Yesterday's PlayStation State of Play came with plenty of exciting new game announcements, such as Romeo is a Dead Man, as well as further looks at highly-anticipated games, like Sucker Punch Productions' Ghost of Yotei. Notably, one of the new and exciting titles introduced to players was another Marvel game; this time, a tag-teaming 4v4 fighting game.
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Soul will be coming to PS5 and PC in 2026, boasting a huge lineup of Marvel characters to choose from, and 4v4 combat. Marvel Games has linked up with Dragon Ball FighterZ studio Arc System Works for its new fighting game.
Of course, the 4v4 system isn't found in the Dragon Ball title, or most fighting games, as it's a lot to keep track of and can stall the smooth action of a fight. Game director and lead battle designer, Kazuto Sekine, stated that coming to the decision of a 4v4 system wasn't easy: "Team VS fighting games have a long tradition of 2v2 or 3v3 formats, so this is something we discussed in-depth within the development team."
Sekine shared that eventually a 4v4 system was agreed upon because, "at its core, we felt that the appeal of team VS fighting games is the intensity of the battles with multiple characters on screen at once. Additionally, one of the appeals of Marvel comics is seeing the vast cast of characters coming together to create all kinds of unique team-ups."
To make the 4v4 system work seamlessly, the studio implemented some different playstyle options. During a behind-the-scenes video from Marvel Entertainment, the devs explained how the different fighting styles for the 4v4 system works.
In order to tailor to each player's preferred playstyle, Arc System Works developed two fighting styles for players to switch between: the first being the option of playing as the lead while having the three other characters assist, and the second allowing players to swap the assists in and out as the lead at will. This allows players to adapt their playstyle on the fly, and avoid having to master every single character's moveset. According to Sekine, "you only need to master one character in order to play."
With Marvel Tokon: Fighting Soul being PvP, it will be following the success of the latest live-service Marvel PvP, Marvel Rivals, which has set a high bar. Hopefully with the implemented playstyle options, Arc System Works' approach to the 4v4 tag-team won't prove to be the game's downfall.
