In the fallout of Capcom’s cancellations of Mega Man Universe and Mega Man Legends 3, many folks likely forgot that there was still one big Mega Man title in development: Rockman Online, a Korea-exclusive 2D side-scrolling MMO that managed to remain out of the spotlight for the past year or so. What’s that? A loose end? Can’t have any of those, now can we?
Yesterday, Rockman Online concept artist Kang Dong Hwa uploaded some artwork from the game to his personal site, something he could only do if the project had been shelved. He also had a blog post explaining the cancellation, though it was later removed for unknown reasons. A separate anonymous source, however, has verified that the Rockman Online team was indeed disbanded.
Ironically, this may not be entirely Capcom’s fault. Updates had been sparse if not completely absent throughout 2011, followed by news this May that the game’s developer NeoWiz was restructuring and cutting back staff. Rockman Online was among the affected projects, leading to speculation that either development would be shifted to an affiliate or Capcom would choose to cut it loose. While NeoWiz hasn’t officially announced the game’s cancellation, by this point we’re just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Here’s a kwinky-dink: Rockman Online was a side-scrolling RPG crossover featuring the Classic and X series, allowing players to customize their own hero and interact with one another. Why, that sounds just like Rockman Xover! The difference is, the former was an ambitious PC title with high-quality art, while the latter most likely cost pennies to make and reuses assets from a sh*tty Mega Man X iOS port. Funny how that all works out.
If you need a reminder of exactly what the world is missing out on, check the Rockman Online teaser animation and gameplay footage below.
New Rockman Online Artwork Emerges [Protodude’s Rockman Corner]
Rockman Online is Likely Cancelled, According to Artist [The Mega Man Network]
ROCKMAN ONLINE TEASER [YouTube]
Rockman Online Gameplay Video 1 [YouTube]
