Capcom Producer Aims to Revive Classic Fighting Games on Modern Consoles

Capcom producer Shuhei Matsumoto is eager to breathe new life into the company’s classic fighting games by making them accessible on modern gaming platforms. With their storied lineup, which includes timeless series like Street Fighter and Marvel Vs. Capcom, Capcom sits on a treasure trove of some of the most acclaimed 2D fighters ever. Many of these beloved games, however, have remained out of reach, much to the dismay of gamers who grew up perfecting their skills with these titles both at home and in arcades.

Over the past few years, Capcom has been working to remedy this by launching collections that bring together some of their finest fighting games. This initiative kicked off with the release of the Capcom Fighting Collection in 2022, featuring ten iconic games, including every entry in the Darkstalkers series, available for the PS4 and Xbox One. Following this, they launched the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, offering fans the chance to revisit every Marvel vs. Capcom title with enhanced online multiplayer capabilities. The highly anticipated Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is set to drop on May 16, which will feature the SNK vs. Capcom games and fan-favorite 3D fighters like Powerstone.

Looking ahead, it seems there could be more revamped Capcom collections in the pipeline, especially if Matsumoto’s aspirations come to fruition. In a chat with Japanese publication Inside Games, referenced by VCG, he revealed his ambition to reintroduce even more of Capcom’s legendary games, noting that numerous titles remain unavailable on today’s systems.

Among these are Xbox consoles, which almost missed out on last year’s late addition of Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics until Capcom discreetly released it on Xbox One not long ago. Fortunately, Capcom Fighting Collection 2 will be accessible on Xbox One from its launch, following successful “technical discussions” between Capcom and Microsoft’s Xbox division.

As Capcom Fighting Collection 2 gears up for its May release, modern gaming platforms will finally get to host many of Capcom’s cherished 2D and 3D fighting titles. However, there’s still a slew of their classic games, such as JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, that remain confined to older generations. While potential licensing hurdles could arise with these titles, Matsumoto remains hopeful about making more of Capcom’s classic fighting games accessible to today’s players—ranging from cult classics to hallmark franchises in the genre.