Keiji Inafune seems to think so.
In a recent interview with the Mega Man-producer, Inafune alludes to the possibility of an upcoming return to the X series’s 16-bit roots. Fielding a question from a Capcom-Unity member, he responds:
One of the biggest reasons for going with the 8bit style was the success with Mega Man 9. MM 9 succeeded beyond our wildest expectation. We had initially thought of bringing back to the series the feel of the NES to create a sense of nostalgia with MM9. Receiving the great reaction from the fans over it, we decided to establish the style as the game genre for Mega Man. In line with this concept, reviving the 16 bit game style in the series seems like a great idea. We certainly would like to consider trying it out in future when there’s a chance.
And later, in response to adopting a more unique stylistic approach to future X games:
I think Odinsphere and Muramasa are really good games, but we probably would not mix Mega Man X series with those styles. We would love to work with brand new 2D game ideas rather than borrowing one from elsewhere.
Wishful thinking or something more?
Via The Mega Man Network; Mega Man X: Corrupted fan game screen shot from JKBGames.
Via The Mega Man Network.