Gamers are up in arms over the announcement of Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection and its lack of an Xbox release.
After years of being locked in the proverbial prison of rights agreements and licensing fees, the Marvel vs Capcom franchise is back with a new collection. It brings together seven of Capcom's most iconic super-powered fighting games set in the world of Marvel Comics.
The collection (announced in June 2024's Nintendo Direct) is set to come to PlayStation 5, PC, and Nintendo Switch and will be the only legal place to play certified classics of the genre like Marvel vs Capcom 2 on modern hardware.
Xbox Gamers Upset Over Marvel vs. Capcom Announcement
Xbox fans voiced their dismay after it was revealed the newly announced Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection is not going to be released on Xbox Series X/S.
The collection of seven classic Capcom fighting games is set to skip the console after being announced for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Fans have taken to social media to voice their vitriol for the decision. Xbox social channels are being flooded by comments about the collection, including in the replies to posts that have nothing to do with the game.
President of Xbox Sarah Bond's X account has become one of the primary targets of these detractors, as gamers make the call to the Xbox executive to get the Marvel vs Capcom collection on Series X/S.
A common sentiment among fans seems to be the idea of Xbox "losing out on 3rd party games" this generation (via @The_CrapGamer on X), with the Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection being just the latest third-party title to decide not to release on Xbox:
"Why isn't this coming to Xbox? It's a shame you guys put your exclusives on every platform, don't have the courage to flat out say what's going or staying, and now we're losing out on 3rd party games.
Nice to know we're lower class gamers to developers...."
Others like @ShoudlerWinter on X (formerly Twitter) pointed out that despite Xbox giving third-party developers deals with their Xbox Game Pass service, the platform holder is being skipped by big names in the industry like Capcom:
"Capcom skipping Xbox with 'Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection,' 'Monster Hunter Stories,' 'Mega Man Battle Network,' & 'The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures' is ludicrous.
You guys give them Gamepass deals, but they still skip Xbox."
What makes matters worse is games like Marvel vs Capcom 2 (considered the prize jewel of this collection) are no longer available to play on Xbox in any form.
In 2015, sales for the Marvel vs Capcom sequel (as well as MVC 3) were halted as Capcom lost the license to the Marvel characters. This prompted a long-running ground-roots effort to save the franchise known as the #FreeMVC2 movement.
Despite thousands joining the cause (including big names in the fighting game community like Twitch streamer MaximillianDOOD), the passion from fans was not enough to save the series (until now).
Why Is the Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection Skipping Xbox?
The Marvel vs Capcom franchise has had a long history with Microsoft's gaming machine. Titles like Marvel vs Capcom 2, 3, and Infinite all have appeared on Xbox throughout the years.
That is what makes the decision for the Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection to skip the console even more confounding for some.
As outlined by some Xbox gamers online, this is not the first Capcom game to give Microsoft's console the cold shoulder.
Other recent titles like the Megaman Battle Network Collection, Monster Hunter Stories, and The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures have also either not come to Xbox or have no plans of coming to it.
According to reporting from Windows Central's Alexander Cope, this could be because of the technical framework Microsoft uses for the Xbox Series X/S when dealing with older games.
Their sources have said that Capcom standing up Xbox gamers likely has to do with the MT Framework engine Microsoft uses to port older titles to newer systems.
Cope wrote that the Japanese gaming giant has "no pipeline for porting older MT Framework titles to Xbox's modern ERA system"
This means it significantly adds to costs for the publisher if it were to look into getting over this technological bump in the road.
That investment seems to be the biggest hurdle for Capcom with these classic game collections.
The Japanese tech giant supposedly would rather skip the Xbox altogether, missing out on any potential sales on the platform as opposed to spending the time and resources needed to build a workflow to get classics like the Marvel vs Capcom games on the platform.
Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection is expected to be released sometime in 2024.
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