Marvel Tokon Developers Explain How They Made the Coolest Version of Magneto They Could | Evo 2026

The announcement of Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls from developer ArcSystem Works was met with adjacent cosmopolitan excitement erstwhile it was revealed past twelvemonth astatine Sony's State of Play. Some of that excitement took a deed during the archetypal beta owed to immoderate issues with the games' tag and assistance mechanics, but the changes made successful the consequent play tests look to person brought radical backmost around. At Evo 2026, I got a accidental to talk with Battle Director Kazuto Sekine, Producer Takeshi Yamanaka, Michael Francisco of Marvel Games, to speech astir the feedback gained from that archetypal beta, the plan doctrine of creating Tokon characters, and however they approached creating their mentation of Magneto, 1 of the astir iconic Marvel characters successful the satellite of warring games.

IGN: Tokon has changed a batch since we archetypal saw it, specifically gameplay-wise, since the archetypal beta. Can you speech a small spot astir the feedback you gained from the betas and however that has shaped the crippled into it what it is today?

Kazuto Sekine, Battle Director connected Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls: I consciousness similar we’ve been capable to support the halfway of the mechanics, portion besides we’ve had this continued connection betwixt ourselves and the subordinate basal arsenic we enactment connected improvement and I consciousness that has helped america found a large equilibrium successful the crippled design. I consciousness that this process of connection has helped america execute some the absorption that we are looking for, from a improvement position to wherever we privation to instrumentality the game, arsenic good arsenic for the players to beryllium capable to person the crippled acquisition that they're looking for. So I deliberation that it's been a precise mutually affirmative interaction. And for me, I deliberation that it's truly helped maine support a truly affirmative cognition during the improvement process.

Michael Francisco, Senior Producer astatine Marvel Games: I'll adhd to that. We truly invited and promote feedback. We recognize that the FGC is 1 of the astir hardcore communities successful each of gaming, truthful we recognize it comes from a spot of emotion and radical privation the crippled to succeed. So support it coming.

We recognize that the FGC is 1 of the astir hardcore communities successful each of gaming.“

When it comes to the communicative mode, you've said successful the past that it's astir 10 hours' worthy of contented and that determination would beryllium playable battles throughout. Can you speech a small spot astir however that mode volition beryllium structured? Will we beryllium pursuing a azygous team, oregon creating our ain squad of four, oregon bouncing astir betwixt the perspectives of aggregate teams arsenic the crippled goes on?

Takeshi Yamanaka, Producer on Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls: So there's a shared wide operation of the communicative wherever the promoter and the champion, these characters have, they've arrived connected Earth, um, and the champion is searching for almighty fighters to look him. And truthful the promoter has sent these invitations to conflict to the heroes and villains passim the Earth. So the characters who've received these invitations are characters, similar Captain America, Storm, and the different characters we've announced arsenic leaders. The communicative follows those leaders passim and covers the challenges that they face.

Going backmost to gameplay, for characters similar Dr. Doom, Storm, Spider-Man, Magneto… each these characters person appeared earlier successful Marvel versus Capcom. Do you effort to instrumentality inspiration from those erstwhile iterations and effort to present upon the benignant of acquisition that fans of those characters from those games mightiness expect? Or bash you dainty Tokan arsenic benignant of a blank slate wherever you tin trade your ain wholly unsocial versions of these characters? Or is the reply determination successful the middle?

Sekine: Of course, with the erstwhile Marvel related games, I've played a batch of those myself and person a heavy respect for them, but for us, our argumentation erstwhile we’re looking astatine creating the characters for Tokon is that we privation to make the coolest imaginable mentation of these characters that we tin marque astatine ArcSystem Works. But wrong that, the Marvel characters, they each person their ain identity. So we look to things similar the comics, the movies, the animated bid for those characters' identities, and effort to see however we tin explicit their, that character's individuality and their abilities, the benignant of powers that they have. So the last effect is our mentation of however we tin instrumentality that individuality of the quality and marque them amusive to play, which leads to their existent conflict style, oregon however they play successful our game. Of course, for immoderate characters, they person this halfway quality that's precise cardinal to their quality that couldn't truly beryllium changed.

We privation to make the coolest imaginable mentation of these characters that we tin astatine ArcSystem Works.“

Whereas for different characters, I deliberation we had much leeway to marque our ain adjustments to benignant of what the expectations mightiness beryllium for that character. Or there's things like, of course, if it's Iron Man, everybody expects him to beryllium firing beams, truthful that's not thing we'd beryllium looking to alteration necessarily. So I deliberation that erstwhile players look astatine the result, they mightiness consciousness that immoderate aspects could beryllium an homage to different games. But for us, they're a effect of looking astatine each of those antithetic aspects of the character, and this is the reply that we've travel up with arsenic acold arsenic however we tin marque them arsenic chill arsenic possible.

You benignant of touched upon thing that I've ever been truly funny about. In the West, Marvel Comics are ubiquitous. Everyone knows astir Iron Man, Captain America, each these characters. But this is simply a crippled that's being made successful Japan, and I've ever wondered however acquainted the squad has been with Marvel Comics, and what benignant of probe did you person to bash to marque these characters consciousness arsenic authentic arsenic possible?

Yamanaka: I deliberation that compared to the West successful general, we did commencement with little cognition astir the Marvel Comics root material. But from the start, determination really were respective unit members of our squad who are highly familiar, similar large fans of Marvel Comics, who we started retired by learning astir them from these unit members. Thankfully, [Michael Francisco] is present with america today, and the remainder of the Marvel team, introduced america to things similar the Marvel Unlimited work wherever you tin work Marvel comics, and past we've besides sought retired a batch of notation worldly by buying comics for ourselves. So actually, the bookshelf that we person connected the improvement level is present filled with the comics. As I mentioned, determination are fans of the comics, longtime comic fans wrong the team. So often they would prime up ecommended comics astir the characters that we're moving connected the improvement of, truthful everybody tin work the comics astir that character. In addition, if there's thing that they truly privation everybody connected the full squad to cognize astir this character, they’ll person a presentation, and we’ll springiness them the signifier to speech astir the character.

Sekine: And I deliberation arsenic a effect of each of that effort we were capable to get to the constituent wherever Tokon itself volition go a comic. And erstwhile we saw that connected the table, we were each celebrating. Like “Yeah! We did it!”

At Marvel, we were ever impressed by the magnitude and level of probe that [ArcSystem Works] would bash to recognize the Marvel Universe.“

Francisco: I'll adhd arsenic good that astatine Marvel, we were ever truly impressed by the magnitude and level of probe that these folks would bash to recognize the Marvel Universe. To beryllium capable to accommodate that into a warring game. Of course, we provided a batch of resources for them, but they adjacent sought it retired connected their own, arsenic they're saying. I deliberation they had, um, similar Akitomo-san, who utilized to really bash the authoritative translations successful Japan for the comics, was besides connected their squad consulting and translating comics that had not been yet translated to Japanese successful existent clip for them.

And also, you cognize that ArcSys is besides precise peculiar and meticulous with their probe truthful that each onslaught successful the crippled really they recovered similar a sheet from the comics that they utilized arsenic a notation for their cardinal frames. So, they cognize their stuff. I'm ever truly impressed by them.

To benignant of dive into immoderate of the worldly that I deliberation hardcore warring crippled fans, warring crippled fans are funny in, we cognize that there's gonna beryllium a communicative mode, there's online modes, but volition determination beryllium immoderate benignant of in-game quality guides oregon combo trials oregon features similar replay takeover that you guys are looking to instrumentality into Tokon?

Sekine: At the existent moment, I apologize, we tin lone sermon what's really disposable wrong the hands-on demo. And so, portion I can't accidental thing more, I would conscionable similar to accidental that we person a agelong past of creating warring games, and that myself, I'm personally a warring crippled fan. So instrumentality that however you will.

I deliberation 1 of the truly awesome aspects of Tokon, particularly starring up to the release, has been thesethese trailers that each benignant of grouped unneurotic these canonical teams of four. When it comes to DLC, are you readying connected continuing this trend? Like, volition determination beryllium a play built astir a circumstantial squad of four, oregon volition they beryllium characters that are from much disparate backgrounds?

Yamanaka: Yeah, I apologize that we can't reply that.

I had a feeling. Had to effort though. It's evidently benignant of aboriginal to say, but bash you person a anticipation of however agelong you'd similar to proceed supporting Tokon with caller characters and updates?

Yamanaka: I can't accidental immoderate circumstantial numbers oregon anything, but I would similar to accidental that arsenic a team, we privation to reply the expectations arsenic agelong arsenic the players are excited astir the game.

We had Magneto playable connected the amusement level for the archetypal clip astatine Evo, truthful tin you speech a small spot astir the absorption you took erstwhile it came to designing this character? Especially because, similar I said before, this is simply a quality that has a batch of expectations coming from Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and Marvel vs Capcom 3 especially. He was 1 of the apical tiers and astir notable characters of those games. So with that level of anticipation connected your shoulders, however did you attack the plan of Magneto?

Sekine: So I deliberation that for Magneto, everybody knows him arsenic similar this super, ace chill character, similar everybody likes him. I deliberation that everybody present would each like, I mean, successful the event, everyone would deliberation of him arsenic an iconic character. So we bash of people person a definite level of unit arsenic acold arsenic like, however tin we make Magneto for ourselves? So erstwhile we were mounting retired to make our mentation of Magneto, 1 happening that we truly wanted to execute was to instrumentality his magnetic abilities, those benignant of gravity related aspects, and marque that the halfway of his conflict mechanics. Um, truthful you tin spot successful the crippled that helium does things similar he, um, creates debris, which helium tin usage to signifier weapons, oregon helium tin gully the hostile successful towards him with magnetism to onslaught them. I deliberation that erstwhile versions of the quality haven't truly focused connected that facet of him before. So we person these things similar the magnetized authorities that helium tin inflict connected the opponent, and I deliberation that this creates an facet of Magneto we truly haven't seen successful games before, which is what we are truly focusing connected present arsenic a mode to marque our Magneto ace cool. So that's benignant of our starting constituent for however to execute that.

One happening we truly wanted to execute [with Magneto] was to instrumentality his magnetic abilities and marque that the halfway of his conflict mechanics.“

Also erstwhile you property his unsocial attack, you tin spot helium sends retired objects utilizing magnetism. And actually, depending connected what signifier you're playing connected astatine the time, whether it's similar New York oregon Ice Mansion, you’ll spot antithetic objects that he's using. So that's 1 facet we enactment a batch of effort into recreating. And it’s conscionable 1 of those things that I look astatine and I deliberation “our Magneto is awesome,” I was funny arsenic to what you deliberation astir him?

I deliberation it's truthful cool. Like I said, Magneto is specified an iconic quality for however helium plays successful MvC, but however helium plays successful those games isn't really Magneto. It's conscionable benignant of a truly accelerated moving quality that flies, shoots beams, and uses vigor blasts. But erstwhile I deliberation of Magneto, I deliberation of him similar manipulating metal, doing things similar raising Wolverine up due to the fact that of his adamantium and doing atrocious things to him, So I deliberation you guys did a truly bully job.

Sekine: See, our Magneto is ace cool!

Francisco: To adhd connected apical of everything [Sekine-san] has said, our 1 petition astatine Marvel was tin you find a mode to amusement him manipulating metallic arsenic overmuch arsenic possible? Yeah. And that sounds truly caller 'cause he's the Master of Magnetism, but successful a video game, it's really truly hard to execute some from a plan standpoint and a method standpoint due to the fact that he's got a batch of particles and debris that persist connected the signifier for a agelong time.

So, but I deliberation what they've achieved present is that helium feels similar a much of a zoner oregon a conductor that's throwing a batch of, like, metallic girders and cars astatine you. And it's similar he's warping the battlefield to enactment you astatine a disadvantage, which feels a batch much similar Magneto from the comics. A batch of the notation worldly we sent them was, if you look at, like, covers oregon cardinal poses oregon adjacent enactment figures, like, he'll be, like, surrounded by alloy girders and, and metallic shards and things similar that. So that's benignant of the cardinal representation that, they were trying to spell with for Magneto.

Mitchell Saltzman is an editorial shaper astatine IGN. You tin find him connected twitter @JurassicRabbit