This post explains the entire Mega Man Legends copyright situation

Wow, it’s complicated

For years now people have been clamoring for the release of Mega Man Legends 1 and 2 on the PSN (or the Nintendo 64 version on the eShop, for that matter), but Capcom hasn’t budged. We’re one step closer with The Misadventures of Tron Bonne hitting the PSN recently, but there’s still no word on the two Legends titles. So why is that? Brian (known as “Protodude”) over at Rockman Corner is here to clear that up.

The popular theory is that it is due to contractual agreements from the voice actors of the games. But according to Brian, that was debunked back in 2010 by a statement from former Capcom US SVP Christian Svensson (who I miss dearly, due to his diligent interaction with the community). That theory was brought about in part because Rob Smith, voice actor for Teisel Bonne, is a convicted pedophile. But again, with Misadventures being re-released with him front and center, that doesn’t seem to be an issue either.

The real problem seems to be with the addition of energy drinks in the game. Seriously!

Oronamin C is a real beverage over in Japan, and is sold in the vending machines in the first Legends game. In addition, there are a few other copyrighted references. Now, here is the problem — Sony apparently does not allow the modification of source code for a PSN classic. In other words, it needs to be the exact same release. So unless these issues can be solved by Capcom’s legal team (or Sony drops the policy), a full-on PSOne Classic release for Legends 1 is not going to happen.

Nintendo however, does allow the modification of code. If it was deemed a worth endeavor by both Capcom and Nintendo Mega Man 64 could feasibly be ported. In fact, the original code for 64 already has a few of these changes already. Other options suggested by Protodude include the release of the PSP version (untranslated), a PC port by Capcom, or a full remake — all of which have a low chance of happening in my book.

Whatever the case, I’d love to see it happen. There’s plenty of hope for Legends 2, but maybe Capcom wants to deal with everything and release them both at the same time. For now, we wait.

Regarding Mega Man Legends and Property Infringement [Rockman Corner] [Art from Walls4Joy]