A Chat with Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection Producer Shuhei Matsumoto

It's hard to overstate how intensely fighting game fans have been pleading for an official re-release of Marvel vs. Capcom 2, which initially came out in 2000. So as you can likely imagine (if you didn't see it for yourself), the news that it, alongside a number of other classic titles, would soon be re-released in Capcom's upcoming Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection was met with cheers so wild and loud, it's reminiscent of the reactions the Chipotle ads get at EVO. Speaking of EVO, it was here that ANN sat down with Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection and Street Fighter 6 producer Shuhei Matsumoto to talk about this highly anticipated upcoming release and about the latest Street Fighter news. This interview was carried out thanks to the indispensable help of a translator who didn't want to be named.

Can I have an introduction?

Matsumoto: I am Shuhei Matsumoto. I am the producer of Street Fighter 6 and Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection.

So what brought about the Collection?

Matsumoto: We've been in conversations with the folks at Marvel for quite a while now, and we're trying to see how we can re-release these games on modern platforms. It took a while, but we were finally able to make it happen at this time, and we're all very excited that it's actually coming out now.

Awesome. Can I ask how long this was in the works?

Matsumoto: Maybe three or four years now?

Are you familiar with the #FreeMVC2 movement? And if so, did that play a role in this collection's release?

Matsumoto: Yes, I was aware of the #FreeMVC2 movement that was getting a lot of buzz on social media. Whether it had an impact or not is hard to say, but this is something that—the feeling was mutual. We felt that we really wanted to re-release these games. We knew that everyone else really wanted to see these games come to life. So, yeah, it was something we've wanted to do for quite a while now.

Do you have a favorite game in the collection?

Matsumoto: Yeah. I feel that MVC2 is probably the game I have the strongest affinity towards, but The Punisher is also great. It's something that I want a lot of people to check out.

What can newcomers expect from this collection? Or maybe a better way to phrase it is, what would you tell newcomers who haven't played any of these games this collection is about?

Matsumoto: From my perspective, I feel that the characters are some of the highlights of the game. And even though they're games that came out decades ago, they still look and move in a very appealing way. I'm also a big fan of music and the sounds from the game. So that's something that I definitely want newcomers to notice.

A lot of these games have very iconic soundtracks. Do you have a favorite song in any of these games?

Matsumoto: I feel that the MVC2 soundtrack is probably the most iconic.

What about returning fans? Are there any new surprises for returning fans in this collection?

Matsumoto: The online matchmaking and just the net code itself is going to be the same as the one from Capcom Fighting Collection, which we are very happy about. And the reception towards the net code was really great. So we hope that people are looking forward to playing these games online with their friends. And training mode is another new feature for these games. We also have hit box displays. This is going to be great for players who are more on the competitive side or people who are new to the series and want to get better and learn how to play against others. So these are going to be great new features for a wide variety of players.

What do you think are the greatest strengths of porting all these games as a collection, as a unit?

Matsumoto: I think one of the benefits, the strengths of this collection is that there's a good amount of titles included, but not only that, you can choose between the Japanese and the Western versions of each of the games and play that online—either version online. So, there are things that are unique to maybe the Japanese version of a particular title that the Western version might not have. So, there may be some discoveries for those people who've only played the classic games at their local arcades. So, yeah, we hope that everyone gives both versions of each title a shot.

Do you hope to see Marvel vs. Capcom 2 at EVO next year?

Matsumoto: That's definitely one of the things that we really want to see, which is exactly why I feel that right now is the best timing so that we can see these kinds of events for a future EVO or another competitive scene.

That's really cool. Is this your first EVO?

Matsumoto: It might be 10th or so?

Oh, wow.

Matsumoto: I've been around for a while [laughs]. So yeah, I mean, because this is my 10th event, and I've been seeing the passion towards the series through all their different community tournaments. You go to the arcade; you get to see people just randomly playing MVC2 in the cabinets. I understood that there is a strong passion for this series, which is one of the big reasons why I felt that I really wanted to re-release these games.

That's really cool. So it sounds like you know that over here in the States, there's been a very strong demand for MVC2 to come out again. Has there been a similar passion in Japan?

Matsumoto: So, the whole nostalgia factor of people, y'know, having these strong feelings and ties towards MVC2 and those games, it may be stronger in the US, but over the past ten years or so, the Marvel IP became a lot more popular over in Japan's end through the Marvel Cinematic Universe—movies and all the cartoons. So people over in Japan are becoming a lot more familiar with the characters and the content. So now they are more interested in seeing these Marvel vs. Capcom games. So, yeah, it seems like a growing fan base over in Japan as well.

That's really cool. So, up till now, we've talked a lot about Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Of course, it's a great game. But what do you think are some of the other more underrated games on there? Games that you are really particularly hoping that people discover through this collection other than Marvel vs. Capcom 2?

Matsumoto: They're all great. You check out all of them [laughs].

Shifting gears somewhat. So once again, we have a record-breaking year at EVO for registration, especially for Street Fighter. How has that been for you, as a producer, to watch?

Matsumoto: Very excited and just very happy with the reception and the number of registrations. EVO was an organic, grassroots-level community event that grew to this massive size. And because of all the excitement, there are a lot more people who are getting interested. "Maybe I can try competing in EVO, and maybe I'll pick up Street Fighter 6, and maybe I'll try competing in another non-EVO tournament!" And we've been seeing a big impact towards a lot of Japanese players, too. So there's a lot more interest in that region. It's just so exciting to see this passion and this community growing even larger. And yeah, just big hopes for the future.

Recently, a batch of new characters was announced. Do you have any that you're looking particularly forward to?

Matsumoto: Not just me, but I get the sense that a lot of people are very excited about the SNK guest characters, Terry and Mai. They're still in development right now and will be coming out later on, but they're looking great, and we hope everyone else is very excited to try them out.

Can I ask what led to the decision to include the SNK characters?

Matsumoto: So SNK is another Western-Japanese video game company, and Capcom has a relationship with them also. And we've been in talks for years now. And actually, once EVO opened up again, post-COVID, we decided to collaborate with some of the illustrators on the SNK side to have each illustrator draw characters from each other's IPs. And one thing kind of led to another. And finally, we were able to include some SNK characters in Street Fighter 6.

So, those illustrations, that's how we got the SNK characters?

Matsumoto: It was more like, y'know, talking with each other and then trying to figure out, "Well, what is it that we can do within a short amount of time? And what's something that we can do in the long term?" So we decided to first start off the illustrations and then more talks. Maybe we can incorporate actual characters into the game? It was just a relationship that's been growing, and through communication, we talked about what we could do during this time. So it's not that the illustrations themselves led up to the characters. Still, it was just this communication, this collaboration, that just grew and developed into something like what we are having right now.

There is, of course, a new SNK game coming out very soon—the new Garou. Does this mean we can maybe be hopeful that we might see Street Fighter characters in there?

Matsumoto: The conversation came up, and it's something that we would like to happen. But it's just a matter of when we can do it and whether that's something that SNK can make happen in the future. So, we shall see.

Do you have anything else you would like to say to Street Fighter fans and people looking forward to the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection?

Matsumoto: Thank you for enjoying Capcom fighting games for all these years. I mean, because we're here at EVO, we get to experience a lot of that passion, and fans show their love to us. The Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection has a lot of great games to offer. So we hope everyone, from people who are playing for the first time to those who've been fans for years, gets a chance to play it and enjoy it.