experience and the final result. However, after a number of delays, tepid reviews, and poor communications during the process, many backers have come away with a bad taste.

The most recent spate of problems comes in the form of broken and incorrect codes being distributed to backers. We’ve received multiple reports from those that supported the Kickstarter that the wrong rewards have been distributed (a sample of the many messages we've received from backers can be found below)

With botched Steam codes going to backers (my Ray DLC code is a Retro Hero code so I have two of those and no Ray DLC) and no word on my physical goods (NES box and manual)... I don't really feel anything anymore. No excitement. No disappointment. Just numb to it all. I don't want to think about Mighty No 9 ever again. - Joe Walker

Additionally, we’ve received reports that there are technical issues with the Wii U version. We’ve reached out for comment and will update should we receive a response on how this is being handled.

Unfortunately, it seems like Comcept has resigned itself to an imperfect product. On a launch livestream last night, Mega Man and Mighty No. 9 creator Keiji Inafune was taking questions about where the franchise might be headed in the future. His responses were translated by former Capcom producer and Comcept team member Ben Judd. You can watch the full video here, with the below quotes coming at 1 hour, 9 minutes.

“They will continue to try and make sure the game plays as well as it can as far as bug issues or whatever,” Judd translated. “There is not any additional DLC beyond the Ray DLC. The reality is that they put everything into making this game. They didn’t try to microtransaction it out. They didn’t try to DLC it out for extra money. They put it all in. For now, this is what you see is what you get for the Mighty No. 9 world. We can hope if things go well, there will be sequels. I can tell you what, I’m not getting my 2D side-scrolling fill. At the end of the day, even if it’s not perfect, it’s better than nothing. At least that’s my opinion.”

It is unclear whether Judd is directly translating Inafune’s feeling about Mighty No. 9 being “better than nothing” or if that is his own editorializing on the situation. Regardless, fans are in agreement. The game and the process haven’t been perfect.

I basically just feel like it no longer matters anymore. I think back to when I put down money for it -- can't even remember how much but it might have been 20 or so -- and yeah, as I loved the Mega Man games I played and Inafune was backing it, I didn't think I'd regret much.

But all of the delays, the working on other projects aside from this game, etc...it's at the point where they could delay the game for another year and I wouldn't care. So yeah, I got my code, but I hear the Wii U version has issues? I think it'll wait. I'm not in any rush to play it...and I wonder when I will want to play it. - Justin Stroman

Of course, there are fans who are glad to finally have the game in hand. Not every reaction has been negative.

I’m a Mighty No. 9 backer. It was the first Kickstarter game I ever backed that met its funding goal, and it's also the first Kickstarter game I've finally seen released. I've kind of gotten used to Kickstarter games not meeting their original release timeframe and the other issues commonly seen amongst crowd funded games, so the delays for MN9 never really bothered me. 

I didn't have any issues redeeming my XB1 code for the game this morning, but I only had time to play the tutorial level so I can't speak to the gameplay just yet. Overall, though, I'm pretty satisfied with the whole experience. There were definitely some missteps along the way by Inafune and the rest of the team in terms of communication regarding the delays, but I feel that some people overreacted on them. - Bryan Timm

It’s been a long road to Mighty No. 9’s first wave of releases. The Xbox 360, Mac, and Linux versions are still on the way later this week. Physical backer rewards have yet to ship. And then there’s the matter of the 3DS and Vita versions still to come.

The story isn’t over, but for better or worse, we at least know how the game’s development fared. If you’re a backer, we’re interested in hearing your thoughts in the comments below.

Our Take
There have been a number of successful Kickstarter campaigns, and it would be wrong to hold Mighty No. 9 as a template for how these always roll out. It just so happens that Inafune’s pedigree, the lack of official Mega Man games, and the poor communication around this campaign have been a perfect storm for media and fan attention. 

This experience hasn’t been great, but hopefully it serves to help gamers become educated about the real risks of crowdfunding. I’m not suggesting that gamers avoid Kickstarter entirely, but I do think better education before backing would be useful.

This feature was originally published at 11:30 a.m. CT on June 21, 2016.