Releasing an expanded version of a game only nine months after its release sounds a bit odd, and Capcom’s Seth Killian agrees. So why is Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 slated to release so soon after the launch of the original title? Apparently it has to do with conditions of Capcom’s licensing deal.
According to Killian, in an interview with Eurogamer:
We have the license for this specific game, but other companies outside of Capcom have licenses for other Marvel games that impinge. So we have to find specific times where we’re able to release products. It’s on the Capcom side and on the Marvel side. I don’t ask anybody to feel sympathetic about that.
Sounds reasonable enough, right? Then again, with the soaring popularity of downloadable content, why didn’t Capcom simply offer these additional features via DLC instead of shipping an entirely new product? Killian addressed this question by citing the current state of the Japanese market and their adversity to downloadable content.
Capcom obviously has strong roots in the disc based tradition. That’s the way most games are sold in Japan, so this is the way to approach it naturally. Clearly they’re active in a global market, but are putting their toes in the water of shifting tastes for consumers in other places. Having just an all DLC release would be considered a strange move in Japan. Having an all DLC release would be odd.
What do you think of Capcom’s excuse? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
