Comcept, the studio founded in 2010 by Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune has announced the cancellation of Kaio: King of Pirates. Announced by Inafune in 2011 the cancellation comes after a series of delays; first intended to be released in 2012 the title was delayed twice to an unspecified release date in 2014 before the ultimate cancellation in 2015.

Kaio was to be a Nintendo 3DS title inspired by the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a story famously adapted by Koei's Dynasty Warriors series. Other details about what the game could have been are scarce, the only information coming from Keiji Inafune commenting he hoped it would become a trilogy and that it would appeal to the western market akin to how Dragon Ball Z found a western audience. Finally, promotional images showed the game would feature anthropomorphic animal pirates; adorable ones (the loss of which makes this writer sad).

The Japanese publisher Marvelous Entertainment revealed the cancellation as part of a press release outlining earnings and losses for the company. It was explained that the development and subsequent cancellation of Kaio would cost the company 461 million yen, approximately 3.8 million USD.

There is understandably little uproar regarding the cancellation of Kaio as the majority of Comcept coverage surrounds Mighty No. 9: Inafune's spiritual successor to the Mega Man series following his departure from Capcom.

Comcept and Mighty No. 9 have already been under a great deal of scrutiny following a massive sum (4 million+) raised in its Kickstarter campaign. Concerns about Comcept management arose when the developer sought more money to add voice acting to the game and regarding questionable community management throughout the development cycle of the game. We can only hope the cancellation of Kaio will lead to greater dedication towards the company's ongoing projects.

What do you think Raptors? Did you have any idea this game existed? Do you care that its been cancelled? Does it affect your confidence in Comcept?

Source: Siliconera