Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite Devs Respond to "Accessibility" Concerns

When Capcom announced Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite this past weekend at PlayStation Experience, one of the words the company used to describe the game was "accessible." That's a controversial word in the fighting game space, but hardcore fans don't have to worry, according to Capcom and Marvel.

During a PlayStation interview, Marvel Games executive producer Mike Jones and Capcom's Michael Evans spoke at length about how Infinite's efforts to be more "accessible" do not come at the cost of depth. Starting off, the pair said hiring professional gamer Peter Rosas AKA Combofiend was a big part of ensuring the skill ceiling doesn't fall.

Jones went on to say that, from an early point in development, Marvel and Capcom knew that Infinite's accessible nature would be a "big discussion point" among fans. He went on to claim that, while the game is "simplified and elegant," players actually have more options available to them, thanks to the Infinity Stones and other new features.

"Once people get their hands on it, they'll understand it," he said. "But as we talk with people more and more about it, 'Hey, all the stuff that you are used to doing, that are individual features in previous iterations, are now at your disposal, freeform, as part of the partner system.' It's simplified and it's more elegant. You can actually do more now with your characters than you've been able to do in previous games. And then add on to that the Infinity Stones that totally augment your toolset; now we really think there are infinite gameplay possibilities. That's where the hardcore users shine."

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For his part, Evans acknowledged that the Marvel vs. Capcom series over the years became very "complex," which is part of the reason why Capcom is changing things up somewhat with Infinite.

Also in the interview, Evans promised that Infinite will be "feature-rich" on day one; Capcom's latest high-profile fighting game, Street Fighter V, was criticized for a perceived lack of content for launch.

"We're going to release it when it's ready," he went on to say, adding that Capcom is "taking [its] time" to ensure the gameplay and story come together how they should. As announced previously, Infinite's story will explore how the worlds of Marvel and Capcom came together.

Finally, the pair said "careful, thoughtful" discussions were had about how to ensure Infinite plays well on whatever input you're using, whether that's a gamepad or fight stick.

There are six confirmed characters for Infinite so far, including Captain America, Morrigan, Ryu, Mega Man X, Iron Man, and Captain Marvel.

Infinite launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC in 2017.