Capcom Producer Teases Possible Returns of Original Marvel vs Capcom 2 Characters
Says It's Always a Possibility, Capcom Still Feeling Things Out
Capcom producer Shuhei Matsumoto has sparked excitement among fans by hinting at the potential return of the beloved original characters from Marvel vs Capcom 2. Speaking at EVO 2024, the world's premiere fighting game tournament, Matsumoto opened the door to the possibility of these characters appearing in new games. "The return of original Marvel vs Capcom 2 characters in a 'new game' can 'always be a possibility,'" he stated.
Since the last entry in Capcom's crossover fighting game series, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, fans have been eagerly awaiting new content. However, excitement is building with the upcoming release of "Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics," which Matsumoto is producing. This collection is set to launch later this year and will include six classic games from the series, including the iconic Marvel vs. Capcom 2.
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 introduced three unique original characters: Amingo, an anthropomorphic cactus-like creature; Ruby Heart, a notorious sky pirate and one of the protagonists; and SonSon, the monkey girl granddaughter of the protagonist from Capcom's 80s arcade game, SonSon. These characters have been largely absent from recent iterations of the series, appearing only in minor roles such as cameo appearances on wanted posters in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and as playable cards in Capcom's card fighter games.
During his speech at Evo 2024, Matsumoto suggested that the release of the arcade classics collection could be the perfect opportunity for these characters to make a comeback. "Yeah, there's always a possibility. This is actually a great opportunity for us because when we do release this collection, there are going to be a lot more people who'll be able to familiarize themselves with the characters who only appeared in these versus series," he said through a translator.
He further hinted that these original characters might not be limited to the Versus series. "If there are enough people who are interested in these characters, then who knows? Maybe there is a chance they could appear in Street Fighter 6 or another fighting game. This is another great reason to re-release these old games; it gets people to learn more about the IP and the series." Matsumoto also emphasized that this could inspire creativity within the Capcom team, offering a broader pool of content to work with.
Capcom's Plans of More Marvel Crossover Hinge on Fans' Interest
Matsumoto revealed that Capcom has been planning the new collection for "about three, four years." He explained, "We've been talking with Marvel for quite a while. And back then, we just didn't have the opportunities to release this game. But now, after those discussions with them, we were finally able to do so."
He added that the team has long wanted to re-release these classic titles. "In terms of past Capcom-developed Marvel titles, this has been something that myself and the team have been wanting to re-release for years and years now. It was just a matter of timing and making sure that everyone was on board."
Matsumoto also expressed Capcom's ambition to create a brand new Versus series title and to re-release other legacy fighting games on modern platforms. "There’s a lot we’re looking forward to and big dreams, and now it’s a matter of timing and seeing what we can do one step at a time," he said.
Capcom is keen on bringing other classic fighting games to modern platforms, as Matsumoto told IGN. "We have a lot of other legacy fighting games that we know fans out there really want them to be re-released again on modern platforms. And the feeling is mutual on the development side."
He concluded by emphasizing the importance of re-releasing these classic titles to energize the community. "The best thing that we can do right now is to re-release these classic titles that some of our fans may not be fully aware of. And of course, there's constraints, there's different schedules, it's going to require collaboration with other non-Capcom parties in order to make this happen. And that could take some time, but we feel that the best that we can do right now is to re-release these games to energize the community."
