Half of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3's Content Was Planned for MvC3

One of the recurring questions about Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 -- along with "Where is Mega Man?" -- has been about Capcom's decision to release the game on disc, as opposed to downloadable content for the first game.

It's a fair question; Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds came out just this past February, and already it will be outdated by the time November rolls around. Ultimate might be a reduced-price disc, but fans aren't especially pleased. According to producer Ryota Niitsuma, the earthquake in Japan earlier this year prompted the decision to hold off on MvC3 DLC in favor of releasing all that and more in disc form.

Speaking with Destructoid, Niitsuma said, "After the release of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 there were plans to release DLC. But, as you know, less than a month after the game was released we had the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. That had an impact on everything, and it threw off our whole development schedule. We decided that instead of doing the DLC we could put it all together in one package, add some additional stuff to make it robust and deliver it as a disc."

Asked what portion of Ultimate's content had been planned for the original game, he estimated it to be "about half and half."

That doesn't come as a major surprise, as we know that, for example, Frank West was cut because of the "extra work" involved due to "the nature of his moves." Phoenix Wright, another Ultimate addition, was also rumored for MvC3 at one point, with Niitsuma saying earlier this year he would be considered as a DLC addition if the game did well.

At this point, Capcom didn't actually intend for us to know that West or Wright are in Ultimate. This week's announcement only included a mention of four of 12 new characters -- Ghost Rider, Hawkeye, Strider, and Firebrand. The identities of the other eight were spilled when a leaked character roster made its way onto the web, revealing that the Dead Rising and Ace Attorney stars would be in the game.

Destructoid notes this may have actually played into Capcom's favor, as the anger over Ultimate's unveiling was quieted to some extent when players found out they'd have the chance to fight as someone like Phoenix Wright. And while there aren't any more surprise characters beyond what was leaked, Niitsuma does believe there is still some good stuff to be unveiled.

"It's a shame it got out, but that list, those names -- these are the characters we are adding to the game," he said. "But, this is only a list of characters. You have not been able to see anything substantial on them yet. As we get closer to the release date we'll be releasing new gameplay footage that will show you how these characters work. I think for the fans of our fighting games that's where the real fun is, seeing these characters move and act."

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 will be out this November for $39.99.

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