It looks like Capcom’s license with Marvel for their fighting games is coming up by the end of this year, as Capcom announces they are taking these games, and their DLC, off of PSN and XBLA soon.
The games in question are Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Capcom has also made arrangements to sell the DLC half off on PSN. Community Manager Combofiend has asked Xbox owners to stay tuned on XBLA sales. The content will be available in PSN in North America until December 17, in PSN in Europe until December 19, and December 26 in Xbox Live Arcade worldwide.
The Marvel vs. Capcom games are one of the most popular franchises for Capcom. The original release of Marvel vs Capcom 3: The Fate of Two Worlds is the company’s 19th highest selling title, with over 2.2 million units sold. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, available as both a standalone title and DLC for the original game, has had 1.1 million units sold.
Its predecessor, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, is a lynchpin of the FGC, and a mainstay of many 90s arcades, as well as fighting game tournaments through the years. The Marvel vs. Capcom tournament, whether it was MvC2 or MvC3, was always one of the biggest tournaments held at EVO year after year.
Capcom did not say so directly, but obviously the contract for these videogames with Marvel has ended. Unfortunately for the MvC community, this is a hamper towards their community’s growth. If this feels like Déjà vu, it is: only two years ago, TMNT Re-Shelled made headlines as one of the first download only titles no longer available on any platform. While the two Marvel games are also available physically, the situation brings to light how gamers can’t have their cake and eat it too.
