The Xbox Showcase for 2025 had a handful of surprise announcements and one that came out of left field wasInvincible VS, a tag team fighting game in theInvincibleuniverse. Set to release in 2026,Invincible VSshows that Amazon is going all in on theInvincibleseries, and while the gaming industry is no stranger to cash-grabbing spin-off titles based on big franchises,Invincible VSlooks like a proper attempt at developing a great game. It has some pretty illustrious company when it comes to other upcoming tag-team fighters and joins a shift in the genre.
Fighting games are one of the oldest gaming genres around, beginning in the 1980s with arcade machines, and while they have grown in recent years, as the gaming industry continues to expand year after year, they are still considered niche. Many who thrive with fighting games do so because of’legacy skill',having already put years into the genre and specific franchises already to get past the learning curve.Titles likeInvincible VScould change this perception, getting more and more players involved and expanding itinto something that is beyond the niche perception it has today.
Invincible VS Shows A Shift In The Fighting Game Genre
It Joins 2XKO And Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls
As seen in its trailer onYouTube,Invincible VSis one of three spin-off tag-team fighting games based on a massive IP, and shows how many of these IPs are turning to the fighting games to highlight their colorful casts and cover them in bruises. TheLeague of Legendsfighting game,2XKO, andMarvel Tōkon: Fighting Soulshelp round out this trio and all are releasing within a year of each other.2XKOis coming first, looking at a 2025 release window, whileMarvel TōkonandInvincible VSare aiming for 2026, and this presents something rare in the genre.
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Soulsis developed by Arc System Works, who is famous for theGuilty Gearfranchise.
Fighting games with a lot of funding behind them are rare, and even storied franchises, likeKing of FightersandSoulcalibur,have to get by on shoe-string budgets, with only the biggest titles seeing the big bucks, likeTekken 8andStreet Fighter 6.Attaching a massive IP to a fighting game seems to be the way around this, since there is already a built-in audience who wants to use the characters from these IPs, although2XKO, Marvel TokonandInvincible VSare all 2D and have tag-team mechanics. Together, they could force a shift in the genre.
Tag-team fighting games have been largely dormant in the genre, with the focus being on the more traditional 1 verse 1 model.Tag-team fighters have typically been the model for spin-offs, whether from big IPs, as seen with theroster forMarvel vs. Capcomor from famed fighting game series, likeTekken Tag Tournament, andInvincible VSfirmly sits in the former category. This seems to be the genre that big IPs are looking at to enter the gaming scene, and while it is odd to pick such a niche genre, the money and eyes brought in should cause a massive change.
Existing Fighting Game IPs May Struggle Against Titles Like Invincible VS
The Bigger Budgets Could Bury Some Long-Standing Franchises
Massive IPs can afford big budgets and recoup a potential failure with profits from other incomes of an IP, and this is a luxury that existing fighting game franchises don’t necessarily have. Sure,Street Fighterbenefits from being a Capcom title, and even if sales are underwhelming for the series, it will be propped up by something likeResident EvilandMonster Hunter,but something likeKing of Fightersdoesn’t have this luxury. If games likeInvincible VSkeep coming out with big budgets and competent developers, it will be tough for others to compete.
King of FightersandStreet Fighterhave collaborated, adding Mai Shiranui toSF6.
Fighting games have always been niche and are known for their extreme initial learning curves, which make entry into the genre difficult. This applies further to legacy fighting games that have been around for a long time and have some very complicated inputs that new players might not want to bother with. Games likeInvincible VSand2XKOwant to appeal to fans of the IPand get them into the fighting game, sothey may opt for simpler inputs (which is the case for2XKO) and lower the barrier of entry, making it tougher for old fighting game franchises.
While the fighting game genre is about to be saturated with these tag-team fighters based on big IPs, it could spell danger for those trying to make a comeback.Virtua Fighteris getting a new title, having received a reveal trailer at the 2024 Game Awards, andwhile it has a lot of pre-existing fans of the genre excited, it may be tough to pull in new fanswhen they get to play their favorite characters elsewhere. Being 3D also adds a new layer of complexity with sidestepping and combos that newcomers might not want to deal with either.
The Fighting Game Genre Could Become Bigger Than Ever
This Could Be The Way Fighting Games Break Into The Mainstream
While long-standing fighting game franchises could suffer, many have been suffering for a long time anyway and are lying dormant without the funding to make another title. WithInvincible VS, 2XKO,andMarvel Tōkonall coming out within a year of each other, the fighting game genre is getting a lot of well-funded titles in a short span of time, something that is typically quite rare. This could mark a new era in which fighting games become the go-to for spin-offs and could be how the genre gets over the tough entry point for newcomers.
These spin-off games don’t have decades of legacy combos and inputs that developers can’t change for fear of angering loyal fans, and can make their games easy to get involved with while maintaining the high skill ceiling that makes climbing the ranks in fighting games so addictive. This could get more players in the loop, although it could also mean that these titles burn bright at the start but don’t have the complicated mechanics for great longevity. Fighting games thrive off longevity and long-time support, and it remains to be seen ifInvincible VSwill provide this.
Still, more eyes on a niche genre is usually a good thing, and perhaps it will incentivize investors to put more money into pre-existing fighting games to take advantage of all the new titles coming to the genre. With IPs as big as Marvel,League of Legends, andInvincibleall getting involved in the genre, there will at least be an initial boom in the genre. The hope is thatInvincible VSis as good as it looks and will keep theInvinciblefans in the fighting game genre to help it grow, potentially convincing them to play more fighters.
