Maximilian Dood, a YouTuber and influential member of the Fighting Game Community, uploaded a video on Twitter with a simple goal: get #MVC2 trending. Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes made a name for itself in arcades back in 2000, where it quickly became one of the most popular fighting games of the time. After arcades lost relevancy, the crossover fighting game made the rounds on home consoles, including Sega Dreamcast, Playstation 2 and Xbox. It also became a staple fighting game at Evolution Championship Series (Evo), appearing in every Evo from 2002 until 2010.Despite being one of the most significant fighting games ever, many players may not recognize this entry in the Marvel vs. Capcom series if they are not a member of the FGC or are unfamiliar with arcade classics, and it is not their fault. Marvel vs. Capcom has seen multiple iterations over the years, but none have been quite as influential for gamers as Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and gamers want to see the series return in the modern day.
In 2009, Backbone Entertainment re-released Marvel vs. Capcom 2 in HD for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 and even found its way onto Apple's App store in 2012. However, it was removed from stores in 2013 and left in digital limbo due to Capcom's licensing agreements with Marvel Comics coming to an end. To the delight and surprise of fans, Evo announced that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 would return as a part of the Evo 2020 games lineup for its 20th anniversary. Evo 2020 would have been the first time the game had appeared at the event in a decade. Alas, it did not make an appearance due to the event's cancellation.
Since then, it has faded into obscurity, despite having sequels in the forms of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and the less well-received Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite. Unfortunately, these games did not fill the hole seemingly left by its predecessor, as fans have advocated for the re-release of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on modern-day consoles ever since its disappearance. The only way to play this game today is to buy it from a second-hand seller, which can be very expensive, or to have downloaded the game before its removal from stores a decade ago; but with the latest #FREEMVC2 trend, there seems to be a little light forming at the end of that tunnel.
Six hours after Maximilian posted his video, Mike Mika, the studio head for Digital Eclipse (previously known as Backbone Entertainment), tweeted in response to the growing #FREEMVC2 trend. Mika's team was responsible for the re-release of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, and the team threw in its support for bringing the title back to modern consoles. Thers' obvious interest from the development team to re-release this timeless classic and even a possibility a new port of the game could have new upgrades implemented, including updated rollback netcode, or new features like documentaries and museum modes for viewing in-game content.
Digital Eclipse recently acquired nearly 9 million dollars and counting of funding thanks to fans and investors of the company. With the developer's prior experience with Marvel vs. Capcom 2, it wouldn't be too hard to imagine the company attempting to bring one of its most popular games to the current generation of gamers. Of course, this will depend on many factors, including whether or not Capcom and Disney would like to cooperate with them. It would be great to see it return to Xbox and Playstation stores and would be a perfect addition to the Nintendo Switch eShop.