Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars - Development

Development

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom was conceived when Tatsunoko Production asked Capcom to develop a game with Tatsunoko characters. In-company discussions at Capcom about it started in mid-2006; Capcom producer Ryota Niitsuma was interested in producing a fighting game, and agreed with other Capcom employees that Tatsunoko's characters would be better suited for a Vs. game than a Street Fighter game. The resulting project was the seventh Capcom-designed entry in the Vs. series and the first in over seven years. In the 2000s decade, fighting games are less popular and plentiful than in the mid-1990s, with multiplayer competition shifting towards other genres.

The research and development team started work in parallel with Street Fighter IV. "Capcom bring back the fighting genre into the mainstream market with a serious fighting game for very hardcore fans, and another with a slightly lowered barrier to entry," Niitsuma said. Eighting, Capcom's hired developer, took on the job in early 2007. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom's design was a departure from the complex attack systems of the Street Fighter series, and of certain Vs. titles. The game is built around a simplified three-button attack system (light, medium, and strong); it was inspired by the control systems commonly used by both the Vs. series and the Wii, which allows intricate moves to be performed with basic control inputs.

On May 22, 2008, Capcom announced the game, titled Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes, for release in Japanese arcades. The arcade cabinets' system board was proprietary hardware based on the Wii. Beta units were sent to test locations in Tokyo (July 10–13) and Osaka (July 25–27). By September, the game was 70% complete, and a Wii version was announced for Japanese release. Capcom gradually revealed the game's cast until release. It was released in Japan on the Wii on December 11, 2008, and an arcade version followed in mid-December 2008.

When choosing candidates for the Tatsunoko and Capcom character rosters, the development team was free to nominate any character it wished. However, the team faced limitations on its Tatsunoko candidates; Niitsuma explained, " had to consider licensing issues. Once we had that list we had to figure out how to make a balanced fighting game. On top of that we wanted a good balance between male and female characters." Selection emphasis was placed on main characters, rather than on villains. Certain characters were denied by Tatsunoko Production without explanation to Capcom. "We weren't privy to a lot of their decision making process. They didn't share a lot of reasons with us. When they said no and we asked why, they wouldn't tell us, but would give us another suggestion," Niitsuma said. They disallowed characters from Genesis Climber MOSPEADA or Samurai Pizza Cats, despite the high number of fan requests for the latter. The finalized Tatsunoko cast consists of characters that the team enjoyed in their youth.

The game is the first Capcom-designed Vs. installment to be rendered fully in 3D. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and its graphical characteristics were optimized for the Wii, which prevents the game from being ported to other consoles without completely re-building the game. Niitsuma explained that its Wii exclusivity was also due to a lack of Capcom fighting games for the console, and because the Wii's casual quality matches the Vs. series trait of accessibility. The producer suggested that porting a sequel would be easier, but that Capcom would gauge the reception of the Wii game before making such plans. On November 7, 2012, Capcom USA's senior vice president Christian Svensson revealed that Capcom's rights with Tatsunoko have lapsed, meaning Capcom is no longer authorized to sell Tatsunoko vs. Capcom physically or digitally.