During the announcement of the games that would be at EVO 2020, a special announcement was made. Marvel vs Capcom 2 would be returning to the main stage for the first time in years with a special eight person tournament. This excited many, and with good reason since the game is one of the most beloved in the genre. However, the return of Marvel to EVO is more significant than people realize, and I would like to discuss this now.
Marvel vs Capcom 2 was one of the last amazing games of the arcade era and was a phenomenon in its own right. The huge roster of characters from both companies and fast paced gameplay, made it an instant hit, but it was the competitive scene that elevated MvC2 even more. Marvel and Street Fighter were the foundations that EVO was built on, and almost the entire FGC owes its existence to these games. The moves that could be pulled off, and the intense matches made Marvel vs Capcom 2 a must see game, and of course the fan favourite characters helped as well. But after Marvel vs Capcom 2, things changed for the series.
Marvel was later bought by Disney and the way they approached licensing the IP was different. Whereas Marvel’s original deal with Capcom was made when Marvel was at a low point, and this meant Capcom had creative control, Disney was a lot more hands on. We eventually got Marvel vs Capcom 3, and Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, and these were well liked games, but there were issues. Capcom had to fight tooth and nail to get certain characters added, and Disney was reluctant to allow the use of characters that they did not hold the movie rights for. Capcom still managed to make a fun experience, but it was a prelude of what was to come.
Marvel vs Capcom Infinite was announced at the PlayStation Experience in 2016, and things seemed okay at first. Many were excited about Mega Man X’s inclusion, but the issues soon became apparent. Beloved characters like the Xmen and Dr Doom were not included due to Disney’s then feud with Fox, and it became apparent that the game was being made on a very cheap budget as well. It was described by one employee of Capcom as the budget of a season of DLC for Street Fighter V, and Capcom reused assets from the previous game to save money, despite it being made in a different engine.
There were more issues of course, such as the visuals, the horrible gameplay demo and a lack of support, but the final blow came when Marvel Infinite was not chosen for EVO. Many viewed this as the end of an era, and in many ways it was. The classic series of Marvel vs Capcom was long gone, and in its place was something else. It was even rumored that EVO wasn’t allowed to have the game at the tournament , further upsetting many.
This is why the recent announcement of Marvel vs Capcom 2 at EVO was so amazing. Not only was it a return of the foundational game after a long absence, but it is the 20th anniversary of the game as well. EVO managed to get approval for the game to be at the tournament, and that is a big change from how things were before., and many are even hopeful that this is a sign of a re release of Marvel vs Capcom 2 is coming for modern systems. After the beloved series was handled so badly for a long time, many are happy that the classic is being put on a pedestal once again.