Inti Creates
"Mega Man Zero" was developed by Inti Creates, a company established in 1996 by several former members of the game's publisher Capcom. Prior to the game's conception, Capcom had developed numerous games in its "Mega Man" franchise beginning with its classic series in 1987, then expanding to its "Mega Man X" spin-off series and two non-platformer series, "Mega Man Legends" and "Mega Man Battle Network". Up until the development of "Mega Man Zero", Inti Creates was not a successful venture. The company's vice president Yoshihisa Tsuda had wanted to create a "Mega Man" game and would often attend game conventions to express this interest to Keiji Inafune, an artist and producer for the franchise. Inafune eventually called Inti Creates requesting a game proposal, on which the company promptly began working. "Mega Man Zero" was developed as a commission product by Inti Creates, who were given a free rein on its design and premise. The game was produced by Inti Creates president Takuya Aiza and was co-directed by Ryota Ito and Capcom's Yoshinori Kawano. Inafune signed on as the game's co-producer.