Mega Man Legends 3

Development and cancellation

In a May 2007 interview with 1UP.com, Keiji Inafune expressed that his team were interested in developing Mega Man Legends 3 and had considered using the Dead Rising/ Lost Planet engine. In September 2007, Keiji Inafune commented that he was asked by several fans if Mega Man Legends 3 would be made; although Inafune expressed a desire to make such a game, he stated that he could not do it at that time. Detailed information about the game was announced at the New York Comic Con in October 2010. On July 18, 2011, Capcom officially announced the game had been cancelled. As a sequel to Mega Man Legends 2, the game would have introduced two characters, Aero and Barret, joining with returning ones to rescue the protagonist Mega Man Volnutt from the Elysium. While Capcom was developing the game, several aspects from the game such as the new heroine Aero, a mech and Mega Man's design were chosen by fans as Capcom invited fans to send their designs in their official Mega Man Legends 3 website, but the website has been cancelled.

Although Inafune left Capcom in November 2010, the team working for Mega Man Legends 3 stated that the game would continue development. Capcom intended to release Mega Man Legends 3: Prototype Version in 2011 for the 3DS eShop, featuring 10 missions, and Barrett as a playable character. The Prototype Version was going to act as a prologue to the forthcoming main game.

On July 18, 2011, it was announced that production on Mega Man Legends 3 was being cancelled, and that neither a full game, nor Mega Man Legends 3: Prototype Version would be released, and that there were currently no plans to resume production. According to the website GamesRadar, the only journalist to play either version was Chris Hoffman of Nintendo Power magazine. Hoffman proceeded with an interview with the site.

On Twitter, Capcom Europe blamed lack of fan support for the game not being released.

On May 26, 2014, in an interview with Siliconera, employees of Cup Of Tea Productions (Responsible for Mega Man Legends 3 voice recording) confirmed that the Prototype Version was very close to completion.

Reaction

The game's programming director Yoshiyuki Fujikawa encouraged fans to support the game saying he would also want to keep making the game. In July 2011 CyberConnect2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama stated he would like develop Mega Man Legends 3 as he was saddened with the cancellation of the game he was looking forward to. Inafune also expressed disappointment with this decision and searching to develop this game despite having left the company. Although Inafune was searching for a team to finish Legends 3, Capcom refused Inafune's offer.

Following the cancellation, a Facebook group entitled "100,000 Strong for Bringing Back Mega Man Legends 3" was created, and aims to get Capcom to resume development of the game. The group has been covered considerably on popular gaming sites, including Destructoid, G4 TV, Joystiq, ScrewAttack, and GoNintendo. The group reached its goal on April 23, 2012. On August 2016, over five years after the game's cancellation, the group released a documentary about the history of the game's development.

Then, Keiji Inafune and his companies, Comcept and Intercept, announced Mighty No. 9, considered by some as the spiritual successor to the Mega Man franchise.

Keiji Inafune expressed, in an interview, he would still like to finish Mega Man Legends 3 if he ever gets the chance.

It has been said that the Marvel Comics character Deadpool is petitioning for this game's eventual production and release.