'Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite' news: Producers explain X-Men's absence

Iron Man in "Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite"Twitter/marvelvscapcom

"Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite" is the latest version of the game to come out of the "Marvel vs. Capcom" series of games. It was released in demo mode during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in June and many gamers got the chance to play the game before its formal launch in September. However, it seems that fans have noticed a significant change in the roster on the Marvel side. The big change? Wolverine, Deadpool, and the rest of the popular X-Men characters are nowhere to be seen. 

Part of what makes the "Marvel Vs. Capcom" games so successful is the vast roster of players to choose from. The absence of the mutant faction in the game did not go unnoticed by the fans. In an interview with GameSpot, producers Michael Evans and Peter Rosas revealed their reasons for not including the X-Men into this version of the game. Evans stated that modern Marvel fans might not really remember the X-Men and instead are more familiar with Guardians of the Galaxy and Black Panther. 

Rosas explained that the characters are essentially just functions in the game, and stated Magneto and his abilities in the game as an example. Rosas then went on to say that Nova and Captain Marvel also have the same abilities as Magneto in the game, and thus chose to go with them instead. 

Their reasons for not including the X-Men in the game may also be linked to licensing issues, according to Comic Book Resources, but Evans remains tight-lipped in that aspect. Still, it goes without saying that many fans are not happy with this choice, seeing as the "X-Men" is one of the most successful movie franchises at 20th Century Fox today, having reminded everyone of this with the release of "Deadpool" and "Logan." 

The long-standing rumor of Marvel preventing any licensing deals of the mutant characters because they did not want to split the profits with Fox has resurfaced due to this reasoning as well. While no representative from either studio has come forward to put the rumor to rest, this will likely come up again whenever the X-Men are not included in a Marvel project. 

"Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite" will formally be released on Sept. 19 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC.