More from the Making of ‘Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite’

Hyped for “Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite‘s” imminent release? Us too! So much so that we reached out to some of the awesome people who put their blood, sweat, and tears into making the game a reality. Up next: Brett Elston and Mike Evans from Capcom, as well as Marvel Games’ own Danny Koo!

Marvel.com: Gentlemen, “Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite” looms nigh. How geeked are you for players to get their hands on the game?

Mike Evans: Super geeked!! We’ve given a lot of love and attention to the battle system, and “Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite” won’t disappoint longtime series fans. There’s already some footage coming out online and my mind is blown by all the creative combos and strategies people are finding!

That said, I’m hopeful that the addition of story mode, detailed tutorials, beginner’s online league, and simple controls will entice a whole new generation of players to try out “Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite.”

Danny Koo: From the moment we announced the existence of “Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite” back at PSX last year in December, I have been really excited for this game and it’s finally launching on Tuesday 9/19! We have been giving players a taste of “Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite” since E3, and the final product is now here—I am really happy that everyone can play through all of the great content we’ve created. For Japanese players, I will join you on Japanese launch day on Thursday 9/21 in Tokyo! As for Marvel and Capcom fans, thank you for all the support!

Brett Elston: I can’t wait for fans to experience the weird, wild ride of the Story Mode, but I’m also really stoked to see what kinds of nutty, insane combos the fighting pros come up with throughout the year. The MvC series has always enabled players to create their own style of play, and “Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite” is no exception. With Active Switch and Infinity Stones driving the core gameplay, there’s no telling what kind of over-the-top shenanigans players will dig up!

Marvel.com: Are all of you fighting game players? What does it mean to be working on one of the most well-known fighting game franchises of all time?

Brett Elston: I’m so, so happy to have been a kid for the early-and-mid-90s arcade days. Playing “Street Fighter II” in a dingy bowling alley, then begging to go to a—in my mind—glitzy, glamorous arcade on the weekend to play nothing but fighting games, are some of my warmest, fuzziest memories. Being a Marvel and Capcom fan, it was almost incomprehensible to witness these two brands overlapping in gorgeous, incredible fighting games; and now I’m helping out in the next installment of the Marvel vs. Capcom series. It’s bizarre and wonderful. I’m also trying to use my precious work hours as a way to finally “get gud” at the game.

Mike Evans: My obsession with fighting games goes back to when I was a kid, playing “Street Fighter II” in the arcades for the first time. That’s actually a big reason why I’m working at Capcom now! Back in the day, my local arcade had “X-Men vs. Street Fighter,” and every weekend my friends and I would walk there to play. The combos were absolutely insane. Little did I know that 20 years later I would have the chance to work side-by-side with the some of the original developers of that game.

It’s been an honor to work at Capcom on some of the best fighting game franchises in the world. “Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite” marks the first time I’ve worked on the [MvC] series, and it’s been an unforgettable experience.

Danny Koo: I play a lot of video games on the side, if I’m not knee deep in a project, but I do tend to lean a bit more on action and RPG games, in particular games from the East, which I have a lot of experience working on. So for me, working on fighting games comes as a second nature since action games involve a lot of fighting direction and animation too. I also love reading comics and watching action and science fiction movies, all of which can be a great source of influence on design and animation directions. I am thrilled and honored to be working on the Marvel vs. Capcom series. Most importantly, I am really glad that Marvel and Capcom have both come together to make this game!

Marvel.com: Can you all talk a little about what it’s taken to get here? Game development isn’t just sunshine and roses. Clue us in on some of the tough times and maybe some of the most rewarding moments you’ve had on this journey.

Danny Koo: Game development is hard. Communication is definitely the key point throughout the entire project. Development involves Capcom Japan, Capcom USA, and us at Marvel. We have countless hours of video conferences talking about the project, which involves heavy real-time bilingual translations, which can be challenging at times. There were a lot of late nights, or early mornings—depending on what part of the globe the team was on—but, at the end of the day, we learned how to work well together despite the time zone and language barriers. We literally joined forces to make our production pipeline as smooth and second nature as possible.

For me, cinematic story mode visualization is the toughest part of development by far in the project. There is a notable difference between what is considered heroic in the East and in the West and it took a large team to merge the two worlds together–once we did, that was it! And, once the agreed-upon vision gets into players’ hands so they can embark on their epic journey—that will be so rewarding. Of course, seeing players beating each other up and having their friends around them cheering them on is going to be very rewarding as well.

Brett Elston: As with any creative endeavor, there were some charged conversations and disagreements. But, it all comes down to communication and iteration. Almost any issue we had, even when it seemed like there was no consensus in sight, was resolved. Sometimes, it’d be in regards to a plot point, sometimes a character or a location…you just have to keep talking and work through it!

Mike Evans: “Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite” is the result of an epic collaboration and the hard work of an extremely passionate group of developers. As creators, we are continuously trying to improve every aspect of the game, and those desires are balanced with the realities of production timelines. Ultimately, your product is a result of that balance, a million different choices, some small, some large. In the end, all those battles and scars are well worth it, and the most rewarding thing is seeing players get their hands on final product. I can’t wait to see all the crazy team strategies and Infinity Stone combos the community will find!

Marvel.com: We’re getting back to the MvC roots here with 2v2 combat. Can you tell us anything about the decision to move away from 3v3 with assists? And what do you like most about 2v2?

Mike Evans: The difficult challenge with “Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite” was to create a game that is both rewarding and respectful to the history of the series, while not being bound or limited by it. We are intimately familiar with the long history of the franchise and the passionate fan base, so we had to make sure we gave players something that was 150% “Marvel.” That said, if we just tried to expand on the systems in the previous title, it would limit us from expanding and innovating in meaningful ways. MvC2 and MvC3 were amazing games, and they have been an inspiration to us in developing this new title. However, we decided to go back to the concept of teamwork, which is at the heart of the series games. The decision to go back to 2v2, and focus on teamwork like never before, is what eventually led us to the “Switch” system. This system is extremely open and fun, allowing you to utilize your partner at anytime, anywhere, doing anything. That kind of freedom is very exciting, and I can’t wait to see how creative the players get with it.

Brett Elston: As an intermediate MvC player, I really like 2v2. Comic book “team ups” were always a blast and it was usually two heroes teaming up to fight one, sometimes two villains. Spider-Man pairs well with just about every character on the planet, so being able to team him up with Mega Man X or Mike Haggar is a lot of fun. When it gets to 3v3, I just end up going with my heart and picking teams that don’t always gel perfectly together. In a 2v2 setting, I feel there’s more opportunity for each character to pull their weight and co-anchor the team. But again, that’s me more or less casually picking characters and not necessarily trying to headline a tournament.

Danny Koo: For me, I appreciate the partner nature of 2v2. You can never go in it alone. I also appreciate that it is not as crowded on the fighting stage at any given time so that each character has a moment to shine. The teamwork message of 2v2 also resonates with how both Marvel and Capcom came together as well. I definitely appreciate that 3v3 with assists is chaotic in nature and that was super fun to watch, but going back to the 2v2 system really has the best of both worlds. In “Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite,” you’re able to retain a lot of chaotic fun while actually offering more with the introduction of the Infinity Stones system. These stones that augment how your character fights really [open] up a lot of exciting possibilities. I’m still discovering new stuff every day! Pick two of your favorite characters, pick your favorite stone and have fun!

Pre-orders for “Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite“ are available. All editions and versions of “Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite” will simultaneously release next week on Tuesday, September 19. Stay tuned to Marvel.com and follow us on @marvelvscapcom and Like “Marvel vs. Capcom” on Facebook for more “Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite” news and interviews!