Editorial: Mega Man Legends 3 deserved to be canceled - but why?

Mega Man Legends 3 deserved to be canceled, because fans didn’t let Capcom know how much they wanted it.

No doubt some of you are raging just reading that. I must confess that I absolutely love the Mega Man Legends series and was looking forward to it myself. But from a business standpoint, it deserved to be canceled. For those who haven’t seen the notice, here it is. Why? As with all things in life, money talks.

Legends 1 sold around 124,844 units over its lifespan, and 2 sold 96,339. To give you some perspective, other third person games wiped the floor with it.  Tomb Raider 2 wiped the floor with this series at 4,939,506  units and even the lackluster 3 destroyed them with 3,339,666 units.

For even more perspective these games were beaten in sales by Rugrats Studio Tour, Yarudora Series Vol.  2 (what?) and Silent Hill. And if you want the full impact, nearly every Mega Man game did better including Mega Man Soccer.

Capcom may be doing some unsavory things right now, including its one save feature, but this isn’t one of them. From a sheer business standpoint this makes perfect sense. The series never sold well and probably never will.

That being said, fan outrage is understandable. This was an amazing series I and many of us grew up with. We have fond memories that we would like to relive.

The other point that makes the Mega Man Legends 3 rage understandable is the fact that Capcom even started the project. They actually had quite a bit done on the game, and even had Mega Man Legends stages done for Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3. It’s absolutely puzzling that they made it in the first place when none of their figures supported it.

If  the fans are lucky, Capcom will listen and make it anyway. But there is a bigger picture here. It’s a testament to the fact that gaming needs a change when poorly produced Harry Potter games trounce this great series.