Marvel Vs. Capcom Infinite
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is a 2017
fighting video game The fighting game video game genre, genre involves combat between multiple characters, often (but not limited to) one-on-one battles. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappling, counter- ...
developed and published by
Capcom is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...
for home consoles and computers. It is the sixth main entry in the ''
Marvel vs. Capcom is a series of Crossover (fiction), crossover fighting games developed and published by Capcom, featuring characters from their video game franchises and comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series originated as coin-operated arca ...
'' series of
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games and the successor to '' Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3'' (2011). Like previous installments, players control characters from both the
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
and Capcom universes to compete in
tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...
battles. ''Infinite'' features two-on-two fights, as opposed to the three-on-three format used in its preceding titles. The series' character-assist moves have been removed; instead, the game incorporates a tag-based
combo Combo may refer to: Technology *Combo television unit, a television with either a VCR or a DVD player built into a single unit * Combo drive, a type of optical drive that can read CDs and DVDs *A guitar amplifier incorporating one or more loudsp ...
system, which allows players to instantly switch between their two characters to form continuous combos. It also introduces a new gameplay mechanic in the form of the
Infinity Stones The Infinity Stones are fictional items in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Infinity Gems of the Marvel Comics. As expounded across several interwoven MCU multimedia titles, the six Infinity Stones are repu ...
, which temporarily bestow players with unique abilities and stat boosts depending on the type of stone selected. ''Infinite'' was announced during
Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...
's
PlayStation Experience PlayStation Experience, also known as PSX, is an annual event for the video game industry presented by Sony Interactive Entertainment used to reveal and advertise PlayStation games and game-related merchandise. The event is open to the public an ...
event in December 2016. Capcom initially lost the use of the Marvel license in 2012, after
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
decided to focus on self-publishing its own gaming titles; however, Capcom was able to reacquire the license after Disney dissolved its console publishing division. ''Infinite'' was designed to be more accessible than previous ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' games, resulting in several changes to the series' traditional mechanics. The game also features a larger emphasis on storytelling with the series' first cinematic story mode. The plot follows the heroes of the Marvel and Capcom universes, who must work together to save their merged worlds against a new threat, Ultron Sigma. ''Infinite'' was released in September 2017 for
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,
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, and
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. The game received average to positive reviews; critics praised its new gameplay elements, but criticized its presentation (particularly its art direction) and character roster. The game also underperformed commercially. Capcom originally expected the game to sell two million units; however, it missed its sales target, selling approximately one million copies by the end of December 2017.


Gameplay

Like its predecessors, ''Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite'' is a 2D fighting game in which players compete against each other in
tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...
combat using characters from both the
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
and
Capcom is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...
universes. Players must knock out the opposing team by repeatedly attacking the opponent and draining their
health bar Health is a video game or tabletop game quality that determines the maximum amount of damage or fatigue something takes before leaving the main game. In role-playing games, this typically takes the form of hit points (HP), a numerical attribute ...
. ''Infinite'' features two-on-two partner battles, similar to '' Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes'' and earlier installments in the franchise. Unlike past entries, the game does not allow players to use traditional call-in assist attacks from off-screen characters; instead, ''Infinite'' utilizes a "free-form" tag system, known as "Active Switch", which shares similarities with '' Marvel vs. Capcom 3'' "Team Aerial Combo" system and ''
Street Fighter X Tekken (pronounced "Street Fighter Cross Tekken") is a 2012 crossover fighting video game published by Capcom, who developed with Dimps, for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, and with QLOC for Windows. The game features characters fro ...
'' "Switch Cancel" system. Players can immediately switch between their team members at any point, even while mid-air or during attack animations. This provides players with the abilities to create their own offensive or defensive assists through the tag system and form continuous combos between their two characters. As with previous ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' titles, players will charge their "Hyper Combo Gauge" as their characters deal or receive damage during the fight. Players can then expend the accrued meter from their Hyper Combo Gauge to perform "Hyper Combos", cinematic attacks which deal larger amounts of damage to the opponent. Alternatively, players can sacrifice meter from their Hyper Combo Gauge to perform the newly introduced "Counter Switch" mechanic, which tags in their partner character while the opponent is attacking them. This provides players with the opportunity to counterattack and free the character trapped in the enemy's combo. The Hyper Combo Gauge in ''Infinite'' is limited to four bars of meter, as opposed to the five-bar maximum used in '' Marvel vs. Capcom 2'' and ''3''. ''Infinite'' moves away from the button layout previously used in ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3'', and instead employs a control scheme more similar to ''Marvel vs. Capcom 2'', which includes four attack buttons, consisting of two pairs of light and heavy punches and kicks, and two additional buttons used for swapping characters and activating Infinity Stone powers. To improve accessibility, the game includes an "auto-combo" system which allows players to repeatedly press the light punch button to automatically perform both ground and air combos. In addition, certain Hyper Combos can now be activated by simply pressing the two heavy attack buttons, as opposed to the specific joystick and button combinations required in previous titles. ''Infinite'' also implements the Infinity Stones as a gameplay mechanic, similar to '' Marvel Super Heroes'', where each stone grants unique abilities. Before the match begins, players select one of the six Infinity Stones. Each Infinity Stone bestows one ability that can be activated at any time, known as the "Infinity Surge". For example, the Power Stone produces a knockback effect when used, while the Space Stone pulls an opponent closer to the player character. A second, stronger ability called the "Infinity Storm" can be activated after players fill their Infinity meter at least halfway, giving them a significant boost for a limited time, similar to the X-Factor system from ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3''. The boost is determined by the chosen Infinity Stone; for example, the Power Stone increases the user's damage output and combo ability, while the Space Stone traps an opponent within a confined area that severely limits their movement. The game offers various offline and online single-player and multiplayer
game modes In tabletop games and video games, game mechanics define how a game works for players. Game mechanics are the rules or ludemes that govern and guide player actions, as well as the game's response to them. A rule is an instruction on how to play, wh ...
. The offline features include Story Mode, a two-hour cinematic story campaign; Arcade Mode, a classic
arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily game of skill, games of skill and in ...
experience where players fight against several AI-controlled opponents before confronting the final boss characters Ultron Sigma and Ultron Omega; Mission Mode, where players can complete tutorial missions and character-specific challenges; Training Mode, where players can practice their fighting abilities and adjust various training field parameters; Versus Player 2, where two players can battle against each other locally; Versus CPU, where players can battle solo against an AI-controlled opponent; and Collection Mode, where extras unlocked through gameplay are stored, including story cutscenes, character and stage information, concept artwork, and audio tracks. Online multiplayer includes ranked and casual matches, global leaderboards, replays, and eight-player lobbies with spectating. The online mode also introduces the Beginners League, a special league designated for low-ranking players to compete for graduation into higher ranks.


Playable characters

''Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite'' features a base roster of 30 playable characters, consisting of both new and returning heroes and villains in the ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' series. Six additional characters were also released post-launch as
downloadable content content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...
(DLC). New characters to the franchise are listed below in bold.


Marvel characters


Capcom characters


Plot

Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...
is visited by Jedah Dohma, who proposes an alliance to achieve equilibrium between life and death on both their worlds. Needing the six Infinity Stones to do so, Death deceives Thanos and Ultron into aiding her, granting Thanos the Space Stone and sending Ultron to retrieve the Reality Stone from Abel City. Sigma intercepts Ultron, and the two forge their own alliance. They betray the others and use the Space and Reality Stones to merge the two dimensions and fuse themselves into a single being named "Ultron Sigma". To wipe out biological life, they begin unleashing an evolved form of the Sigma Virus that turns organic creatures into synthetic beings under their control. An alliance of heroes from both worlds is then formed. They manage to keep Ultron Sigma at a stalemate until they rescue Thanos from Ultron Sigma's prison and secure him in a containment field at
Avengers Tower The Stark Tower Complex is a high-rise building complex appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, USA, the complex is named after its owner Tony Stark, who is the alter ego of the su ...
. To gain their trust, Thanos reveals the locations of the remaining four Infinity Stones, and teams of heroes are dispatched to find them. Ryu, Chun-Li, Captain America, and Hulk travel to Val kanda to obtain the Time Stone. Despite Captain America's warnings, Black Panther, the ruler of Valkanda, refuses to surrender it. Ultron Sigma's drones arrive and spread the virus, infecting a Dah'ren Mohran. After Ryu and Hulk defeat the creature, Black Panther agrees to give them the Stone. Next, Dante, Morrigan, Ghost Rider, Arthur, and Doctor Strange travel to the
Dark Darkness is the condition resulting from a lack of illumination, or an absence of visible light. Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low luminance because the hue-sensitive photoreceptor cells on the retina are ...
Kingdom, where they encounter Jedah, who is using the Soul Stone to feed souls to a Symbiote creature, hoping to use it against Ultron Sigma. While the heroes battle Dormammu and Firebrand, Jedah escapes with the Stone. Meanwhile, Iron Man sends Spider-Man to assist Chris Redfield in infiltrating an A.I.M. brella facility. There, they find Frank West and Mike Haggar, and discover
M.O.D.O.K. MODOK (; also written as M.O.D.O.K.; an acronym for Mental/Mobile/Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the char ...
turning people into bio-organic weapons, infused with Symbiotes at Jedah's demand. The heroes defeat M.O.D.O.K.'s enforcer, Nemesis, and retrieve the Mind Stone. However, they are soon attacked by Jedah and his giant Symbiote. On
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, Captain Marvel, Rocket Raccoon, Gamora, Nova, Strider Hiryu, and X defeat Ultron Sigma's ally, Grandmaster Meio, and rescue Zero from his control. Upon taking the Power Stone, the station ejects its core, which falls towards
New New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
Metro City carrying a massive Sigma Virus payload. While Doctor Light, Iron Man, Nathan Spencer, and Hawkeye build a weapon to harness the Infinity Stones, Ultron Sigma attacks
Avengers Tower The Stark Tower Complex is a high-rise building complex appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, USA, the complex is named after its owner Tony Stark, who is the alter ego of the su ...
. In the chaos, Thanos is released and attacks Ultron Sigma, cracking the Reality Stone and forcing them to retreat. The heroes use their Stones to destroy the Symbiote and the falling core, but are infected in the process. The infected heroes then head for X
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, Jedah tells Death that he has another plan, but Thanos arrives seeking vengeance against them. Believing the Satsui no Hadō is capable of killing immortals like Death and Jedah, he prepares to attack them with a Go hadouken.


Development

Following the release of '' Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3'' for the
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in 2012, Marvel's new parent company,
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
, which acquired Marvel in 2009, chose not to renew their licensing deal with Capcom, instead opting to move its viable properties towards their self-published game titles, such as ''
Disney Infinity ''Disney Infinity'' is an action-adventure sandbox toys-to-life video game series developed by Avalanche Software. The setting of the series was a giant customizable universe of imagination, known as the Toy Box, populated with toy versions of ...
''; this resulted in ''Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3'', '' Marvel vs. Capcom 2'' and '' Marvel vs. Capcom Origins'' being delisted from the
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and
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in 2013. However, in May 2016, Disney announced its decision to discontinue self-publishing efforts and switch over to a licensing-only model, allowing third-party game developers, including Capcom, to negotiate licenses with Marvel once again. The same year on December 3, ''Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite'' was officially unveiled during
Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...
's
PlayStation Experience PlayStation Experience, also known as PSX, is an annual event for the video game industry presented by Sony Interactive Entertainment used to reveal and advertise PlayStation games and game-related merchandise. The event is open to the public an ...
event; its first gameplay footage debuted on the same day following the conclusion of Capcom Cup 2016. Norio Hirose, a
programmer A programmer, computer programmer or coder is an author of computer source code someone with skill in computer programming. The professional titles Software development, ''software developer'' and Software engineering, ''software engineer' ...
who had previously worked on ''
X-Men vs. Street Fighter is a Crossover (fiction), crossover Fighting game, fighting video game developed and published by Capcom. It is Capcom's third fighting game to feature Marvel Comics characters, following ''X-Men: Children of the Atom (video game), X-Men: Chil ...
'', '' Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter'', and '' Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes'', as well as other Capcom fighting games, such as '' Project Justice'' and '' Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000'', served as ''Infinite''s director. Game development involved Capcom Japan, Capcom USA, and
Marvel Games Marvel Games is the licensing and publishing brand for video games based on Marvel Comics, Marvel properties, and is also the video game division of Disney Interactive. Before the incorporation of Marvel Games, video games based on Marvel propert ...
. According to Mike Jones, Executive Producer at Marvel Games, ''Infinite'' was designed to be a "more elegant and simplified" game which remained as "complex and hardcore" as past ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' installments. While the developers sought to keep the core elements of the series intact, such as air combos, they also wanted ''Infinite'' to push away from its predecessors, resulting in several changes to the series' traditional formula. The decision to change the three-on-three battle system used in ''Marvel vs. Capcom 2'' and ''3'' was considered for a long time before ultimately settling on two-on-two fights for the sake of accessibility. Producer Mike Evans hoped that introducing a more manageable two-character system would give casual ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' fans the ability to play the game without becoming overwhelmed. To offset the streamlined character select system and removal of call-in assist attacks, the six
Infinity Stones The Infinity Stones are fictional items in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Infinity Gems of the Marvel Comics. As expounded across several interwoven MCU multimedia titles, the six Infinity Stones are repu ...
were implemented to provide teams with additional customization options and increase gameplay depth. Marvel and Capcom compared the Infinity Stones to the "Groove System" used in ''
Capcom vs. SNK 2 ''Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001'' is a 2001 fighting game developed and published by Capcom. The sequel to ''Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000'' (2000) and an entry in the ''SNK vs. Capcom'' crossover series, it was originally ...
''. The primary goal with the Infinity Stones was to create a level playing field by acting as a comeback enabler, and allowing players to compensate for their characters' deficiencies and enhance their strong points. According to developers, the inclusion of the Infinity Stones and the theme of "infinite ameplaypossibilities" influenced their decision to use ''Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite'' as the game's title, rather than ''Marvel vs. Capcom 4''. To further differentiate ''Infinite'', the developers opted to use the
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to develop more cinematic and modern visuals, as opposed to the stylized art direction used in ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3''. The budget provided for the development of ''Infinite'' was reportedly little more than half the amount used to develop DLC content for ''Street Fighter V''; as a result, developers re-used assets from older games, including ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3'', to save time and money. According to Producer Evans and Associate Producer Peter Rosas, the development team examined the strengths and weaknesses of each returning character and adjusted them by providing new moves and abilities, hoping to make every fighter viable. In terms of roster selection, characters were chosen based on two aspects: their potential interactions within the story and their gameplay style. The developers sought to include a variety of different character archetypes, from small, nimble characters, such as
Strider Hiryu ''Strider'', released in Japan as is a 1989 hack-and-slash, hack and slash game developed and published by Capcom for Arcade video game, arcades. Set in a dystopian future where Earth is ruled by the tyrannical Grandmaster Meio, it follows the t ...
, to large, brawler-type characters, such as the
Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...
. The Marvel characters' designs were proposed by Capcom's
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team in Japan, who took inspiration from both the characters' comic book and film appearances. Marvel staff members worked closely with the team, providing feedback to maintain the authenticity of their characters' portrayals. While speaking at
E3 2017 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2017 (E3 2017) was the 23rd E3, during which hardware manufacturers and software developers and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to the attendees, primarily retailers a ...
, Evans explained how they picked the roster based on which characters Marvel was currently pushing or planning to push in the future. Beyond appealing to genre and series fans, Capcom sought to target a diverse audience with ''Infinite'' and bring in casual players who were fans of Marvel's movies, comic books, and television shows. To this end, the developers wanted to introduce a more robust, cinematic story compared to previous ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' titles. Bill Rosemann, Creative Director at Marvel Games, stated that ''Infinite''s increased emphasis on storytelling was influenced by Marvel's story and character-centric approach to their recent projects in games, film, and television; Rosemann and Jones cited
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' ''Spider-Man'' video game and
Telltale Games Telltale Incorporated (trade name: Telltale Games) was an American video game developer based in San Rafael, California. The company was founded in July 2004 by former LucasArts developers Kevin Bruner, Dan Connors and Troy Molander, following ...
' ''
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'' title as examples. While speaking at the 2017 D.I.C.E. Summit, Rosemann also explained that Marvel Games would not force its development partners to tie their games into existing storylines throughout Marvel's universes, giving them more freedom to craft their own original stories and create new visions for their characters. ''Infinites story mode script was penned by writer Paul Gardner, with oversight from Rosemann and Marvel's gaming division. Gardner first became involved with the project beginning in 2015 and finished writing the script in 2016. Marvel provided feedback to Capcom on the revisions, animations, music, and presentation of the overall story mode experience. Frank Tieri, the lead writer for ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3'', has also confirmed his involvement with ''Infinite''. According to developers, Capcom's struggle with the launch of ''Street Fighter V'' influenced several decisions during ''Infinite''s development. The heavy criticism towards ''Street Fighter V''s lack of content prompted Capcom to promise a larger variety of single-player and multiplayer content for ''Infinite'' upon release. As a result of ''Street Fighter V''s initial online multiplayer server issues, the developers plan to forgo their own servers in favor of dedicated servers by Sony and
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, aiming to provide more stable online play for ''Infinite''. The game does not feature
cross-platform play In video games with online gaming functionality, also called cross-compatible play, cross-platform play, crossplay, or cross-play describes the ability of Gamer, players using different video game hardware to play with each other simultaneously. ...
, with Evans citing Capcom's trouble with implementing the Capcom Fighters Network cross-platform structure into ''Street Fighter V''. ''Infinite'' also does not include any currency systems similar to ''Street Fighter V''s "Fight Money".


Release

''Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite'' was released for the
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
,
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, and
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
, on September 19, 2017, in North America and Europe, and September 21 in Japan. The game was available in three editions: a standard edition, a ''Deluxe Edition'', and a ''Collector's Edition''.
Pre-order A pre-order is an order placed for an item that has not yet been released. The idea for pre-orders came because people found it hard to get popular items in stores because of their popularity. Companies then had the idea to allow customers to r ...
s for the standard edition include the Evil Ryu and Warrior Thor alternate in-game costumes. Pre-orders for the ''Deluxe Edition'' include the Evil Ryu, Warrior Thor, Gladiator Hulk and Command Mission X alternate costumes, in addition to the "2017 Character Pass". The ''Collector's Edition'', which includes the ''Deluxe Edition'' and its pre-order incentives, features four character dioramas of Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Mega Man X and Chun-Li by TriForce, and a case filled with six
LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (corresp ...
-powered Infinity Stone replicas. The Major Carol Danvers alternate costume was also packaged exclusively with the PlayStation 4 version. A story mode demo was released on June 12, 2017, following Sony's press conference at the
Electronic Entertainment Expo E3 (short for Electronic Entertainment Expo) was an annual Trade fair, trade event for the video game industry organized and presented by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). It was held principally in Los Angeles from 1995 to 2019, wit ...
. In February 2018, ''Infinite'' was listed on the
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as an
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title. To coincide with the game's release, Capcom announced their first global tournament series for ''Infinite'' called ''Battle for the Stones''. In addition to extending special invitations to the
Evolution Championship Series The Evolution Championship Series, commonly known as Evo, is an American annual esports event that focuses exclusively on fighting games. The tournaments are completely Open (sport), open and use the Double-elimination tournament, double elimina ...
' seven ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3'' champions, Capcom selected six community events to act as "Infinity Stone Tournaments". The winner of each event, in addition to qualifying for the ''Battle for the Stones'' finals, received an Infinity Stone that could be used to gain a unique advantage during the competition. For example, the Space Stone allowed its bearer to swap their position within the tournament bracket to face a different opponent, while the Mind Stone allowed its bearer to pick their opponent's team. Fellow competitors could steal Infinity Stones by successfully defeating their current owners. Capcom also held three regional online tournaments to fill out the remaining bracket spots. The finals were held in
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on December 9–10, 2017, and included a prize pool. The winner of the tournament was Jonathan "Cloud805" Morales, who received and an Infinity Gauntlet trophy.


Downloadable content

The "2017 Character Pass" includes six DLC fighters: Black Panther, Black Widow, Monster Hunter, Sigma, Venom, and Winter Soldier. Black Panther, Monster Hunter, and Sigma were released on October 17, 2017, while Black Widow, Venom, and Winter Soldier were released on December 5. Players could also obtain the
Superior Spider-Man Superior may refer to: *Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind Places * Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state *Lak ...
alternate costume by pre-ordering '' Spider-Man: Homecoming'' through the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One online stores before October 24, 2017. On October 17, Capcom released three themed costume packs, each containing six outfits: the Avenging Army Pack (Iron Man, Hawkeye, Thor, Dante, Spencer, Arthur), the World Warriors Pack (Captain America, Captain Marvel, Hulk, Chris, Ryu, Chun-Li), and the Mystic Masters Pack (Doctor Strange, Dormammu, Ghost Rider, Morrigan, Firebrand, Nemesis). The costumes can also be purchased individually or altogether with the "Premium Costume Pass". The Premium Costume Pass gives players additional access to the Stone Seekers Pack (Spider-Man, Ultron, Thanos, Jedah, Frank, Haggar) and the Cosmic Crusaders Pack (Rocket Raccoon, Gamora, Nova, Strider Hiryu, X, Zero), which were released on December 5.


Related media

In February 2017,
Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment holding company founded on December 6, 1923 by Henry, Hillel and Herma ...
announced a ''Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite'' toy line during their presentation at the
American International Toy Fair The North American International Toy Fair (formerly the American International Toy Fair and also known as Toy Fair New York) is an annual toy industry trade show held in mid-February in New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and at to ...
. Later in May, Marvel announced a series of ''Marvel vs. Capcom''-themed comic book variant covers, which became available in comic stores throughout August. Marvel also published a
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-exclusive comic book based on the game. In September, Marvel revealed a new wave of Funko Pop! collectibles, featuring the playable cast from ''Infinite'' in their premium alternate costumes. The collectibles were released in November 2017. In May 2024, prominent
fighting game community Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is resorted to either as a method of ...
member and content creator Maximilian Dood, alongside artist and video game modder Ryn/WistfulHopes, spearheaded the development of a mod to overhaul the game's graphics. The mod, titled ''Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite & Beyond'', introduces a cel-shaded art style akin to ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3''. Although the original intent of ''Beyond'' was to simply update the visuals, the scope of the project eventually expanded to include new art, music, modes, and balance changes, among other things. Over forty people contributed to the mod over its eight months in development; Maximilian estimated he spent roughly of his own money to pay everyone. ''Beyond'' was released online for free in December 2024.


Reception


Pre-release

In pre-release coverage, ''Infinite''s departure from some of the series' long-standing gameplay mechanics, namely three-on-three battles and character assist moves, for the sake of accessibility was met with mixed reception. Suriel Vazquez of ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'' is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and video game console, game consoles. It debuted in August 1991, when the video game reta ...
'' and Wesley Yin-Poole of ''
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...
'' stated that ''Infinite'' could end up being a divisive game, especially to the hardcore audience, since both mechanics had defined the ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' series for nearly two decades. The issue was mirrored by ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' Daniel Krupa, who mentioned that the shifts in the series' formula could lead to a feeling among fans that their game was being "diluted" for newer players. Vazquez and Krupa, however, appreciated the changes, with Vazquez saying that he preferred the series "go for broke", rather than play it safe. ''
GamesRadar ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and ''Computer ...
'' David Houghton and ''
Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...
s Ian Walker gave positive remarks in their impressions of the press preview build, with both praising the development team's attempt to create an accessible environment for newcomers while also pleasing the competitive community. Early criticism was directed at ''Infinite'' less stylized art direction. Alex Donaldson of ''
VG247 Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British digital media company based in London. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and ot ...
'' stated that "the art style just feels off — or at worst, unfinished...as it stands right now the art style is a mistake when compared to '' Marvel vs. Capcom 3''". Sergio Figueroa of ''
Gamereactor ''Gamereactor'' is a Nordic online media network covering video games in multiple languages and a former print magazines network. In 2013, it was "one of the biggest games publications in Europe" according to Develop. History The Gamereactor ...
'' and Nick Valdez of ''
Destructoid ''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017 and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022. Histor ...
'' also expressed disappointment with the visuals, particularly the in-game character models and the HUD. Figueroa wrote that "the developers have chosen a simplistic and, in our opinion, insufficiently detailed character design that we think diminishes the fighters' personalities". The release of the story mode demo was also criticized. ''
Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure made up of line segments connected to form a closed polygonal chain. The segments of a closed polygonal chain are called its '' edges'' or ''sides''. The points where two edges meet are the polygon ...
'' David Cabrera felt the demo was a "squandered opportunity" by Capcom that "actively idthe good points of the game and ighlightedits failings", such as unpolished character models and awkward voice acting, while ''Game Informers Ben Reeves thought the demo lacked entertaining moments and failed to showcase Marvel and Capcom's "dream matchups" in any meaningful or creative way. Following complaints about the quality of certain character models, particularly on the Capcom side of the roster, the developers announced plans for a day-one patch that would focus on artistic improvements.


Post-release

''Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite'' was released to average to positive reviews, according to ''
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
'', which provided aggregated scores of 77, 72, and 69 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows versions, respectively. The game received praise for its gameplay, including its changes to the series' traditional tag team system and the addition of the Infinity Stones. ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' Tamoor Hussain complimented the developers for simplifying tagging without sacrificing gameplay depth. He appreciated the game's more open-ended fighting systems, comparing ''Infinite'' to "a blank canvas" and its mechanics "as the brushes for painting your unique superhero squad". ''Polygon'' Chelsea Stark and Jeff Ramos also praised the revised core mechanics, saying that the new tag system opened more options for clever combo creation. Similarly, ''IGN'' Darry Huskey was impressed by the game's willingness to "completely
pend In Scotland, a Pend is a passageway through a building, often from a street through to a courtyard or 'back court', and may be for both vehicles and pedestrian access or exclusively pedestrians. The term "common pend" can often be found in desc ...
traditions fans have known since ''X-Men vs. Street Fighter'' in 1996" by overhauling time-honored game mechanics, such as the assist system. Additionally, Huskey described the decision to replace each team's third character with an Infinity Stone as the "crown jewel" of ''Infinites design, claiming that it "works so well, it makes the very idea of a three-character team now seem like old news". ''Game Informer'' Ben Reeves wrote that the streamlined fighting system and the inclusions of automatic combos and simplified super attacks would allow newcomers "to feel right at home". Reviewers criticized the game for its presentation. Huskey labeled the character design as "distractingly bad and stiff", and found the orchestral soundtrack to be "forgettable and easily ignored". Stark and Ramos proclaimed that the aesthetics were "the stalest the franchise has ever seen", and compared the user interface to "placeholder graphics that were never changed for the final product". ''Destructoid'' Chris Carter also criticized the visuals, describing the art style as "a crime against humanity". ''
GamesRadar ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and ''Computer ...
'' Sam Prell felt that ''Infinites presentation, in comparison to "the flashy cel-shaded art direction and over-the-top tone of ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3''" and "the silky smooth sprites and technical precision of ''Marvel vs. Capcom 2''", made the game fall "hopelessly short...in the shadow of its own pedigree". ''Eurogamer'' Wesley Yin-Poole loathed the art style, calling it a "desperate attempt to appeal to fans of Marvel's all-encompassing cinematic universe" and "an abomination of a look that neither appeals to movie nor comic book fans". ''Infinite'' was also criticized for its playable roster, which was smaller than the previous installment, ''Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3'', and recycled many of its characters. ''
VentureBeat ''VentureBeat'' is an American technology website headquartered in San Francisco, California. ''VentureBeat'' is a tech news source that publishes news, analysis, long-form features, interviews, and videos. The ''VentureBeat'' company was fou ...
'' Mike Minotti expressed his disappointment with the game's smaller selection of fighters, especially compared to its predecessors, and the meager amount of newcomers. Yin-Poole noted the lack of diversity in the roster, particularly the lack of playable female characters. The omission of characters from the ''
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...
'' and ''
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...
'' franchises was also chastised by critics, who speculated that the then-ongoing legal dispute between
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
,
Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
, and
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
over their film rights was the main motive behind their exclusion. Prell and Yin-Poole both lambasted the lack of ''X-Men'' characters, pointing out the franchise's significance in establishing the ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' series with ''X-Men vs. Street Fighter''. The latter declared their omission as "a dagger in the heart of every 'Marvel vs. Capcom''fan - one that there is no recovering from". The game was nominated for "Best Fighting Game of E3 2017" by the
Game Critics Awards The Game Critics Awards were a set of annual awards held after the E3 video game conference since 1998. The awards were given to products displayed at E3 with the title Best of E3 of their category. The 21st Annual Game Critics Awards was showca ...
, but lost to '' Dragon Ball FighterZ'', another game with similar gameplay to the ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' series, in which ''Infinite'' was negatively compared to and overshadowed by. It also received "Best Fighting Game of 2017" nominations by ''IGN'',
The Game Awards The Game Awards is an annual awards ceremony honoring achievements in the video game industry. Established in 2014, the shows are produced and hosted by game journalist Geoff Keighley. After working on its predecessor, the Spike Video Game Awar ...
, and the 21st Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, but lost to ''Injustice 2''. In addition, it received nominations for "Control Precision" and "Game, Franchise Fighting" at the 17th Annual National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards, but lost to ''Cuphead'' and ''Tekken 7'', respectively.


Sales

According to their sales plans for the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2018, Capcom expected ''Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite'' to sell two million units worldwide. The game saw poor first-week sales in the United Kingdom, debuting at #12 on the all-formats chart. The PlayStation 4 version peaked at #16 in the individual formats chart, while the Xbox One version failed to reach the Top 40. In Japan, the PlayStation 4 version ranked #8 on the Media Create sales chart after its first week, selling 8,273 copies; the Xbox One version did not make it into the Top 20. This marked a significant drop from the 80,966 units ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds'' had sold in a similar time period. The game reached #6 in Australia and #7 in New Zealand for its first week. It ranked #6 in the United States' list of top-selling games for September 2017, and #19 in the US PlayStation Store's September download charts. In its first half report of the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2018, Capcom reported that over 900,000 units had been shipped in the period ending September 30, 2017. In its third quarter report of the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2018, Capcom disclosed that ''Infinite'' had sold one million units as of December 31, 2017, missing its initial sales target. In their 2018 integrated report, Capcom described sales for ''Infinite'' as weak, stating "''Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite'' delivered a certain level of sales, primarily overseas owing to deep-rooted popularity, but underperformed overall". As of March of 2025, the game has sold 2.4 million copies in overall sales.


Notes


References


External links

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