Thursday, March 10, 2011

Mega Man Legends 3 Facing Greenlight Troubles

Recently, the Mega Man Legends 3 staff have been very vocal on their quest to get the game green-lit, keying fans in on the trials and tribulations of the process. The "out-of-the-blue" nature of these posts, a general feeling of uncertainty about the game's future from the staff, took many by surprise as we were certain Legends 3 was a sure fire thing. This, however, isn't necessarily the case.

In an interview with Siliconera, Capcom USA's Seth Killian provided some insight behind these recent developments:

"It’s been really cool, but it’s been kind of scary in a lot of ways also. Just recently we had a post where the team talked about how the game hasn’t been greenlit," says Killian.  "They were saying like ‘well, we got an extension, so we’re going to keep working on the game.’ Does this mean it’s actually going to be made? Not 100% and that’s true. It’s kind of weird because we were talking about it internally and maybe we shouldn’t say that. It’s sort of a weird message or maybe it will upset some people. And it did actually upset some people."
[...]
"But, the team really does has this idea that they want to share things with people for real. And they did. There is a chance that we won’t see the game for real, but we are all crossing our fingers. That’s the real story of game development, they get canceled all the time."


I wholeheartedly believe if there was even the slightest doubt that things wouldn't turn out okay, Capcom would immediately cease all Devroom operations -- they haven't. And, hey, let's not forget the playable demo hitting Japan at the end of the month; if things were truly bleak, a highly publicized demo wouldn't be happening.

Still, this is unsettling -- scary, almost, as this is a project many have been waited 10+ years for (myself included). To get our hopes up then suddenly drop it all just like that would be nothing short of unfortunate -- a tragedy. But what can we, the fans, do from behind our desks and monitors? Alas, we can raise our voices; encourage the development team, show Capcom we really want this to happen. A little fan-support can go a long way.

Fingers crossed, folks.

49 comments:

  1. No. No. NO NO NO.

    If it isn't going to happen, then why the hell would they HYPE UP ALL THESE CONTESTS AND EVENTS? All for nothing?

    I worked my butt of designing my stuff, now you're telling me IT MIGHT NOT EVEN HAPPEN?

    Capcom, what gives?

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  2. This better be a sick April Fool's joke.

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  3. I didn't realize this was the case. How disappointing.

    I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they did cancel it, given their, eh, regard for Mega Man lately. PLEASE prove me wrong, Capcom.

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  4. There is something very wrong going on at Capcom with Mega Man. First MMU's staggering development, now this.

    Thanks a lot, Inafune. You left your baby in poor hands.

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  5. Trust me, it WILL get published. Why would they go through all this devroom trouble if it wasn't gonna be published?

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  6. I'm not worried, this game is going to happen.

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  7. What?!?! Megaman Legend 3 will be cancelled if it didn't go well or Capcom staff might drop the support of Megaman Legend 3?!?!?

    WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!?!? DID CAPCOM DECIDE TO ABANDON OUR SUPPORT??? WHAT DID OUR MEGAMAN FANS GO WRONG???

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  8. It seems without Inafune anymore Capcom just doesn't give a toss about the Mega Man franchise, sweeping Universe under the rug, omitting Mega Man from Marvel Vs. Capcom and now possibly this.

    It is a sign of things to come guys, I suggest we deal with it.

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  9. Of all things for this to happen to, why Mega Man Legends 3? Had this happened to Mega Man Universe, then I couldn't have cared less. In fact, it would have brightened up my day for sure. Then again, this may very well be an April Fool's joke, like the second Anonymous said.

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  10. I think it'd be stupid on Capcom's part to cancel this game. If it's coming out next year, it has a lot of potential to be one of the biggest sellers for the 3DS. I'd be disappointed if they did decide to cancel it. It's really the 1st Megaman game since Megaman 9 I've really looked forward to.

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  11. Eh, looks like the Legends team is using Ono's trolling tactics to me.

    If it does actually get canceled,
    [a] it'll be the dumbest decision that Capcom's made since Ninja Theory DMC, and
    [b] it'll mean that Mega Man as a whole is about to be sent into hibernation,
    but I highly doubt that it will after all of this publicity.

    Everything is going to be fine.

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  12. Strange thing to hear close to the World Consumer Rights Day. Capcom, how could ya people even THINK about cancelling it now? I'm disappointed. This is madness! Spartans will be angry if it's cancelled!!!

    Seriously now... *shivers, crosses fingers to nothing bad happen*

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  13. What can I say?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLjIOzQTBHc

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWxW79mYQWQ

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  14. I've been discussing this since last month when the news first came out, and I totally agree that if they were in really bad shape, the Devroom would promptly cease to exist, since it's consuming time and resources for Capcom.

    I am a bit concerned that, following this development, the Devroom's event itinerary immediately switched to a PR campaign, but there's also a chance that it all might be part of an elaborate act to increase hype and awareness.

    Whether it's an act or not, I do plan on going along with it. Either way it's ultimately for Legends 3, after all. And it sure beats killing puppies. That would probably just make a huge mess on my carpet.

    At this rate, the emotional roller coaster of this game's development ought to become a soap opera when this is all done.

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  15. Everyone is blaming the development staff and Inafune. When in reality, it is in fact the higher-ups that choose to greenlight something or not.

    If the team and Inafune could choose what could be greenlighted, they would have done so by now.

    Goodness, the fandom sure loves to find people, ANYONE, to point fingers at.

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  16. You know, all games have a chance of being cancelled.

    That said, if this is, I will boycott Capcom games for a whole month.

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  17. If any Mega Man game that's in development should be canceled, it should be that waste of time MegaMan Universe. The game is pretty much dead already because everyone is following Rockman Online and ESPECIALLY Legends 3. Are the higher ups at Capcom fucking brain dead? I vote yes.

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  18. If this game doesn't happen, me and my friends will boycott not just megaman but all CAPCOM games.,,

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  19. @MegaMac: Hey, don't take your anger out on Mega Man Universe! NO Mega Man project should be canceled. AT. ALL. It's not a waste of time, and it's actually the upcoming Mega Man game that I've been looking forward to the most.

    As it stands now, though, I wouldn't be surprised if the silence regarding MMU, Mega Man's exclusion from MvC3, and now this are all somehow connected to Inafune's departure. I'm not blaming him for any of this, though, even if it's all happening as a result of it. Though, who knows, it could be the other way around, and he's leaving as a result of all of this happening.

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  20. Whoever doesn't greenlight this at Capcom is a complete dick.

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  21. I'd be pleased as punch if MMU was cancelled, but Legends 3? Really? That's just depressing.

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  22. Huh, I thought it was too good to be true. Capcom REALLY does wish to ENRAGE the entire Mega Man fanbase.

    Just like how they didn't put Mega in MvC3.

    I'm telling you, without Inafune, Mega's going to be trashed by Capcom now, just like Strider.

    THANKS CRAPCOM.

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  23. People getting mad up the ass.

    While I'd love to say I'm not suprised, frankly, I want a punch a baby myself.

    HOWEVER.
    This is not the place you should take out your anger. Go ahead and post on the blog about what you think, Capcom devs dont read anything on this site, even if they knew about it. We dont even know if they look at unity. But still, take out your rage somewhere else, kay?

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  24. I always find it hilarious how entitled you Legends fans act given the games didn't really sold well to begin with.

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  25. @MegamanMegafan:

    For the record, two very high profile Capcom chums pop in on a near daily basis.

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  26. MegamanMegafan, Joveth comes here and hes a pretty high up their. he's the MM fan at Capcom, so I believe he can relate.

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  27. Nothing to worry about, folks. This is all a scare tactic to fuel the hype for the Devroom, a PR tool itself.

    The Devroom is a huge marketing campaign. They've begun pushing for 10,000 members when there's only 8k. This is the fire needed to jolt those numbers.

    Capcom is trying to scare us; this isn't real.

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  28. @Protodude
    Seriously? Holy fuck I didnt know you were that popular.
    Well I guess that changes things a bit. Though this is still worrying me about the whole problem with getting it greenlighted. Ah well, I guess I just gotta wait it out.

    On a side note, Do all the comments get auto-approved, Or do you do it by hand?

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  29. @MegamanMegafan:

    It's half and half. A lot manage to get approved without my consent; a common glitch, apparently.

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  30. At the risk of having people on my back (for the umpteenth time), I'm in agreement with Axem White, Anonymous #3, and MegaMac. I hope Mega Man Universe crashes and burns, as well.

    Mega Man Legends 3, on the other hand... I really hope they work things out and/or this whole thing turns out to be an April Fool's joke, as a few people have already pointed out.

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  31. Capcom knows all about wasting time and money. Lest we older fans forget those magazine adds they used to run for MEGAMAN: Battle & Chase.

    Years ago I heard a rumor that there were a few barely unfinished episodes from what would have been the third season of the RubySpears Megaman cartoon.

    I don't doubt this game will get made, history has shown that massive fan outcry is a strong decisive factor on the "Yeh or Nay" for a game's go ahead. That's how we got Megaman 7 & 8.

    I'm not really anticipating this game. I liked the first Legends, I haven't played the 2nd one in years nor do I remember anything significant about it. And I'm in no hurry to plunk down big money for a 3DS, which will have a very lackluster library of games for the foreseeable future.

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  32. If Capcom really is on an crusade to wipe out all things Megaman, I guess I shouldn't have bought two subscriptions to the upcoming Archie comic.

    And Jazwares can probably snuff their plans to relaunch the figure line (*AGAIN*)

    The Kotobukiya kits... cancelled.

    Hell, why don't they take HotTopic to court and make them stop selling MegaMan T-Shirts?

    It's a bold new world for video games, and unrealistic blue robots just aren't invited to the party! Maybe that THING from Lost Planet can be their new mascot.

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  33. Ugh. I'm trying hard not to hope Legends 3 gets gets canned if Universe gets canned, because that would be petty. But you guys that are rooting against the game that I'm looking forward to are making it very tempting.

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  34. We should organize a boycott of all CAPCOM games if this happens.

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  35. Christ, you guys are grasping at straws here.

    Yes, there is a possibility that this game could be canceled, but I sincerely doubt it. Why would they after investing so much effort and time into it? Unlike past generations, there is far more transparency in game development, fans have been really involved in this process. And fans would be pretty pissed if the game didn't come to fruition.

    This is more just Seth and others trying to reach for continued support and interest.

    Also, there is simply no relation to this news and Mega Man not being in Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Mega Man's exclusion wasn't part of some elaborate scheme to punish Mega Man fans. It was because the developers felt Zero and Tron were better suited to the game. Mega Man in MvC2 wasn't too good, and didn't have a good moveset either. No big deal.

    We're still seeing a lot of other content Mega Man-wise. The new comic series from Archie, Gigamix's English translation release, the Robot Master field guide, Star Force and Battle Network complete works, etc. The Complete Works games are being released via PSN, and I'm betting MMU and MM Online are still in development.

    tl;dr Relax. Showing your support for Legends 3 will help, and that's all we can do. If Capcom cancels it, well, then they obviously won't get your money then.

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  36. I don't WANT Mega Man Universe to get canned, but I sure wouldn't miss it if it did -- at least in the form we last saw it. If it's really been taken apart and gone back to the drawing board, I'm looking forward to seeing if it can resurface as something that isn't awful and is actually worthy of being a Mega Man title.

    As much as I want to believe this is just a PR stunt, and as much as I just feel that Legends 3 is going to be fine, I wouldn't put anything past Capcom these days. Inafune's departure, Mega Man's exclusion from MvC 3, MMU's rocky development, and now this news about Legends 3 having trouble getting greenlit... it all feels connected. There's no doubt that Capcom's never had a particularly huge amount of love for Mega Man, and while I don't want to go so far as to say it feels like they're trying to sweep the Mega Man franchise under the rug now that Inafune's gone... well, shit, it does feel like that, doesn't it?

    I'm sure it's not as bad as all that, though. That's just the reactionary statement of a long-frustrated fan (as we all are, since Capcom so rarely throws Mega Man fans any bones).

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  37. Just few words can describe this...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vHRMeRszw4

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  38. @ Clown Prince of Crime:

    "Ugh. I'm trying hard not to hope Legends 3 gets gets canned if Universe gets canned, because that would be petty. But you guys that are rooting against the game that I'm looking forward to are making it very tempting."

    Somewhat the same here.

    About a week or two back, I was tempted to bring up the green-light troubles regarding Legends 3, to smite the Legends fanboys that swarmed in the Battle Network OCW article and trashed the EXE series while ungratefully demanding a Legends OCW. I ultimately decided to hold it all back until Protodude made an article of his own regarding this, as I knew at the time that he knew about this through his tweets on Twitter.

    The very fact that a number of Legends fans here are -JUST- finding out now probably means the fanbase doesn't care enough about the game/isn't doing enough to actually participate in the Devroom and thus send a message to Capcom. After all, again, the Devroom brought this up like a week or two ago.

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  39. And on a much lighter note, I've been thinking over the past week...

    I think I know why Legends 3 suddenly became a possibility from almost out of nowhere, especially what with Inafune leaving a month after its announcement.

    I see that one of two scenarios (or a combination of both) happened:

    1) Inafune spoke of hating his job shortly after TGS last year. That was a week or two before Legends 3 was announced, and a full month before he participated in that interview in which he announced that he was leaving Capcom.

    Perhaps as a final parting gift to the fanbase, he decided to gather up the development teams and essentially force Capcom's hand on Legends 3.

    The Devroom was not only effective in getting the Legends fanbase involved, but it's a hype-building program in itself - due to how unique this development process is, just about every gamer on the internet has heard about it by now.

    If the Capcom higher-ups were to cancel Legends 3 now, it would not only result in wasted resources, but it could very well result in the worst PR situation in the entire history of gaming.

    2) On the other hand, it's possible that Legends 3 is actually in no danger of being canceled, but the development team feels that there could be more hype generated. Something like this, as sensationalist as it is, would be the best way to stir up the fanbase into a frenzy. Think of it as free advertisement.

    Perhaps it's working, to a degree - I see that in the Legends Station forum, some Legends fans are planning on heading into other gaming forums of completely unrelated gaming series to advertise Legends 3.

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  40. @Alilatias -

    "The worst PR situation in the entire history of gaming?"

    Worse than the Atari 2600 E.T. Mexico landfill debacle?

    Worse than the PS3's North American launch announcement?

    Worse than Hot Coffee?

    And to speak of Capcom's own history with botching Mega Man-related announcements, worse than the empty, unfulfilled promises of new/redone content in Mega Man X Collection that was held back for the Maverick Hunter X sequels that were never made?

    Come on now, don't you think that's taking it a little (no, incredibly) far for a game an very small subset of gamers even care about?

    Yeah, I agree it wouldn't be great for their PR, but far worse things have happened before, and far worse things will happen in the future. And this is coming from someone who loves the Legends series and very much wants to see Legends 3 come out.

    On a semi-related note, it never stops being funny watching how splintered the Mega Man community is and how the infantile infighting never ceases...

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  41. "Worse than the Atari 2600 E.T. Mexico landfill debacle?"

    I'm quite sure not that many people remember that.

    "Worse than the PS3's North American launch announcement?"

    Hm, yeah, that was pretty bad. The rest of Sony's E3 presentation that year was hilariously bad too.

    "Worse than Hot Coffee?"

    **** was blown out of proportion. I'd say that the whole 'RE5 takes place in Africa and all zombies are black people' debacle by the gaming press was worse.

    Come to think of it, very recently someone got banned at the official Dragon Age II forums for badmouthing EA, and since his forum account was linked to some kind of universal EA account, they locked him out of his purchased game as well.

    I WISH I WAS FREAKING KIDDING.

    http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=424081

    Yeah, I do admit that Capcom canning Legends 3 wouldn't be as bad as the above. Hell, I don't really care that much about Legends 3 in the first place, as the only real reason I'm keeping track of it is because the Network Timeline team is involved, and I'm curious to see what happens to the Devroom once Legends 3 is done.

    Canning Legends 3 now would still be an asshole move by Capcom.

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  42. For the record, MMU was an ok title to me. The only WRONG thing they did was separate MM and RM.

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  43. This has to be a joke, there is no way in hell that Capcom could be that stupid to generate all that hype only to say, whoops we lied. I call b.s. I think this is some sort of trick to get more people hearing about this. You know what they say any publicity is good publicity... I am worried about Mega Man Universe though... months without a scrap of info...

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  44. I truly believe that we'll be seeing MML3 here soon. But you can be sure that I'll be buying my games from different publishers if they go through all this publicity hyping it up only to drop it. I don't give money to trolls!

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  45. I think japan´s tsunami somehow has to do with capcom´s latest decisions

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  46. I agree with what kotipeltox said. We need to keep in mind that they have major, like, WORSE THAN KATRINA-like conditions over there right now. I think the LAST thing they need is a bunch of whining Rockman / Mega Man fans bitching about how Legends 3 isn't officially greenlit. Dude, they wouldn't be making the demos and shit and showing stuff off at E3 if it was not.

    And for the record, MM: B&C wasn't canceled, it was STOPPED because Sony's US CEO hated Mega Man because of the 2D X4 and MM8 at the time. The whole reason we even HAD Legends, was because Capcom was forced into making a 3-D MM title to appease Sony's bitchiness. Once that threat was over and 2D was still proven to be worthwhile, Legends stopped, and here we are now.

    THANKFULLY, Legends 3 is coming to a NINTENDO console this time. Aside the X series, Mega Man has been pretty consistently on Nintendo Consoles and I think Sony's dickery towards 2-D MM games has a big reason to do with this. RELAX, everybody. Our friends in Japan have alot on their plate right now. Let's just wish them well and hope they didn't loose vital data, models, and the whole engine of the game with the quake and tsunami.

    However.. In light of such things like, oh, if Legends 3 and the DLC for MvC3 gets ignored and we see neither X nor Legends 3..

    Well. Let's just say, I will be speaking with my wallet, as should all of you, if this boils you all up so badly. Or, go look up on the internets how to hack/softmod your systems as part of a non-verbal display of distaste. That's what I'll be doing if the votes are ignored for MvC3.

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  47. @voiceofreason
    I think its mainly because that MMU is on the top of their list. Legends 3 is the game that literally every true capcom fan has been waiting for. I'm pretty sure right now thats more important then working on MMU. Though I would like to see MMU updates myself.

    Hey, protodude, speaking of updates, What happened to the whole MM9 secret thread on unity? Did anyone figure it out or no?

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  48. I just learned from a post by the Joke when I posted a topic regarding the feared cancelzation of Legends 3, turns out, it won't face total cancelzation after all. If it was, then why do the people and fans worked on it and wasted it all? It just got an extended period meaning the fans and developers will do their best to make Legends 3 the best for the higher ups to approve and green light it.

    Don't believe me? Well check out this thread I made on Capcom Unity.

    http://www.capcom-unity.com/devroom/go/thread/view/114725/27238837/Is_Legends_3_facing_cancellzation?pg=last#489050193

    The Joke said himself it won't face canceltion. It just got an extended period before it can be greenlighted. Now if someone bitches about me lying and saying it ain't true... Shut the hell up and listen to this thread. I too support Legends 3 and I made this thread to show my concerns about the development of the game and I'm proud to say that I got a good post on it from the Joke of Capcom Unity. Anyway, everyone is entiled to their own opioion and they shouldn't try to turn their opioions into facts to get people anger and rallied up to get trolled.

    I hope this helps, Protodude.

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