Geoff Keighley Shares the Story Behind Mega Man: Dual Override's TGA Reveal

Mega Man: Dual Override's announcement at The Game Awards this year came as a surprise, landing less than 48 hours after Capcom publicly spoke about expanding the Mega Man IP. And to take us back to that moment again, Geoff Keighley has shared on Instagram how the reveal came together.

It all started a few days after Summer Game Fest, when a mysterious package arrived.

“It is time — Capcom.”

Inside were Mega Man plushies, a helmet, and figurines. I knew immediately what it meant.

For years, I’d ask Ryozo Tsujimoto and the Capcom team when it might be time to bring back the Blue Bomber. He always said they were experimenting and waiting for the right path forward. That box was the signal: they were ready.

A few weeks later, I was at Capcom HQ in Osaka. The lights dimmed, the Mega Man theme played, and through the door walked Minamitani-san in a full Mega Man outfit, alongside Izumi-san, dressed as Dr. Wily. It was classic Capcom.

We talked about their vision for the next Mega Man, and then they handed me a controller to play a very early ROM and give feedback. That’s when we began discussing how to reveal it to the world.

I knew the orchestra had to be part of it. One of my favorite video game orchestral moments ever is the Swedish Radio Symphony’s Mega Man suite.

At TGA, we love designing moments where the audience discovers something together. Where it’s not obvious at first, until suddenly it is. It’s why protecting surprises matters so much.

We pitched a reveal that began in an unfamiliar space station, as orchestral music slowly builds. At first, you’re not sure what you’re hearing until subtle hints reveal Dr. Wily’s Castle theme.

Capcom took it further. The years on the monitors in the space station represent every Mega Man release so far. Right before the door opens, we land on “12” — for the 12th game.

Months of tweaks followed — including changing the corridor color from blue to green so it didn’t give too much away.

For the music, the incredible @urspinevulpine reimagined the theme. He worked with me to reimagine Triage at Dawn for Final Hours of Half-Life: Alyx.

Bringing this to the stage takes dozens of collaborators, all working in total secrecy. We don’t fully rehearse these sequences until they happen live — and every time, our amazing TGA team nails it.

Some see these moments as marketing. To me, they’re part of the emotional core that defines TGA.

That’s how Mega Man came to TGA this year.