The Marvel vs Capcom Series has to be one of the most beloved fighting game series of all time. I might even argue that it makes its way up to one of the most beloved video game series of all time. These games are classic. They have iconic superhero characters duking it out with classic street fighter and Capcom characters. These games made a huge splash in the 1990s when they came out originally.
And since then, they’ve been very popular. Just look at a game like Marvel vs Capcom 2. That game is a landmark in not just fighting games, but the generation it was released. It was the damn game of the millennium at that point. So why is it so hard to play these legendary games? Why did it take so long for a collection like this to come out? Why did many fans freak out over this two-minute-long trailer at the Nintendo Direct? Well, because this collection was a dream come true.
Free Marvel vs Capcom 2
This series has quite a muddied behind-the-scenes history. Both of these companies need to get permission, license, and clearance to collaborate together. Back in the 90s, it was a lot easier to go about this stuff. Not many movies or supplementary media were out for these characters. It was mostly the comics, and there were some shows and toys or other small things to worry about.
The messy legal nature of everything really caught up to these games as they went, coming to a head in Marvel vs Capcom Infinite, where many fan-favorite characters were left out. It even got to the point where MvC2, the fan-favorite game, wasn’t available on modern consoles. Many creators supported this movement started by Maximilian Dood, dubbed “#freemvc2”. This eventually got the game enough mainstream attention and here we are.
Once in a Blue Moon
These crossover games are so beloved, but the biggest shame about them is how rarely they are released. They have so many legal hurdles and hoops to get through, it’s a celebration whenever one of these games can get developed, or even re-released. The first two Marvel vs Capcom games were re-released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles in the early 2010s, but that port was shortly delisted.
On modern consoles, the only games in the series purchasable are Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Marvel vs Capcom Infinite. Unfortunately, Infinite is much maligned amongst fans for its poor story mode, questionable roster that excluded many mainstays like the X-Men, and quite frankly, ugly graphics. Marvel 3 is quite the opposite at least. This game has in the past couple of years had a resurgence in popularity due to the content channel “Tampa Never Sleeps” holding many online tournaments. Still, Infinite was released all the way back in 2017.
The Fate of the Future
So where does this lead the future? Well, the collection isn’t even out yet. It has a release window for this year. It’s either coming out in the fall or maybe they’ll shadow-drop it at EVO later this summer. There’s one thing that is obvious though. If this collection sells well, Capcom and Marvel will take note. Many content creators have already said they’re buying multiple copies of the game to support it, which I can imagine will greatly help the sales.
Fans have been waiting for this since 2017. I would be shocked if this collection does not sell well. If it does, Capcom will certainly be motivated to make Marvel vs Capcom 4. That is why this collection is so huge. If it sells well, it can be a renaissance for the series, one that has been dormant for years. It’s always been on and off, but finally, this legendary crossover can get a second chance at life.
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