"Guilty Gear" developer Arc System Works has joined forces with Marvel Entertainment and Sony to release a new anime-style fighter: "Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls".
No one expected to see that game during the PlayStation State of Play 2025. Everyone was glued to "Ghost of Yōtei," "Silent Hill f," and other games from mainstream franchises.
Arriving in 2026, this 4v4 fighting game is expected to deliver fast-paced action, easy-to-pick-up mechanics, and popular Marvel heroes for every gamer fan.
Anime-Inspired Marvel Characters Make Their Fighting Game Debut
"Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls" is looking to bring a new, anime-flavored take on Marvel's legendary superheroes. The initial debut trailer is already featuring revamped versions of old favorites like Iron Man, who now also has the Gundam-inspired crest on his helmet. The roster also includes Captain America, Spider-Man, Doctor Doom, Storm, Ms. Marvel, Ghost Rider (Robbie Reyes), and Star-Lord.
The character roster, according to Arc, captures Marvel's most familiar faces and provides varied fighting styles to provide diversity and balance in the 4v4 team combat.
Easy-to-Learn, Hard-to-Master Controls
"Teken," in the past, has featured tag-team mode, just like "Street Fighter." While 2v2 fights are usually popular for fighting games, it's very unusual to see a 4v4 fighting game.
"Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls" shines because of its accessibility. Game director Kazuto Sekine emphasized that players only need to master one character to enjoy the game.
It does not matter if you're a traditional or a next-gen gamer. As long as your heart belongs to the fighting games, you can easily adjust to the game mechanics without any problems.
"We have designed the mechanics in such a way that you can perform a variety of actions with either traditional fighting game inputs or simple inputs. With the press of a few buttons, multiple characters can appear on screen to provide backup or attack together--creating a new and exciting team VS battle experience," Sekine said.
Why 4v4 Tag-Team Battles?
Unlike the more popular 2v2 or 3v3 team compositions, Arc is going all-out with a 4v4 team composition. Sekine described that the studio went with this format to highlight the dynamic and chaotic energy of Marvel team-ups.
According to GameSpot, Sekine explained that a part of what's so attractive about Marvel comics is watching the huge cast of characters get together and form all sorts of interesting combinations.
He added that the team wanted to translate this vision into an action-packed, hard-hitting fighting game where allying up and using special combos can turn the battle around.
While Arc System Works is adored for its complex and technically challenging fighting games, the company is going in a very deliberate direction towards inclusivity with "Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls."
The game is structured to appeal to diehards and newcomers alike, with easier-to-master mechanics and cinematic presentation aimed at capturing the essence of Marvel's blockbuster universe.
In the meantime, check the short trailer below.
