The announcement of Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection during Nintendo Direct was a delight for fighting game fans, especially since it featured the beloved Marvel vs. Capcom is bringing 2 to modern platforms for the first time in years. But while the collection is coming to Switch, PlayStation 4 and PC, the decision to skip Xbox altogether has caused a backlash.
Capcom made its announcement without offering an explanation for the decision to skip Xbox, and the company declined to comment when contacted by IGN. This is despite Capcom’s announcement on the same day that it is bringing two Ace Attorney Investigations titles to Switch, PS4 and PC via Steam. And Xbox One in a similar collection. The Marvel vs. Capcom series indeed has a long history on Xbox platforms; Marvel vs. Capcom 2 itself launched on Xbox in 2002 and again on Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade in 2009, and the final game in the series, Infinite, launched on Xbox One in 2017.
Xbox owners have reacted to the news with a mix of bewilderment and anger. The backlash was strong enough to cause the phrase “No Xbox” to trend on social media, and there are also angry reactions on Xbox subreddits and Discords. One Redditor said: “I have a Switch, but I play all my fighting games on Xbox with my arcade stick. It’s an absolute bummer that it’s not coming to Xbox, especially considering Ace Attorney Investigations was announced for Xbox.”
Another added: “The other Capcom collection announced during the presentation (Ace Attorney Investigations) is coming to Xbox, so they’re clearly not against putting their games on the console. Why isn’t MvC coming? I know I’m in the minority here, but I would buy it in a heartbeat and there are probably a few thousand other people like me. Now we don’t have the chance to do this.
No Xbox? Moving garbage @CapcomUSA_ pic.twitter.com/5yVdFISej7
— Keith Garlington (@KeithandMovies) June 18, 2024
I was hyped until I saw there is no Xbox version, why not???
A game like Marvel VS Capcom should be released on as many platforms as possible. Previous Capcom collections have always been on Xbox, why is this different? https://t.co/Eed0MdUNYT pic.twitter.com/OdDXqoTfy9
— Bella Drive 🐯 Xbox Girlie 💚 (@Bella_Drive) June 18, 2024
No Xbox version? https://t.co/1QmylYm7r8 pic.twitter.com/h0lto5Bxy5
— Cargonaut (@shisnoelite) June 18, 2024
With no explanation from Capcom, fans are left to speculate as to why Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection skips the Xbox. Some believe this is due to the deprecation of Capcom’s MT Framework engine on the Xbox One. As many have noted, this would explain why other Capcom collections, such as Megaman Battle Network Legacy Collection and Monster Hunter Stories, have also skipped Xbox One. Some feel that Capcom has decided it’s not worth the time, energy, and resources required to bring the MT Framework Collections to Xbox One, but again, with no word from Capcom, this is just speculation for now.
Starting to believe the ‘MT Framework for Xbox One is dead’ theory. It explains all the skips for that platform.
Great Ace Lawyer – MT
Monster Hunter Stories – MT
Monster Hunter Shops 2 – MT
Mega Man Battle Network – Unknown
Marvel vs. Capcom Collection – Probably MT https://t.co/16fDuJFI5a— Jawmuncher (@Jawmuncher) June 18, 2024
And so the backlash continues, which would otherwise be universal excitement for the long-awaited return of some of the best crossover fighting games ever released.
Wesley is the UK news editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.