“Venom, Dr. Doom, and whoever I’m in the mood for that day” – Shuhei Matsumoto on Marvel vs. Capcom

We caught up with Matsumoto-sama via email Q&A to ask about production details, ideas and concepts at Capcom HQ as well as a bit about the company’s future direction. Here are the answers:

Nintendo Life: Good afternoon Matsumoto-sama, thank you very much for taking the time to talk with us today.

Starting with the icebreaker, can you tell us your Marvel vs. Capcom 2 your personal?

Shuhei Matsumoto (Producer, MVC: Fighting Collection): Venom, Dr. Doom and whoever I’m in the mood for that day.

How did you get into the video game industry and what eventually brought you to Capcom?

I am a salesman for a company that sells nuts and bolts. I joined Capcom as a mid-career hire because I wanted to work on Street Fighter and with game makers!

Marvel vs. Capcom: Fighting Collection is an impressive work – arguably the most thorough fighting game collection ever assembled. What is your thought process when curating a collection like this and how much input do you get from your fan base?

We think all the Capcom Fighting Collection titles we have released and will release in the future are the best! Basically, we put all the titles we want to port to the current console on the table and filter out the ones that have a high likelihood of being realized. From there, we gathered games with a high level of similarity and empathy and created a collection. We always listen to our fans’ opinions!

For you personally, are there any characters from the Marvel or Capcom universe that haven’t been included in any MVC games that you’d like to see appear in the future?

I’ve been thinking about this for about 10 minutes but I can’t think of anything!

The Punisher is a really cool bonus in the Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection. It’s still surprisingly violent. Do you have any concerns about re-releasing any part of its content?

The team members wanted to recreate the game as faithfully as possible. Even though it’s violent, we still want to release the content in its fullest form, so we don’t hesitate.

The community wants to see Marvel vs. Capcom 4. Do you think it’s possible?

We were always thinking about how we could release a game, even though it was a game from “VS”. The series couldn’t have been made by Capcom alone. It will depend on time and a combination of various factors to make it happen, so we hope everyone will continue to support us.

Capcom in the ’90s and early ’00s was the undisputed king of 2D video game art. Seeing the resurgence in popularity of classic Capcom IPs and the success of their various collections, is it possible that we will see the company release a pixelated fighting game? really different instead of 3D on a 2D plane?

I’ve heard that it’s getting harder to make games in pure 2D than in 3D, but it’s admirable and engaging. There might be a good chance it will be released as an indie title from somewhere.

Norimaro is a character that was previously left out of the Marvel vs Street Fighter localizations, we assume due to issues with Nippon TV. How did you bring him to foreign audiences in this collection?

We can’t wait for him to participate! That feeling helped us put him on the list.

Finally, can you share an interesting anecdote about life at the Capcom offices? Perhaps a memory that always makes you smile?

The other day, our president (Haruhiro Tsujimoto) came to the development floor to watch MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics. He had a really nostalgic look in his eyes and a bright smile while watching the match and that naturally affected us as well. It was a special moment.

Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us today, Matsumoto-sama, we wish you the best of luck with all your future endeavors and truly hope you put your all into Marvel vs. Capcom 4 when you decide to join It. You can do it!

[Editor’s note: We had questions concerning Street Fighter 6 and Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite which were returned unanswered, unfortunately.]

Marvel vs. Capcom: Fighting Collection Arcade Classics is now available on the Switch eShop, with the physical version scheduled to hit shelves on November 22.

If there are any classic Capcom games or series you’d like to see revived, please let us know in the comments section below.

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