After an extended wait including several major delays, Keiji Inafune is confirming that Might No. 9 is gold. The 2D side-scrolling shooter launches June 21.

It was over three years ago when Keiji Inafune, creator of Mega Man and longstanding Capcom icon, left the company to pursue new goals. Mighty No. 9, the clearly Mega Man-inspired side-scroller, raised over $3.9 million on Kickstarter and obliterated its original $900,000 goal. The three years since have been a tumultuous period filled with delays and canceled release dates. Yet, despite the challenges faced by Keiji Inafune's studio (Comcept) and the emotional roller coaster it has been for the game's fans, the day has finally arrived. Mighty No. 9 has gone gold.

In a prepared statement released by Keiji Inafune this morning, the studio head confirmed that Mighty No. 9 has officially gone gold – confirming once and for all and that the game will launch on June 21, 2016. This release date is set in stone, as all that's required of the game is getting it from Comcept to Kickstarter backers and storefronts.

Inafune even apologized for the delays, acknowledging that the game's extended release schedule disappointed many fans:

"Firstly, I would like to say again how sincerely sorry we are for how long we have kept all of our fans waiting. We are finally able to deliver some long awaited news regarding Mighty No. 9. We have now confirmed the following release dates for Mighty No. 9: June 21st 2016 (North America & Asia) and June 24th 2016 (World Wide). We understand that as a result of the various delays we have disappointed and let down our fans, but we are happy to finally be able to deliver the game to everyone who brought us this far."

Later, Inafune does note that not all platforms will be supported at launch. Both the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS versions of the game "will follow at a later point." There's no mention of PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, or Wii U in that statement, which hopefully means the platforms are still supported and on schedule for June 31 as well.

It's difficult to see Keiji Inafune and Comcept coming off of their first project apologizing, likely exhausted from getting the game ready to go gold. It's important to remember the efforts of Comcept, a brand new studio, and that Mighty No. 9 is its first game. For fans, between the Kickstarter three years ago and now has only been filled with delays, but for Comcept every day has been filled with dedication and hard work to make that initial Kickstarter promise a reality.

Inafune does speak about the journey in his statement, thanking his backers and fans for being there the whole time:

"It has been almost three years since the start of our Kickstarter campaign, which was only made possible through the support of our backers and fans around the world. This is a project where everyone’s passions were combined in order to create something very special, and we are looking forward to delivering the final product to everyone who was involved. There can be no stronger connection between game creators and game fans."

What will come of Mighty No. 9? Will it live up to what must be gargantuan expectations from fans at this point? Is it even the same game that Keiji Inafune envisioned when he launched the Kickstarter? The questions will only start now that Mighty No. 9 has a launch date, and while that's a bit terrifying it's also exhilarating. We're finally going to be able to play Mighty No. 9, everyone.

Mighty No. 9 will launch on June 21 in North America and Asia, followed by a June 24 launch worldwide. While the launch platforms were not made entirely clear, they are assumed to be the same as planned on the initial Kickstarter project: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Wii U. PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS support will come at a later date.