Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Struggles to Gain Traction on Steam

It’s been about six weeks since Arc System Works and Sony unleashed Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls into the gaming arena. While it’s still early to gauge the long-term viability of a fighting game, the sales figures and dismal Steam performance suggest a troubling trend for this title on PC.

At launch, Marvel Tōkon received solid reviews, especially on consoles where it’s exclusive to PlayStation 5, boasting an 85 Metacritic score and a 94 percent rating on OpenCritic—numbers that would make many AAA titles envious. However, the Steam community had a different experience, plagued by numerous performance issues that resulted in a disappointing 44 percent positive rating. As of now, that rating has only slightly improved to 49 percent.

So, what led to this sharp decline? A recent report from Alinea Analytics estimated that Marvel Tōkon sold around 740,000 copies across all platforms, which is concerning. The Steam player count is equally alarming; while it peaked at nearly 25,000 at launch, it has now plummeted to just 994 players.

The situation is even more striking when compared to Arc System Works’ previous fighting game, Guilty Gear Strive. Within a month of its release, Strive had sold over 500,000 copies, making it a relevant benchmark for Marvel Tōkon, which launched on the same platforms. While it may seem like Marvel Tōkon is outpacing Strive in sales, the fact that a Marvel title—one of the most recognizable franchises—struggles to maintain player interest alongside a five-year-old game is concerning. Strive currently enjoys more active players on Steam, with a 24-hour peak of 1,784.

Now, let’s dive into the reasons behind the dwindling player base on PC. The performance issues are a significant factor, but they’re not the whole story. Marvel Tōkon faced criticism for being region-locked to only 132 countries on Steam, which limited its accessibility. Additionally, many players pointed fingers at the game’s always-online DRM, which required a PlayStation account for online features, as a source of the performance woes. Some even claimed that pirated versions of the game ran better on PC, highlighting the negative impact of the DRM on frame rates.

The performance problems have been a major sticking point. Although a patch released on August 10 addressed some issues, many players continued to experience problems. Arc System Works has rolled out four patches since then, each mentioning efforts to improve the PC version, yet feedback indicates that issues persist.

This might explain why Takeshi Yamanaka, the producer at Arc System Works, publicly apologized to PC players for the rocky launch, expressing hope that they would give the game another chance. He emphasized the team’s commitment to enhancing the game beyond its initial release. The studio reiterated its apologies in a post on the Steam store, acknowledging the frustration caused by the game’s lackluster debut. It’s clear they recognize that the current player numbers are unsustainable, especially with a DLC roadmap extending to September 2027.

Looking ahead, what are the odds that Sony and Arc System Works will continue to support Marvel Tōkon beyond 2027? It’s a mixed bag. Overcoming a rough launch is challenging, but Arc System Works has a history of extending support for their titles well past their expected lifespans. For instance, Dragon Ball FighterZ, which debuted in 2018, received a new DLC character as recently as April this year, proving that anything is possible. However, the drastic drop from a peak of 25,000 players to under 1,000 in just six weeks could spell doom for any online game. There may be a temporary spike in activity with the upcoming release of Cyclops, but it might just be a fleeting moment rather than a true revival.