At a game music panel during SAGA Barcelona Game Fest 2026, Manami Matsumae, who composed music for Mega Man, and Miki Higashino, who contributed to the Suikoden series' soundtrack, looked back on their early experiences in music production and discussed their recent creative endeavors.
Manami Matsumae said that when she composed music for Mega Man in the early days, the planning staff did not provide detailed style requirements, so she mainly created based on her own impressions of the game. Before MIDI tools became widespread, she even used to create music and adjust sound effects by inputting numbers.
Miki Higashino recalled that she initially worked at Konami as a part-time student, first writing melodies on sheet music and then handing them over to colleagues for data entry. Regarding her recent creative work, she stated that the passing of Yoshitaka Murayama, a creator associated with Suikoden, was an important factor that motivated her to return to game music composition.
Manami Matsumae also mentioned that some overseas creators who played Mega Man as children have grown up, formed teams, and begun inviting her to participate in indie games. She is currently providing music for Shadow Protocol; according to plans discussed during the conversation, she will compose ten tracks for the game, which is expected to launch in 2027.