Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite hasn’t lit the world on fire similar to literally every other title in the heralded crossover series, and the fighting game community recognizes its shortcomings more than anyone. That opinion is now fact, as the major fighting game competition EVO announced its lineup of games scheduled for competition at the 2018 event and left MVC Infinite off the board. The decision marks the first time that a Marvel-licensed fighting game will not be scheduled for official competition.
#Evo2018 Lineup! https://t.co/AzIV3RZCr7pic.twitter.com/Onm1mEUgI8
— EVO (@EVO) February 7, 2018
The lack of support from the Super Bowl of fighting game competitions is the latest chapter in the disappointing narrative surrounding the subpar title, which was heavily criticized by players and critics for its roster omissions and lack of evolution. Much of the roster criticism centered around the utilization of characters featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the removal of characters to which Disney does not have the film rights, such as series mainstays Wolverine and Magneto. The game has undersold Capcom’s projected sales total of two million copies, selling only one million since its release in September 2017.
Even more telling is that Capcom isn’t including the game for competition in its own fighting game competition, the Capcom Pro Tour, in 2018. The developer is choosing to heavily feature Street Fighter V instead amid new interest in the game after the release of its Arcade Edition update last month.
The newly released Dragon Ball FighterZ (which we greatly enjoyed) will replace the title in the EVO lineup.