Mighty No. 9's Comcept developing Mega Man Legends spiritual successor

Japanese developer Comcept and Mega Man co-designer Keiji Inafune have launched a Kickstarter project to fund RED ASH, a spiritual successor title to Capcom's long-dormant Mega Man Legends series.

Comcept also announced a separate Kickstarter campaign for an anime adaptation of RED ASH produced by industry veteran Studio 4C All-Stars.

Inafune notes that he hopes to create an action-RPG that "captures the feeling of freely exploring an anime world" with RED ASH. Inafune explains that a previous attempt at a similar concept "did not see the success or conclusion it deserved," likely referring to his experience working on the Mega Man Legends series.

Released for the original PlayStation in 1998, Mega Man Legends put a unique spin on Capcom's many-sequeled Mega Man series with 3D, third-person shooter gameplay and an open-ended quest that took place across an expansive game world. A sequel, Mega Man Legends 2, launched in 2000, and the spinoff The Misadventures of Tron Bonne bridged the gap between the two core series releases.

Though the series earned a cult following, a promised sequel to Mega Man Legends 2 never materialized. Plans for a 3DS follow-up were scrapped in 2011, sparking a fan petition that publisher Capcom never officially addressed. Fans have noted that the title RED ASH directly references Mega Man Legends' Japanese name, Rockman Dash, speculating that the title could also be read as "re-dash."

RED ASH follows up on Comcept's Mighty No. 9, a side-scrolling platformer presented in the style of Capcom's classic Mega Man games. Earning almost $4 million from its Kickstarter campaign, Mighty No. 9 recently wrapped up development, and will launch digitally and at retail on September 15 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, PS Vita, and PC platforms from publisher Deep Silver.

Like the Mega Man Legends games, RED ASH uses character names and concepts from Mighty No. 9 to deliver a new story within an alternate gameplay universe. Comcept estimates that RED ASH will launch in July of 2017, pending a successful Kickstarter campaign.