After years of being held back by licensing fees and rights agreements, the Marvel vs. Capcom franchise is finally back with a new collection that bundles together seven of Capcom's most iconic super-powered fighting games set in the world of Marvel Comics. The collection is called Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, which is headlined with the iconic Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, but the bundle also includes six other titles dating back to 1994's X-Men: Children of the Atom.
The collection was announced last week, during this month's Nintendo Direct. It was revealed that Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics will be available on the PC (via Steam), Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4 (It'll also be playable on the PS5). Although Capcom hasn't announced an exact release date yet, the company confirmed that the collection will be released later this year. You can check out the trailer for the collection below:
Xbox Gamers Frustrated at Marvel vs. Capcom: Fighting Collection Announcement
While many fighting game enthusiasts are happy that the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics will bring the fan-favorite classic fighting games to modern platforms, some Xbox Series X/S gamers are upset that the announcement confirmed that highly-anticipated collection will not be released for their preferred video game consoles. Fans have taken to social media to express their frustrations, with comments about the collection flooding Xbox social channels, including in the replies to posts that are irrelevant to the game.
Even PC and PlayStation-only gamers have supported the voice of Xbox gamers by signing a petition asking Capcom to release the collection for Xbox Series X/S.
With the Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection being just the latest third-party title to decide not to release on Xbox, some fans like The_CrapGamer on X are bringing up how Xbox is "losing out on 3rd party games":
ShoulderWinter on X also pointed out that despite Xbox giving third-party developers deals with their Xbox Game Pass service, the platform holder is being skipped by the industry's big names such as Capcom:
Some fans such as NeroAngelo31245 are pleading to get Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection released on Xbox Series X/S:
Sadly, games such as Marvel vs Capcom 2 (considered the prize jewel of this fighting game bundle) are no longer available to play on Xbox in any form. In 2015, sales for Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (as well as Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3) were halted as Capcom's license to the Marvel characters expired.
Why is Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection not being released on Xbox Series X/S?
Throughout the years, Marvel vs Capcom 2, 3, and Infinite all have appeared on Xbox platforms, so the popular fighting game franchise has had a long history with Microsoft's gaming machine, so why did Capcom decide to not release Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection on Xbox Series X/S?
As gamers have pointed out online, this is not the first Capcom game to give Xbox the cold shoulder. Games such as The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures, Megaman Battle Network Collection, Monster Hunter Stories have also not been released for the Xbox.
A report from Windows Central's Alexander Cope suggests that this could be because of the technical framework Microsoft uses for their latest Xbox consoles when dealing with older games. Jawmuncher on X brought up that Capcom's MT Framework engine is to blame for the recent spate of Xbox omissions, and according to the outlet's sources, this is correct and as Cope explained, the Japanese company "has no pipeline for porting older MT Framework titles to Xbox's modern ERA system, which makes it more expensive to deliver the same titles than it would porting them to PlayStation 4, Switch, or PC."
This means that it'll significantly cost Capcom more to get these classic games to Xbox Series X/S, and it looks like the publisher supposedly would rather skip Microsoft's consoles altogether.
What games are included in the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection?
The Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics includes the following titles:
X-Men: Children of the Atom
Marvel Super Heroes
X-Men vs. Street Fighter
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter
Marvel vs. Capcom Clash of Super Heroes
Marvel vs. Capcom 2
The Punisher
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is set to release sometime this year. We will update you here on Epicflix once an exact release date has been officially confirmed.
