E3 2015 was supposed to be a showcase for Wii U Zelda. The game was delayed because Nintendo, and because Zelda. But it’s not so bad. Now I can really focus on what E3 is all about: Building up wild stupid hopes.

Here’s one such stupid hope I just can’t shake: I’ve had this enduring feeling that there’s going to be a big E3 announcement related to Mega Man. And that announcement is going to come from Nintendo.

“You’re dumb, Nadia,” you say to me with your hands on your hips, elbows jutting out sharply at either side. Yeah, under most circumstances, I can kind of be a dunce. But even though a big fat announcement about Nintendo taking over the Mega Man license is unlikely, I certainly don’t think it’s the impossible ravings of a madwoman.

Capcom of Japan has zero interest in Mega Man / Rockman. I don’t know if it’s because of sour grapes over Keiji Inafune’s departure, nor do I know if it’s part of a sadder, larger trend amongst Japanese studios that are dumping beloved franchises in hopes of channeling their energies into making the next big free-to-play cash-in. All I know is that if we ever see Mega Man again, it’ll be as part of some piece of candy-coloured one-touch junk.

Over-1, get out of here! You’re dead! You don’t exist anymore!

Capcom’s not listening to what fans want, especially not fans outside Japan’s borders. But Nintendo’s listening, and Nintendo’s not stupid. Out of all the newcomers to the Smash Bros franchise, Mega Man is arguably the most popular. Remember when his Final Smash was unleashed at the Smash bros invitational? The crowd went off like oversexed bonobos.

(Incidentally, Mega Man’s five-second final Smash animation shows more character, detail, and love than the franchise has received in over six years. Nintendo could’ve phoned it in with some Rush adaptor fanservice, and we still would’ve been all “WOO!!”)

Mega Man obviously doesn’t have the cultural or financial pull of Mario or Pokemon, but there is certainly something there, and I think it’s enough for Nintendo to approach Capcom and say, “Look, about that blue boy you’ve got rotting in storage–”

And then I think I’m delusional, but Nintendo goes ahead and unveils Mega Man X / Protoman Mii skins, and again I wonder…

Are we being prepped for an event?

I hope we’re being prepped for an event.