UPDATE: Capcom Europe tweeted a "clarification" of an earlier post which suggested low fan participation was to blame for Mega Man Legends 3's cancellation: "I was expressing dissapointment [sic] with a Capcom marketing tool rather than blaming fans... because we create something and not all fans like it = Capcoms [sic] fault not the fans."

Unfortunately, Capcom's explanation of the offending tweet doesn't really make sense. It just keeps getting worse.

ORIGINAL STORY: Whoever is at the helm of Capcom Europe’s Twitter account is causing waves with a fanbase still reeling from Mega Man Legends 3’s cancellation earlier this week. The publisher encouraged fans to pitch in on the development process for the game, so canning the project angered the hardest of hardcore even more than it usually would. Now the CapcomEuro twitter account is rubbing gasoline-soaked salt all over the flaming wound.

Yesterday CapcomEuro tweeted the following:

“it’s a shame the fans didn’t want to get more involved :-( if we saw there was an audience for MML3 people might change minds”

If you’re not sure why this would strike a nerve with fans who poured their time into the game, keep in mind that there are dedicated pro bono community devs like Brian “Protodue” Austrin who committed around 15 hours a week doing work and promotion for game. He, and fans just like him, worked very hard to ensure the game would see the light of day.

Capcom’s tweet provoked humorous responses from users such as @dertek’s snarky comment, “how exactly do you want people to be “more involved?” Do you want us to make the game for you?”

To which CapcomEuro replied, “well yes that’s the point of the Dev rooms.”

It’s all very dramatic. The exchange between CapcomEuro and the community, which you can read more of at Protodude’s Rockman Corner, contains a lot of slams and excuses. Austrin has sources who say over 15,000 users were active in the Devroom during the community-involved development.

There have also been rumors that cosplayers were turned away at the Capcom booth at San Diego Comic-Con 2011. One nasty bit of gossip involves community manager Seth Killian being punched in the face. Capcom-Unity denies all of this, tweeting, “we welcome all cosplayers to our booth at Comic-Con. Anything else you’ve heard is downright false.”

Capcom lifted up their fans to heights they likely never dreamed of – aiding in the development of a highly anticipated Mega Man game. Then they tossed them back to the ground, and these tweets are figurative kicks of sand to the face. It will be interesting to see how Capcom attempts to restore its reputation in coming days.

[Via Joystiq, Neoseeker & Destructoid]