Though Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite was received critically well–our own review included–pre-launch criticisms that hung on awkward animations and a questionable final roster ultimately hampered the commercial success of the game. YouTube user Liam Robertson, aka “Game History Guy,” reported to have contact with some Capcom employees that revealed insight into troubled development, mostly hinging on a surprisingly low Marvel vs Capcom Infinite budget.
Robertson was reportedly told that the budget for Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite was slightly more than half of that allotted to the Street Fighter V DLC. You read that right. Not the full Street Fighter V game, just the DLC plans. No specific numbers were given, but as budgets for DLC are presumably much lower than the actual game, it reveals that the team behind Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite was working under some very tight constraints.
In order to save time and money, employees reported that Infinite was cobbled together using pre-existing assets, mostly from Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Very few changes were made to these assets, if any at all. Often, artists were just told to alter the shaders to account for the new art style, which accounts for some of the very odd looking characters and the polish that was given to Chun Li after negative reception from fans.
What’s more is every gamer’s worst fears realized. While it may be little more than conspiracy theories in most cases, employees report that DLC characters were actually cut from the final game in order to be sold as DLC after launch. Black Panther and Monster Hunter were both finished months ahead of launch and could have been part of the final game. While it’s common practice to spend some time leading up to release working on post launch content, this move is questionable due to the story mode including content related to Black Panther, mainly the Wakanda stage. It provides some pretty damning evidence that Black Panther was originally intended to be part of the main game.
If you’d like to hear Robertson’s full report on the the Marvel vs Capcom Infinite budget restrictions, you can check out his video above. Even with the budgetary constraints in place, our review found an enjoyable game that fares well as a fun fighting game.
It ultimately doesn’t matter if you’re upset with the roster, because at the end of the day Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite is a great way to spend a night with friends. The combat feels smooth, the depth is there for dedicated players, and it’s a much more feature-complete offering when compared to the launch version of Street Fighter V. There’s a ton here to like, and those who dismiss it will only be missing out on one of Capcom’s finest fighting games.
What do you think of the reportedly low Marvel vs Capcom Infinite budget?
