Mega Man X is an action-platform video game developed and published by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It was the first "Mega Man" game for the 16-bit console and the first game in the "Mega Man X" series, a spin-off of the original "Mega Man" series that began on the SNES's predecessor, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). "Mega Man X" was released in Japan on December 17, 1993 and was released in both North America and Europe the following year. Taking place a century after the original "Mega Man" series, "Mega Man X" is set in a futuristic world populated by both humans and "Reploids", robots capable of thinking, feeling, and growing like their human creators. Because of these complex attributes, many Reploids are prone to destructive, renegade activity and are thereafter referred to as "Mavericks". The plot of the game follows the protagonist Mega Man X, an android member of a military task force called the "Maverick Hunters". With the help of his partner Zero, X must thwart the plans of Sigma, a powerful Maverick leader wishing to bring about human extinction.