Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is the Fighting Game Revival Nobody Expected

Following an engaging and prosperous State of Play on June 4, 2025, Sony concluded its Summer Game Fest conference with a surprising new addition. Developed by the joint effort of Sony, Marvel Games, and Arc System Works, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is an upcoming Marvel fighting game set to release on PlayStation 5 and PC in 2026. Despite the developers mentioning during a subsequent interview that the game is still under development, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls already appears as an enticing blend of Arc System Works’ distinctive anime fighter aesthetics with Marvel’s illustrious roster of superheroes.

In essence, “Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls” appears to be a natural progression from the “Marvel vs. Capcom” series, given its similarities and succession. Notably, this game innovates by introducing four-fighter team competitions, a novelty yet unseen in tag-team fighting games. Even if it sticks to the format of having a main character with three support characters, “Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls” is still carving out fresh territory in the Marvel combat game genre. This development, therefore, comes as quite a surprise.

The State of Marvel Fighting Games Before Marvel Tokon

People who aren’t familiar with the background that led to the creation of “Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls” might find it puzzling as to why it was given prime time during the State of Play, particularly after “Ghost of Yotei” hinted at a gameplay reveal in July. In essence, the very existence of this game seems almost unbelievable, to the point that its concept has been humorously speculated about for years. Fans of Marvel fighting games are known for their intense passion within the broader Fighting Game Community (FGC), but they’ve also just come out of a decade where it seemed like Capcom-made Marvel games had met several unfortunate conclusions.

Marvel vs. Capcom Was Marvel’s Best, But Couldn’t Last

Unlike the adoration these games receive nowadays, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and Marvel vs. Capcom 3 initially faced a rocky start upon release. The novel 3v3 format and unique presentation of MvC2 caused some discomfort, but the swift arrival of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 within a short span after vanilla MvC3 left many players disappointed. Low sales following its launch resulted in reduced support, and this pattern would recur with the more contentious debut of Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite. Although opinions have since improved, optimism for official sequels remains scarce.

How Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls Brought Marvel Fighting Games Back

Arc System Works Was Perfectly Positioned To Work On Marvel

On the other hand, the story’s opposite side lies with Arc System Works, a Japanese developer of fighting games that is smaller than Capcom but gaining popularity with each successful licensed and original release. While continuing its work on the Guilty Gear series, ASW collaborated with Bandai Namco to create Dragon Ball FighterZ, a tag team fighter influenced by UMvC3. Although it wasn’t the first or last to imitate this style, it is currently the most successful and played a role in the Fighting Game Community dismissing Marvel Infinite when they were promoted together. Since Dragon Ball FighterZ ended its support, fans anticipated either a sequel or another Shonen Jump fighter from ASW next.

One unexpected development was the announcement of “Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls“, a sequel not just to popular games like FighterZ and UMvC3, but also to the beloved Marvel Infinite. For years, Capcom fighting game enthusiasts have speculated about a potential collaboration between Capcom and Arc System Works to create a new Darkstalkers, believing that its cutting-edge 3D animation would suit the humorous fighting series perfectly. The idea of Marvel reaching out to ASW for an MvC equivalent, especially amidst whispers of a NetherRealm Studios Marvel game and Capcom’s hints about future plans in their MvC Collection, was unimaginable. However, the announcement of “Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls” took everyone by surprise, but fans of Marvel fighting games couldn’t be more thrilled.

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2025-06-07 18:34