Just reading around the capcom-unity forums, and I found an interesting tidbit there about the possibility of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 ever getting made:
http://www.capcom-unity.com/ask_capcom/go/thread/view/7371/14396175/Is_Capcom_current_rights_holder_for_Marvel_fighting_games?num=10&pg=1
http://www.capcom-unity.com/ask_capcom/go/thread/view/7371/14396175/Is_Capcom_current_rights_holder_for_Marvel_fighting_games?num=10&pg=1
Question: I remember back then when people here said Capcom can't release MVC2 because EA currently has the rights for Marvel fighters and it won't happen until later in the future. So my question is did EA's rights finally expire and Capcom aquired it back? Or did Capcom figure out a way around it to make this happen? Either way I must tell Capcom, nice job!
Answer from Sven at Capcom: The MvC2 deal pertains ONLY to MvC2. Anything that happens beyond that will be contingent upon MvC2's performance (and naturally, Marvel has considerable say in that decision too).
In response to this message:
They [Electronic Arts] did not get the rights back. This is pretty common knowledge.
A moderator on capcom-unity replies:
That's not true.
Thus far there is no evidence supporting the fact that Capcom has reacquired the license. It had been rumored for months that MvC2 was going to be coming to XBLA and PSN, which turned out to be true however it's been confirmed that said deal only pertains to MvC2 and it only meaning that as far as MvC2 goes Capcom still apparently doesn't have the fighting game license.
Based on what Sven said it almost sounds as if Marvel is holding onto the license or that Capcom (and Marvel) want to see how good MvC2 does before entering negotiations about the fighting game license.
Another reply from Sven:
Contractually, Marvel was allowed to break the news first. It was a point we'd agreed upon. They too are big fans of the series and were happy to reach an agreement with us. So far it's been a great partnership.
*****
In summary, essentially what the thread is saying is, the fighting game license for Marvel is up for grabs right now; it's in Marvel's hands and it's their decision who to give it to. Capcom does NOT have the fighting game license. But it seems that Capcom hopes to get it, and the possibility of success depends on how well MvC2 does on both Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network.
To be really brief about it: If you want Marvel vs. Capcom 3 to get made, buy Marvel vs. Capcom 2 when it gets re-released on both Xbox 360 and PS3! This will tell the powers-that-be at Marvel that demand does exist for another sequel for the series. They have to find out if the demand is just from a small niche of hardcore MvC2 players, or if the general gaming populace (including the ones who don't post on forums or go online) really want another MvC game to happen.
**********************
I'm also quite curious how the re-release of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 will fare in the games marketplace. Have fighting games really regained the limelight again, or is it just my imagination? I do wonder why, on http://www.majornelson.com/ (an official Xbox site with updates on Xbox Live activity and content), Street Fighter IV never seems to track at all on the top 10 XBL Games Played. Shooters such as Call of Duty 4, Halo 3 and Gears of War 2 continue to dominate the charts. Is the resurgence in interest with fighting games just with existing fighting game fans, or has it managed to capture a new audience? At the same time, other companies seem confident enough to release more games in the fighting genre than usual for this year. Tekken 6 and SCIV for the PSP came as a complete surprise to me; was this directly influenced by SFIV's success? More importantly, will these upcoming fighting games surpass the sales success of Street Fighter IV worldwide?