Is Marvel Vs Capcom Infinite Going To Be Updated For Years?

With Marvel Vs Capcom Infinite set to launch in September, there has been lots of discussion and leaks regarding the roster of heroes and the lack of characters from the X-Men and Fantastic Four from the game.  Leading many to wonder if the new game will follow a similar structure to Capcom’s Street Fighter V, which has had content and characters added after its release.

In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.Biz, Marvel’s Jay Ong explained:

One challenge might be in choosing which characters will go in the game. While the full roster for Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite has not been confirmed as yet, the series’ fanbase has been vocal about the initial absence of staple characters from the X-Men and Fantastic Four universes. To hear fan forums tell it, Marvel is withholding Wolverine, Dr. Doom, and the like as part of a dispute over the movie rights to those franchises with 20th Century Fox.

“It’s something I really can’t comment on right now,” Ong said. “We haven’t officially released the roster. Let’s just say we think our fans will be pleased with what’s being announced. And what we talked about earlier with games-as-a-service, we certainly expect Marvel vs. Capcom to be that. There’s going to be content released over time. We’re not seeing this as a one-off that ships this fall; it’s a service that goes on for years. Therefore, if you look at it, content and new characters are going to be dropped over time, and I think fans will be happy with what’s going to be dropped, not just in September but going on from there.”

In that sense, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite encapsulates much of the new approach for Marvel Games. The series began as a one-off X-Men arcade game with a port for consoles, but has grown broader over time, first crossing over with Street Fighter and then broadening each brand into its respective owner’s larger portfolio. By the time Marvel vs. Capcom 3 launched in 2011, Capcom had begun experimenting with downloadable content in the form of two characters and an assortment of costumes. These days, much as the new game’s name implies, the possibilities for expansion of the roster, for fans to keep playing, and for both the developer and licensor to benefit, are Infinite.

One of the key points I’ve taken from this interview is that Marvel Vs Capcom is going to be getting a lot of extra DLC, the words “A service that goes on for years”, would follow what Street Fighter V has done by adding additional Seasonal Passes featuring many new characters and alternative costumes.   So the X-Men could easily be added later after release as well as keeping the game up to date with movie or event tie-ins.

What do you think of this?