Fighting games are no stranger to crossovers. Series like Mortal Kombat have featured figures from popular culture and other major IPs as fun additional characters, but the Japanese video game giant Capcom capitalized on this still further with Marvel vs. Capcom. These titles saw the coming together of two cultural behemoths, with characters from Capcom's impressive body of work competing against the roster of Marvel heroes. Marvel vs. Capcom has two decades of video game goodness under its belt, but some fans are still hoping to see more future installments.
When Disney bought Marvel, it temporarily put a stop to licenses for Marvel games in order to use the characters for games like Disney Infinity. Thankfully this decision was overturned a few years later, and the future of Marvel vs. Capcom looked bright once more. However, it's been five years since fans have had the chance to play a new Marvel vs. Capcom game, and it doesn't look like another one is on the horizon. Despite the lack of news, the time is undoubtedly right for another Marvel vs. Capcom title, and many fans are hoping there's still some life left in the fighting game franchise.
The Future Of The MvC Franchise
Despite the popularity of previous Marvel vs. Capcom games, 2017's Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite failed to make much of an impression on fans. With some controversial features like the removal of assists in favor of a tag combo system and some key faces missing from the roster, the last Marvel vs. Capcom game was something of a disappointment. Fans had a mixed response to the gameplay changes, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-in attempt with the inclusion of the Infinity Stones was seen by some as a missed opportunity rather than an interesting new mechanic. Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite's commercial performance looked like it might put the future of the franchise in jeopardy.
With no new game on the horizon, some have championed an online movement to reinstate Marvel vs. Capcom 2 after the game was delisted following Disney's takeover of Marvel and the change in licensing agreements for its games. The movement gained some momentum in 2021, with rumors around potential talks between the relevant parties to bring Marvel vs. Capcom 2 back to consoles. While this was exciting news for fans of the older entries in the franchise, many players would also love to have a new installment that could feature new additions to the MCU and update the core mechanics of a Marvel vs. Capcom title for the modern era.
Why It's Time For Another Marvel vs. Capcom Entry
Thanks in part to the continuing popularity of the Marvel Universe as it expands from the pages of comics onto big and small screens in a variety of guises, Marvel vs. Capcom still has a fanbase to tap into. Capcom also has its own iconic list of franchises and characters, even if it's not quite as prolific or ubiquitous as Marvel at the moment. Fans will always enjoy seeing their favorite characters pitted against each other for fantastical fights that wouldn't be possible anywhere other than a video game crossover. There will probably always be an audience for the chance to pit legendary characters together in epic fights, like Iron Man and Mega Man or She-Hulk and Ryu.
The Marvel vs. Capcom titles have the kind of classic fighting game sensibility that still feels like it would do well in today's video game market. It can tap into fan nostalgia, as well as bring the graphics and gameplay up to date to provide players with a slicker, more modern experience. Marvel has continued its near-constant release schedule of new properties, and some recent films and TV shows have introduced a new generation of fans to characters like Moon Knight and America Chavez who would no doubt be great additions to a new fighting game.
The fan community around Marvel vs. Capcom is a fairly vocal one, and it definitely seems like there's a demand for a new game. Both Marvel and Capcom have huge groups of players eager to play their games, and combining the two once more for an updated entry in the Marvel vs. Capcom series just makes sense.