The company Comcept, known for creating Mighty No.9 and ReCore, has been disbanded

Japanese game development firm Comcept has ceased operations, as confirmed by Gamebiz and noted by Gematsu. The termination of the company was made official with a Notice of Dissolution published in the January 29 issue of the Kanpo government gazette.

Founded in 2010 by Keiji Inafune, known for his pivotal role in the creation of Mega Man and his contributions to franchises like Street Fighter and Dead Rising, Comcept was a prominent name in the gaming industry. Inafune exited the company in 2010, two years after its inception.

In 2017, Comcept was acquired by Level-5 and transitioned into Level-5 Osaka Office, with Inafune parting ways with the company in 2024.

Inafune's initiative in 2013 to fund Mighty No. 9, a successor to Mega Man, through Kickstarter, aimed for $900,000 but ultimately amassed over $4 million, including contributions via PayPal. Despite a strong financial backing, the game's 2016 debut was met with a mixed reception both critically and commercially. Additional projects by Comcept such as Red Ash: The Indelible Legend and Kaio: King of Pirates were never released, with publisher Marvelous incurring a $3.8 million loss on the latter.

Comcept also collaborated with Armature Studio on ReCore for Microsoft and contributed to projects like Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, Soul Sacrifice, and Fantasy Life Online.

Throughout his career, Inafune emphasized the challenges facing the Japanese gaming sector. At the 2012 GDC, he urged industry professionals to adapt, and in 2013, highlighted the severe issues the industry needed to acknowledge. He was quoted as saying, "Some developers are saying [the] Japanese game industry is still doing fine, but that's wishful thinking. Words are not enough, we must act and prove it. Unless at least a few titles from Japan make it to the top 10 games of the year worldwide, we won't prove it."

Moreover, in 2015, Inafune identified Kickstarter as a source of "confidence-building" for Japan's developers, reflecting its importance in instilling optimism within the industry.