Like many Mega Man fans, I was pretty disappointed when Mega Man Legends 3 was unceremoniously cancelled July of last year.  When the news hit, a small and devoted group of gamers banded together.  Their simple goal was to gather as many people as possible to show Capcom that there was a demand for the cancelled game.

The group has taken a variety of actions to spread their cause.  They’ve rented booths at popular events, put out ads on Facebook, restarted the defunct Mega Man Legends 3 Dev Room, sponsored letter mailing campaigns, and much more.  Their persistence has paid off.  In just about 9 months, the group has reached their stated goal of 100,000 members, and they’ll likely continue to grow. Regardless of your personal opinions on Mega Man Legends 3, it’s hard not to admire the group’s energy and ambition.

What does this mean for Mega Man Legends 3?  It’s hard to say.  The group was in no way sponsored or endorsed by Capcom, and they have no direct power over Capcom executives.  However, 100,000 likes is quite a lot.  For comparison’s sake, Dead Rising’s Facebook page has 112k members and Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom sits at around 25k.

A high number of likes won’t necessarily translate to huge sales, but Capcom would have to be completely stupid to waste the buzz that this unreleased game is getting.  The Mega Man franchise as a whole has been circling the drain.  Capcom now has a game that has generated a tremendous amount of interest from fans.  In addition, the circumstances around Mega Man Legends 3 have changed.  In July of last year, many were wondering if the 3DS would survive its first Christmas.  Now, the 3DS is on strong ground, especially in Japan.  This is a golden opportunity for Capcom to not only earn some much needed love from their fans, but also revitalize one of their most important franchises.  It’s hard to fathom why a company which is willing to take risks on games like Steel Battalion Heavy Armor is not willing to produce a game that has generated such massive publicity.  Hopefully, 100,000 gamers can help Capcom see reason.

While the group may have reached its goal, they’re still actively recruiting more members.  If you’d like to see this project revived, head to 100,000 Strong For Mega Man Legends 3.