Rocket Raccoon is a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom 3. The only game he's ever been in... Guardians or the Galaxy is announced a year or so afterwards. Coincidence?
Am I excited? Hell no. 90% of Marvel films are trash. I don't expect that to change anytime soon.
I think it is a coincidence. Now his inclusion in MvC3 definitely didn't keep him from the big screen, but I doubt it influenced it. Raccoon is (probably, I dont read comics) a recognizable and somewhat-famous Marvel character. Which is why he was probably put in MvC3. But I would think the real reason is that comic movies are huge now. Probably one of the biggest trends in movies in the past 15 years. Pretty much since X-Men. But they're running out of characters. They're making a god damn Antman movie for crying out loud. So its not surprising at all that RR is in a movie.
On another note, I had no idea about this movie. I'm really interested in them putting Chris Pratt as the lead. From the trailer...he still seems just like Andy from PnR. Who's he playing? Comic fans, does he seem like a good fit?