The Canceled Mega Man Game We'll Never Get To Play
The beloved Blue Bomber has been blasting his way through Robot Masters and Dr. Wily schemes since 1987. He has starred in countless titles for more than three decades. In that time, the ever-popular Mega Man has brought some of the best platforming games to gamers everywhere, and his popularity is such that there's allegedly a live-action movie in the works.
If you're a die-hard Mega Man fan, there are plenty of great games that have released outside of the mainstream series. You might enjoy the forgotten Mega Man Soccer, or perhaps the fan-made Mega Man 2.5D. And if you love the idea of a 2.5D Mega Man adventure, you might be disappointed to learn that there was a 2.5D entry in the series that was canceled by Capcom. It was called Mega Man Universe.
What would this game have been like? Could it have been Capcom's answer to Super Mario Galaxy? This is the canceled Mega Man game you'll never get to play.
Where in the world is Mega Man Universe?
Originally planned for release on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network in 2011, development on Mega Man Universe came to a sudden and unexpected end. The game appeared to feature classic levels with updated 2.5D graphics, along with your choice of character, from different Mega Man styles (including the horrifying MM1 box art design) to Street Fighter combatants, Arthur from Ghosts 'n' Goblins, and possibly more. It even had a level designer. Sounds like an amazing game for any Mega Man fan. Why on earth (or in this universe) was it canceled?
Kotaku has suggested that it could have been related to the departure of series creator Keiji Inafune from Capcom or the Tohoku Earthquake. Considering Inafune was involved enough to appear in the gameplay trailer for Mega Man Universe, it makes sense that the game would stall when he left.
Unfortunately, the world may never know what truly happened. Will fans ever see the project resurrected? One can only hope, though after so many years, it doesn't seem likely. Even so, there are plenty of games that came out years after their original planned release date. Maybe Mega Man Universe will one day resurface.