First-person shooter · Shooter

Maverick Hunter

What was supposed to have been a first person shooter in the Mega Man universe developed by Armature Studios, only to get cancelled after 6 months of development.

Released: —
Platforms: —
Genres: First-person shooter Shooter
Developers: —
Publishers: —
Perspective: First person
Themes: Science fiction

About

Maverick Hunter was the codename for a cancelled first-person shooter video game in the Mega Man franchise that would have been developed by Armature Studio and published by Capcom. It was intended to be a darker entry in the Mega Man X series. Mega Man artist and producer Keiji Inafune was responsible for establishing the western-designed game and Adi Granov was responsible for X's new design. It was intended to be the first of a trilogy of games, where players controlled its protagonist X in the first two games and then as Zero for the third. The game would have had similar platform elements found in earlier Mega Man X titles.

It had a lifespan of about six months in 2010 before it was ultimately cancelled, due to internal disagreements around the same time Inafune departed from Capcom, during which other Mega Man titles were also scrapped.

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Reception

The response from critics and fans alike has been mixed. Despite the mixed fan reaction, a fan-led Facebook group and Change.org petition intended to revive the project was created called "Operation Maverick Hunter". Michael McWhertor and Wes Fenlon felt that - with the information available - the game seemed like a "formula for success." They compared the direction to that of Metroid Prime by developer Retro Studios (which Armature Studio spun off from). Thomas Whitehead was also positive about it; he stated that it could have been a "bold, exciting new direction for the franchise."

Joystiq's JC Fletcher noted that while Mega Man X didn't need a "gritty" reboot, it is a better alternative than to have no Mega Man games. Tony Ponce compared the redesign of X to that of Bomberman in Bomberman: Act Zero. He also stated that it was a Mega Man X game "in the very loosest sense." He felt that the cancellation was for the best and that a "cold, gritty first-person shooter" was not the ideal direction for the series.