Fighting Games tend to rely a lot on how they launch, with matchmaking netcode, performance features, and other systems heavily scrutinized. Due to the niche nature of the genre, fighting game fans typically look for detailed gameplay and good content variety to really dig into a new title. If certain elements are lacking, missing, or broken, players may drop any new game despite its potential, causing an already small audience to flee entirely.
Currently, players are divided on the launch of Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game for lacking systems seen in other fighting game releases. For example, the game only allows for two players to face one another in lobby matchmaking, without any spectator mode for viewers either. Yet, with bugs in the game’s combo trials and a lack of a Ranked mode too, Avatar Legends‘ rough release pales in comparison to the criticisms some fighting games received when they got into the hands of players.
The most recent example of a fighting game with a tough launch is Invincible Vs., the 3v3 tag team title based off the Invincible comics. The inventive gameplay of Invincible Vs. created unique playstyles characters and dynamic cooperation between them, but there were a few hiccups players took notice of quickly. Firstly, the game had practically no single-player outside its fairly short Story mode, giving players little to do outside online competition.
This is fairly normal for fighting games, though, so the real problem began with the nature of online competition itself. The oppressive tag team mechanics in this game were rough to some players, with static animations and strange interactions causing chaotic moments often. While veteran fighting game players were able to adapt to these features, newcomers would often rage quit matches when encountering the complexities of a 3v3 game. Since the audience for Invincible Vs. ended up being a lot of first-time fighting game players, you could hardly play any matches without a rage quit somewhere.
The first couple of weeks of Invincible Vs. were fraught with difficulties regarding its player base, with rage quits combining with the strange Sudden Death systems in the game to prevent draws. Matches often saw their timer running out, leading to odd situations where all you needed was one character on your team with a high amount of health swapped in. Many games didn’t determine a winner through the ability to take out another team, but rather who was in the right position by the time Sudden Death started.
This mechanic would later get changed, but the damage had already been done. The long match times, the toxic online matchmaking, and lackluster tutorial systems discouraged the game’s casual audience, causing many players to drop the game fast. Aggressive microtransactions and failure to deliver pre-order bonuses only added fuel to the fire, making Invincible Vs. a modern example of a poor fighting game launch.
The King of Fighters 12 was notoriously disastrous, arguably setting up developer SNK into the bankrupt state they were in before series revivals helped them recover. This fighting game was, by all standards, a demo for The King of Fighters 13 rather than a fully fledged entry in the series. Although it would lay the groundwork for the most impressive 2D animated sprite work of almost any fighting game ever made, it lacked fundamental features players desired at the bare minimum.
Only 20 characters in KoF12 marked the smallest roster the series had ever seen, with the removal of past gameplay systems contributing to the bare bones feel of the title too. There was no final boss, no specific character endings, and no combo trials, giving players absolutely zero single-player content to engage with. Even if you wanted to jump online for competitive matches, the matchmaking was abysmal, with severe lag and other errors plaguing the netcode players relied on.
Strange interactions from standard gameplay also gave players pause, as many characters acted in ways that contrasted heavily from where the series had been for years. For example, a Heavy attack from some characters cancelled projectiles altogether, removing a layer of strategy that The King of Fighters had always used. Managing to alienate both newcomers and veterans alike, The King of Fighters 12 is often forgotten when discussing the series, in favor of the much-improved KoF13 and its sequels.
Although mods have vastly fixed its shortcomings, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite is a testament to an idea losing its appeal when bogged down by corporate meddling. On paper, this should have been one of the biggest fighting game releases of its decade, bringing back an iconic crossover series with fan-favorite characters from both Capcom and Marvel Comics’ extensive libraries. However, MCU synergy and rushed development negatively impacted this game, which was given too few resources to truly succeed.
The biggest problem with this game were the visuals, plain and simple. Compared to the ultra stylized art of past Marvel vs. Capcom games, which are foundational to other games and comics now, the “realistic” look Infinite went for just doesn’t work. Character models look uncanny and disturbing in some cases, with only expressionless figures like Ultron standing out. The roster of this title is somewhat controversial too, including exciting newcomers like Jedah or Winter Soldier, but heavily relying on Marvel characters over Capcom ones.
The gameplay of Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite was, thankfully, exciting compared to the title’s other features. Active 2v2 tag team fights were fast-paced and inventive with Infinity Stone modifiers you’d pick alongside your team. That being said, the awful single-player story and overpriced DLC of Infinite only dragged it down further. The exclusion of X-Men characters on a somewhat bland roster combined with ugly visuals to make players hardly consider buying the game on launch, even if the competitive systems were fun.
Unlike many of the other games on this list, DNF Duel was (nearly) the complete package on launch, with insanely detailed animation and visuals that captured its source material well. With innovative fighting game mechanics inspired from its Dungeon Fighter Online roots, DNF Duel also had very unique characters for players to try. Developed in part by creators who also helped shape the systems of beloved title Marvel vs. Capcom 3, DNF Duel was on the fast track to become a highly revered game in the genre.
However, problems arose almost immediately when players realized how unbalanced the game was upon its launch. Ironically much like MvC3, DNF Duel had characters that felt far more complete than others, with infinite combos capable of preventing another player from ever participating in a match after a single hit. Characters like Swift Master manipulated an opponent’s movement, Berserker could break your guard by constantly attacking, and Striker had the chance to eliminate all of your health from a stray fist.
The balance systems were insanely undercooked on launch for DNF Duel, creating one of the most wild fighting games the genre had ever seen. Players who understood how to make the most of a powerful character were engaging in one-player games, turning matches less into a competitive back-and-forth and more into a survival horror. For all its merits, DNF Duel never recovered from its unbalanced start, which made a bad first impression on players looking for a solid fighting game.
It’s hard to say anything more about Street Fighter 5‘s bad launch that hasn’t already been said, but to understand why it was so poorly received, you first have to know how revered its predecessor was. Street Fighter 4 is often accredited with the revival of the fighting game genre as a whole, so expectations were high for its sequel. Unfortunately, poor management and a focus solely on esports competition prevented SF5 from being a true successor for several years.
Street Fighter 5 launched with only 16 characters, marking an incredibly tiny roster compared to past games, which were known for having fan-favorite fighters. Duct-taped together impersonations of rollback netcode also created one of the worst performing online matchmaking scenes of any fighting game to date, frustrating competitive players. Furthermore, SF5 had nothing outside a bad Story mode for single-player, not even a basic Arcade mode from the series’ beginnings. Only an endless Survival mode with zero rewards was available, leaving fans baffled at what they could even do when booting up the game.
The saving grace of SF5 came with its Arcade Edition, and later its Champion Edition. This is the only fighting game on this list that actually got fixed, both by expanding its gameplay, adding tons of cosmetics, and eventually growing its roster to a respectable 45 characters. Arcade Edition improved the UI/UX features of the game, completely overhauling it from its launch. Meanwhile, Champion Edition made every costume for each fighter free, getting rid of (most) microtransactions and feeling like a genuine second launch.
Interesting character choices like SF3: Third Strike‘s Gill and Dan were combined with series favorites, such as Sagat, to make SF5 feel unique to the franchise. With brand-new fighters as well, the game even got new faces who eventually made their way into the incredibly successful Street Fighter 6. In many ways, Street Fighter 5 is a great lesson that a bad fighting game launch doesn’t have to define it, as long as developers are willing to listen to and apply feedback to mold a better experience.
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