Feature: “Venom, Dr. Doom, And Whoever I’m In The Mood For That Day”

Image: CapcomShuhei Matsumoto may not yet be as familiar in the fighting game world as the exuberant Yoshinori Ono, but with his playful personality and regular online announcements, panels and interviews, he’s certainly on his way.

Since 2017 he has been assisting with and spearheading productions on the likes of Street Fighter 6, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, the Capcom Fighting Collection, and now the superb Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics.

We caught up with Matsumoto-sama over email Q&A to ask about production detail, concepts, and ideas at Capcom HQ, and a little about where the company is heading in the future. Here are the responses:

Nintendo Life: Good afternoon Matsumoto-sama, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us today.

Starting with an icebreaker, can you tell us your personal Marvel vs. Capcom 2 dream team?

Shuhei Matsumoto (Producer, MVC: Fighting Collection): Venom, Dr. Doom and whoever I’m in the mood for that day.

How did you get into the video game industry, and what eventually brought you to Capcom?

I was a salesman at a company that sold nuts and bolts. I joined Capcom as a mid-career hire because I wanted to work on Street Fighter and with game makers!

Marvel vs. Capcom: Fighting Collection is a very impressive work – arguably the most thorough fighting game collection ever assembled. What is your thought process when curating a collection like this, and how much input do you take from the fanbase?

We think that all of the Capcom Fighting Collection titles we have released and will release in the future are the best! Basically, we put all the titles we want to port to current consoles on the table and filter the ones that have a high possibility of realisation. From there, we gather the titles that have a high degree of similarity and affinity, and create the collection. We’re always listening to the opinions of our fans!

For you personally, is there any character from the Marvel or Capcom universes not yet included in any of the MVC games that you would like to see make an appearance in the future?

I thought about this for about 10min but I can’t think of one!

The Punisher is a really nice bonus in the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection. It’s still surprisingly violent. Were you concerned at all about re-releasing any part of its content?

The team members wanted to reproduce the game as faithfully as possible. Even if it was violent, we wanted to release the content to its fullest, so we didn’t have any hesitations.

The community all wants to see Marvel vs. Capcom 4. Do you think that’s possible?

We’re always thinking about how we can release one, although a game from the “VS.” series can’t be realised by Capcom alone. It will depend on timing and a combination of various factors to make it happen, so we hope everyone will continue to support us.

Capcom during the ’90s and early ’00s was the undisputed king in terms of 2D video game artistry. Seeing the re-emerging popularity of classic Capcom IPs and the success of their various collections, is there any chance we will see the company release another true, pixel-drawn fighting game, rather than 3D on a 2D plane?

I hear that it is becoming more and more difficult to make games in pure 2D, rather than 3D, but it’s admirable and attractive. There may be a higher chance of it being released as an indie title from somewhere.

Norimaro was a character who was previously left out of Marvel vs Street Fighter localisations, we assume because of issues with Nippon TV. How did you manage to include him for overseas audiences in this collection?

We had a strong desire for him to be included! That feeling helped us to get him included in the roster.

Finally, can you share an amusing anecdote about life in the Capcom offices? A memory, perhaps, that always makes you smile?

The other day our president (Haruhiro Tsujimoto) came to the dev floor to check out MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics. He had a real nostalgic gaze and had a big smile checking out the game and that naturally affected us also. It was a special moment.

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us today Matsumoto-sama, we wish you the best of luck with all your future endeavours and really hope you put all your energy into Marvel vs. Capcom 4 when you decide to get around to it. You can do it!

[Editor’s note: We had questions concerning Street Fighter 6 and Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite which were returned unanswered, unfortunately.]

Marvel vs. Capcom: Fighting Collection Arcade Classics is out now on Switch eShop, with a physical version scheduled to hit store shelves on 22nd November.

If there are any classic Capcom games or series you would like to see revitalised, please let us know in the comments below.

Please note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.