Square-Enix vs. Capcom: When Worlds Collide

"The Ultimate Fighting Experience"

-Official tagline

Square-Enix vs. Capcom: When Worlds Collide is an upcoming crossover fighting game developed and produced by Capcom and Sega in collaboration with Square-Enix. The game features characters from both Capcom and Square-Enix's videogame franchises.

Ryota Niitsuma of Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom fame will serve as the game's director. Lead designers from each company have been assigned with deigning duties for their respective brand. Final Fantasy Dissida designer Tetsuya Nomura is in charge of designs for Square-Enix's roster while Resident Evil: Revelations 2 designer Kazunori Kadoi will be designing Capcom's character models.

In the game, players select up to three characters to engage in combat and attempt to knock out their opponents. It features similar tag-team mechanics to the Marvel vs. Capcom series of fighting games to which it emulates the MT Framework engine of. Due to Capcom's 3-way partnership with Sega and Square-Enix, the game's engine will feature a blend of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Virtua Fighter 5 mechanics.

The game was released in March 2017 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo NX and Microsoft Windows. Subsequently, a Season 2, ripe with new features and DLC (characters, stages, and game modes) was released in 2018 followed by a Season 3 in 2019, further expanding the contents of the game.

Plot
After seizing control of Neo-Umbrella Headquarters, dictator M. Bison (Street Fighter) has grown more powerful than ever before. Enhanced from the deadly combination of the C-Virus and the Psycho Power already in his blood, Bison once again seeks world domination. In his endeavors, he lures Gilgamesh (Final Fantasy) to Earth through The Rift, where heroes from both the Capcom and Square-Enix worlds soon follow. With the two overlords at war with each other, they challenge the two worlds to a fighting tournament in a battle for supremacy!

Gameplay
The game replicates the 3-vs-3 tag team mechanics and 3 button system of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 using next-gen graphics. It also features 6 game modes:
 *  Arcade Mode:  Complete a unique story mode vs. a series of opponents before facing the opposing roster's Bosses. (Challenges: "Conqueror": complete Story Mode on SE's side by defeating M. Bison. "Destroyer of Worlds": complete Story Mode on Capcom's side by defeating Gilgamesh.)


 *  Versus:  Play a single match (with options of 1-v-1, 2-v-2 or 3-v-3) against an AI-controlled opponent(s) or another player.
 * Rival:  Fight each series of rival battles after selecting a side (see below). Score is tallied by each round won by the respective side. Online and 2 player offline versions also available.


 *  Survival:  Face a series of opponents in one of two modes (in Easy, Normal or Hard):
 * Lone Survivor: Face all 47-59 other characters (excluding Bosses/Sub-Bosses) from both realms back-to-back in singles matches (complete the "One Man Army" challenge upon completing).
 * Tag Team Survival: Face a continuous series of randomly-generated AI tag teams (in 2-on-2 or 3-on-3 modes) until both or all of your fighters are defeated. You replenish a small amount of health for all of your characters after completing each round.


 *  Challenge:  Face a series of battles that can only be won by completing various challenges and winning each round.
 *  Beach Elimination Catfight: Special game mode where you take control of either Square-Enix or Capcom's female roster in a special 10-v-10 (11-v-11 with Anime Pack [DLC] or both sets of unlockable bosses, 12-v-12 with both) elimination tag match set on a special beach stage! As an added bonus, all vixens are clad in bikinis.
 * Square-Enix vs. Capcom War: Online mode where you accumulate points for a chosen side dependent on who you select (2 or more characters for a particular side, highlighted by a Red Card for Square-Enix and a Blue Card for Capcom) in a weekly tournament. The host of each match gets the distinction of selecting his squad first, limiting your choices at the character select screen, i.e: if he chooses the Capcom alignment (2 or more Capcom characters), you may select no more than 1 Capcom character, and then the Capcom roster's side locks up, likewise for the host selecting 2+ SE characters.


 *  Training:  Practice and hone your skills by learning the various combos/techniques against a non-moving AI opponent.


 *  Theater:  Watch character-unlocked Story Mode cutscenes and endings and replay saved battles (online or offline).

The game's Online mode features the cross-play feature utilized in SFV, enabling PS4 users to play against each other as well as Xbox One owners. They've also instituted a new Companion App with the following features: In the game's Arcade Mode, you play through a unique story set for the first character selected for your respective side and are accompanied by your selected partners. Each character has their own unique story mode with their own set of cut scenes occurring before each battle and a mix of QTE-triggered and Beat-Em-Up style side-missions in between cut scenes for certain chapters. These stories and cut scenes are secretly connected between characters and are often crossing over into the setting of the opposing side, i.e: Lara's story has her journeying through the Arklay Mountains, where you must slay zombie dogs as the game reverts to a Beat-Em-Up arcade-style engine before your next battle. You will then enter the Spencer Mansion, where you're occasionally prompted to shoot zombies via QTEs upon infiltrating reminiscent of the first Resident Evil before running into the team of Dante/Trish, Jill/Ada and Nemesis/Wesker. Also, who you end up facing in each segment is dependent on your combination of characters with many different possible scenarios.
 *  Online: Play online against other players across the globe (matchmaking settings are set locally by region).
 *  Options: Set controller configurations, music/audio settings, subtitles, contrast settings, and other options.
 * Access the latest news such as tidbits on new patches/updates, new DLC packs, and online challenges.
 * Party up with friends and engage in a specialized chat service, set up brackets and play against each other in 1-v-1, 2-v-2 or 3-v-3 modes, or even play against others in the new online-exclusive 6-v-6 game mode, where each player controls one individual character who can be tagged or called in for assists at any time. All 6 players per side face off until a team has been eliminated.
 * Create your own character combos and search/view other players' via archived submissions.
 * Cross-Play: The Companion App also keeps registries of all users across Xbox Live and PlayStation Network in its collective database, allowing Sony and Microsoft console owners (both last and current gen) to play against each other for the first-time ever via cross-play. It's through this app can players/parties be matched with others across platforms.
 * Cross-Play Leaderboard: See how other players stack up across various systems. Cross-play has their own leaderboard and stats that are recorded separately from standard (solo) online play. You can also keep track of the winning %s between platforms.

Other Beat-Em-Up mission foes preceding actual character battles:

 Square Enix: 
 * Shinryu (Final Fantasy).
 * Follow-up opponents: Lightning (or Yuna), Yuna (or) and Cloud (or Tifa).
 * Vampires (Soul Reaver).
 * Follow-up opponents: Kain, ???, and ???.
 * Chasers (Parasite Eve).
 * Follow-up opponents: Aya Brea, ???, and ???.


 * Guerrillas (Just Cause).
 * Follow-up opponents: Rico Rodriguez, ???, and ???.


 * Trinity Assassins (Rise of the Tomb Raider).
 * Follow-up opponents: Lara Croft, ???, and ???.

 Capcom: 
 * Doombots (Marvel: Ultimate Alliance).
 * Follow-up opponents: Dr. Doom, Sephiroth, and ???.
 * Ultron Drones (Marvel: Ultimate Alliance).
 * Follow-up opponent(s): Ultron and Ultimecia (Sub-Boss Battle).
 * Bionic Soldiers (Bionic Commando).
 * Follow-up opponents: Nathan Spencer, ???, and ???.
 * Shadaloo Guards (Street Fighter).
 * Follow-up opponents: Vega (or Akuma), Seth, and ???.


 * Genma (Onimusha).
 * Follow-up opponents: Samanosuke Akechi, ??? and ???.


 * Demons (Devil May Cry).
 * Follow-up opponents: Vergil (or Dante), ???, and ???.
 * Dinosaurs (Dino Crisis [start out against a pack of velociraptors before facing the "mother" T-Rex]).
 * Follow-up opponents: Regina, ???, and ???.

It also features MvC3's "X Factor" and Score/Grade features, wherein you can unlock several game modes: The game is also complete with several new fighting mechanics:
 * Lickers (Resident Evil).
 * Follow-up opponents: Jake Muller (mind-controlled) and Doll Cammy (Sub-Boss battle).
 *  Bison Mode:  Beat Story Mode using Square-Enix characters and finish with 30,000 player points. You will then face a series of randomly-generated Square-Enix teams in a specialized Arcade mode (similar to UMvC3's Galactus Mode) controlling Mutant M. Bison, where you will unlock M. Bison's character ending after completing.
 *  Gilgamesh Mode : Beat Story Mode using Capcom characters and finishing with 30,000 player points. You get a chance to unlock Gilgamesh's character ending after completing.
 *  Boss Survival Mode:  Beat either Bison Mode and/or Gilgamesh Mode, and you'll unlock a special Boss Survival Mode, where you play in a 3-vs-3 Survival Mode featuring the boss characters. Start out controlling only one of the 2 pairs of sub-bosses in 2-on-3 battles. These turn into 3-on-1 battles once one of the sub-bosses has been KOed. Once the other sub-boss has been KOed, you control the end boss of your choice in 3-on-1 matches the rest of the way until he's been defeated. Unlike in regular Survival Mode, the boss's health meter does not replenish after each round.
 * Assist Hyper Combos/Special Moves: Certain characters will unleash assist characters as special moves. I.E: Regina will unleash dinosaurs as her special moves, one being a stampede of velociraptors that march across the screen and a single T-Rex as her main (Level 3) Special Move. The T-Rex, after biting and flinging the opponent in his mouth, will then toss him/her to the ground, causing a Ground Bounce and leaving him/her open to further attacks/combos. Likewise, Aya will unleash Chasers as one of her Specials, Nathan Spencer can call in the Buraq Armada helicopter from the 2009 game, Count Auguste (unlockable Square-Enix character from Sega) can call in Ice Queen Diane, who then throws a batch of ice daggers at the opponent as well as summon legions of bats and use them as projectiles, and Magician can summon The Emperor to throw orbs at the enemy. Also, Due to Sega's involvement on the game, Strider can call in Shinobi (Joe Musashi) for a double team/assist attack combo for one of his Hypers.
 * Hyper Aerial Slam Combos: With a full Hyper Meter, you can perform a unique Aerial Hyper Combo downwards on your opponent causing a Ground Bounce. Once back in midair, an Assist Character will then automatically drive the opponent to the ground with a special slam move after a Super Jump animation. These slams range from a Superman Punch (i.e: Jill) to a Rock Bottom (i.e: Ryu) to a Missile Dropkick (i.e: Hayato) to a twirling Body Slam (i.e: Akuma) to a Backbreaker (i.e: Nathan), or even a simple throw (i.e: Sephiroth). Others will be weapon-based, i.e: Lara drives a pick-axe into the opponent's sternum all the way to the ground while Vega asphyxiates his opponent by jamming his claws into his/her throat while performing his slam move.

You can also perform Double or Triple versions of the Hyper Aerial Slam Combo if 2 or more characters have a full Hyper Meter. To accommodate these new features, Capcom/Square-Enix have developed several new gameplay mechanics designed to help players counter "spammers" in order to promote balance:
 * Grab Combos: Combine hit combos with throws, each character having their own unique set of hits used in conjunction with throws after grabbing your opponent (2 grab combos per fighter).
 * Redistribute Energy: For the first time ever, you can redistribute health from your Assist Characters and use it to boost your Point Character's Hyper Meter. You can't, however, redistribute health to any of your characters.
 * Interactive Maps: You can knock opponents through walls, off cliffs, through trap doors, etc, leading to different parts of the map similar to the Dead or Alive series.
 * Free Reign: You can now move freely around each map, allowing you to side-step attacks, basically adopting VF/DOA/Tekken 's "free reign" style of play in conjunction with the MvC/SF MT Framework engine.
 * Stun Counters: Depending on your Hyper Meter gauge, you can now counter combos while stunned (while being hit in the middle of a combo). Cross-Over variations are also available. However, doing so will drain your Hyper Meter.
 * Wall-Gliding: When cornered, you can glide off walls to break free.
 * Hyper Counter: With a full Hyper Meter, you can counter your opponent's Hyper Combo or Special Move with a Hyper Combo/Special Move of your own by pressing Counter+Special at the right time. M. Bison's Psycho Punisher and Ultimate Psycho Crusher, however, can't be countered.
 * Cross-Over Hyper Counter: One of your Assist Characters can bail your Point Character out of an Air or Hyper Combo with a Hyper Combo/Special provided he/she has a full Hyper Meter.

Characters
Square-Enix vs. Capcom: When Worlds Collide features a base roster of 28 characters (14 per side) with 30 unlockable characters (15 per team: 3 mode-specific bosses, 10 Point-Unlock characters and 2 'special' unlockable 3rd party guest characters for each side) and 14 DLC characters (two of those being pre-order bonuses, one for each side). Of the 14 DLC characters, 4 are Sega characters licensed as Square-Enix and Capcom characters in-roster and will compromise the first batch of DLC; Shenmue 's Ryo Hazuki and Alien from the Alien(s) films and games published by Sega and Virtua Fighter 's Akira Yuki and Predator from the Fox-owned film franchise (and Sega-published Aliens vs. Predator game), respectively.

Director Ryota Niitsuma added that he intends to preserve the game's life cycle and continually add more content and characters in the coming years, replicating Killer Instinct 's model.

In addition, Marvel's Ultron, who has never been in a MvC game previously, appears as an unlockable Square-Enix sub-boss (select game modes only) fresh off the success of Avengers: Age of Ultron and SFV. Dr. Doom is also appearing as an accommodation to the magical moveset of its Final Fantasy characters. Disney also agreed to lend Square-Enix the use of Deadpool as a rival for Revy in order to tie-in Capcom's upcoming open-world Black Lagoon game based on the anime of the same name co-developed with Sega. All three will be appearing as a tribute to the now-defunct MvC series in an agreement with Disney, who own the rights to all Marvel comic book properties. Disney has also agreed to let them use their SQ-owned properties (Kingdom Hearts characters) in exchange for distributing the game.

Also, sub-bosses from Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds return, albeit separate from the respective end bosses with a cut scene (written by Square-Enix's crew) preceding each of them (as distinct from [U]MvC3), meaning all 3 of your characters return to full health before facing the end boss. In contrast, however, there is no more "disorienting" the bosses as seen in the last Capcom crossover fighting game (MvC3/UMvC3 vs. Galactus). Notes:

Fighter Pack (Season 1)
If you purchase the Fighter Pack ($30) available at launch, you'll get day 1 access to all DLC characters and skins to be released across 3 separate DLC packs throughout the year (once every 4 months):
 * Warrior Pack (DLC Pack #1):
 * Characters: Alien (Square-Enix), Predator (Capcom), Ryo Hazuki (Square-Enix), Akira Yuki (Capcom).
 * Skins: Uroboros Wesker (Capcom), Valkyrie Lightning (Square-Enix), Devil Trigger Dante (Capcom), Iron Man Armor Ultron (Square-Enix), Nelo Angelo Vergil (Capcom), Crossbones Armor Dr. Doom (Square-Enix).


 * Gunner Pack (DLC Pack #2):
 * Characters: Wanzer Zenith (Square-Enix), PTX-140R (Capcom), Hazasuki Tohru (Square-Enix), Wayne Holden (Capcom).
 * Skins: P30 Jill (Capcom), Angel of Darkness Lara (Square-Enix), RE6 Ada (Capcom), Dress Aya (Square-Enix), R.P.D. Leon (Capcom), Thief Yuna (Square-Enix).


 * Anime Pack (DLC Pack #3):
 * Characters: Blair (Square-Enix), Lilith (Capcom), Gyrozetter (Square-Enix), Falcon (Capcom).
 * Skins: Bayonetta Trish (Capcom), Dissidia Ultimecia (Square-Enix), Bikini Morrigan (Capcom), Prophet Magus (Square-Enix), Black Dress Chun-Li (Capcom), Heartsuit Riku (Square-Enix).

Season 2

 * Characters: Nier (Square-Enix), Asura (Capcom), Wei Shen (Square-Enix), Batsu Ichimonji (Capcom), Simon Barzahd (Square-Enix), Phoenix Wright (Capcom), Hana Tsu-Vachel (Square-Enix), Vanessa Z. Schneider (Capcom), Edward Elric (Square-Enix), Nilin (Capcom), General Esdeath (Square-Enix), C. Viper (Capcom).
 * Features:
 * Tag Meter: After obtaining a full Tag Meter, you can control 2 point characters simultaneously for a short period of time until it goes empty. However, doing so will drain both fighter's Hyper Meter.
 * Updated Bikini Mode: Vanessa, Hana, C. Viper and Esdeath have been added to Bikini mode, expanding it to a fully-realized 14-v-14 elimination tag mode.
 * New sub-bosses: Saddler (Resident Evil 4) and Guard Scorpion (Final Fantasy) have been added as new sub-bosses, the first of which you will fight before facing the end boss. Arcade mode will now have 2 sub-bosses: Sub-Boss A and Sub-Boss B and undergo the following format:
 * Character intro (start character)
 * Fight #1
 * Fight #2
 * Cutscene
 * Action-Battle Side-Mission #1
 * Fight #3
 * Action-Battle Side-Mission #2
 * Fight #4
 * Fight #5
 * Fight #6
 * Rival Battle
 * Sub-Boss A
 * Sub-Boss B
 * Boss Battle
 * Game Modes:
 * Scramble: Fight a series of 2-on-2 battles with 4 fighters fighting simultaneously.
 * Pandora: Special game mode where, when one of your characters' life meter reaches 25%, you can sacrifice one of your partners to activate Pandora, increasing your point character's power substantially. However, his/her health continuously drains as long as he/she is an active fighter. He/she can be swapped in and out with your other character to replenish an unlimited supply of health. If you fail to KO your remaining opponent(s) while active, he/she is defeated.
 * Demons: A special hack n' slash game mode where you battle a continuous string of Pandora-powered demons in the form of timed "levels", similar to Call of Duty 's famous "Zombies" mode. Navigate through stages, unlock sealed doors (either with hidden keys or collectable currency), purchase/upgrade weapons and other essentials, including Devil Trigger-activating Devil Arms and health-replenishing Vital Stars with collectable red orbs after slaying demons similar to DMC. Much like CoD Zombies, demons grow more powerful, aggressive, and swarm in larger numbers as you advance through each timed "level". In addition, you may also perform Marvel/Square-Enix vs. Capcom-styled Hyper Combos after obtaining a full Hyper Meter. You are graded by score after dying.
 * Stages: Hong Kong (Shen), Taiyo High School (Batsu), Engsha (Jensen), Paris Chateau (Agent 47).

Season 3

 * Characters: Chuji-Wu (Square-Enix), Captain Commando (Capcom), Volt Krueger (Square-Enix), Mike Haggar (Capcom), Vindicator (Square-Enix), Monster Hunter (Capcom), Natasha Borzenkova (Square-Enix), Poison (Capcom), Larxene (Square-Enix), Ruby Heart (Capcom), Aqua (Square-Enix), Francizka Von Karma (Capcom).
 * Features:
 * Bikini Mode Update (V2): Poison, Natasha, Larxene, Ruby Heart, Aqua and Francizka have been added to the Bikini Mode rogue gallery, expanding its roster to a maximum of 17 female fighters per side.
 * Rage Meter-In addition to a Hyper Meter, each fighter is now also equipped with a combo-driven Rage Meter in all game modes. With a full Rage Meter (after a 50+ hit combo), you can "evolve" your character. These range from a simple Satsui No Hado form to a character-specific evolved form on your point character for select fighters. During this time, your point character's Hyper Meter stagnates at level 5 and you can consistently hit Hyper Combos and Special Moves with said character without penalty for the remainder of the fight. In addition, all attacks will see a 15% increase in damage while active. He/she will return back to his/her "normal" form after advancing to the next fight, however.
 * 4-on-4 battles: Arcade battles now take on a 4-v-4 tag battle format with your squad's alliance being assigned by your starting character's squad. The option for 1-v-1, 2-v-2, 3-v-3 or 4-v-4 matches are available in Arcade, Versus and various Online Modes.
 * Game Modes:
 * Tower of Doom: Game mode from Darkstalkers 4 (which is, in itself, inspired by MKX). Work your way throughvarious random bosses in a tower with challenges and match conditions getting in the way.
 * Heroes and Heralds: Attack the earth as Mutant Bison's heralds or defend it as earth's heroes while unlocking special ability cards. Examples of special abilities gained: temporary invisibility via combo-driven "cloaking" meter, enhanced agility, faster combos, reduced hitstun, etc. Available offline and online.
 * Zombies: Select one fighter and fight a series of zombified versions of the opposing side's characters in a race to find a cure. Enter the other team's facility and launch a satellite after synthesizing an antidote during which time, you must fend off swarms of Zombies while waiting to launch. They retain all the human counterpart's intelligence with a slight boost in power and the ability to infect your character. The Gem System from Street Fighter X Tekken makes a comeback, giving you in-fight power-ups after completing certain conditions in battle. The combinations of certain Gems can either cure an infection (such as Y+B), greatly replenish health (O+Y), or both with a marginal health increase (O+Y). In additon, like Heroes and Heralds mode, there's a grid of several different stages, each highlighting a rate of infection. Fighters from your alignment may also become infected, either during off-screen battles against Zombie combatants or by infected civilians. You can either choose to cure him/her at the cost of Gems or proceed at the cost of him/her turning against you as a Zombie. Also, enemy Zombie fighters in other parts of the grid grow more powerful the longer they remain active via Gems. You are graded by time of completion and overall infection rate after completing.
 * Stages: The Coliseum (Esdeath), Aensland Castle (Morrigan), Eden (Lightning), Central Highway (Mega Man).

Bosses
The bosses in question are determined by who you select in Arcade Mode. If you select 2 of more Square-Enix characters, you face Capcom's set of bosses: a P30 mind-controlled Jake Muller and Doll Cammy who, thanks to the T-Veronica Virus experimentation done to her at the hands of M. Bison, is able to wield unlimited Psycho Power through the P30 device on her chest after linking it to the Psycho Drive (both are donning the red P30 mind-control device seen in Resident Evil 5). This is immediately followed by a now-mutant M. Bison wielding both the C-Virus and Psycho Energy's power simultaneously.

Conversely, if you select 2 or more Capcom characters, you fight SE's bosses: Marvel's Ultron and Final Fantasy 's Ultimecia as a prelude to Gilgamesh (Final Fantasy XII).

To compensate for the "3-on-1 full health advantage", each boss will also be much more "aggressive" than in any previous Capcom fighting game, MvC or otherwise, i.e: M. Bison frequently uses his Knee Press Nightmare combo, Psycho Inferno, Psycho Blast and Ultimate Psycho Crusher in rapid succession, each of those being "super-powered" versions of the moves that are so powerful, they leave a giant trial of flaming Psycho Energy, distorting the air around him. He's also equipped with a telekinetic grab move via his new C-Virus powers, wrapping the opponent in vines and violently tossing him/her back and forth with harnessed Psycho Energy, causing a Ground Bounce and leaving him/her further exposed to damage. Gilgamesh, meanwhile, has various grab and special moves where he stabs/slashes his opponents with many or all of his blade hands, also causing a huge background flash effect in doing so.

Both bosses are also prone to countering Flight Screens and Aerial Exchanges while having a Health Meter that stretches all the way across the screen, i.e: M. Bison will often counter Aerial Combos with a throw into a telekinetic field of Psycho Energy and hit an Ultimate Psycho Crusher into it on the Ground Bounce, forming a raging cyclone of Psycho Power on impact and causing much additional damage in the process.

'Point-Unlock' System
Capcom and Sega have adapted a new 'Point-Unlock' system. You are assigned a level rank that goes up after earning XP, similar to Call of Duty. You earn XP points through your Playerscore tallied at the end of each battle. However, these XP points can be supplemented by bonus points. Additional XP points are earned a number of different ways:
 * Advancing in Letter Rank online.
 * Completing challenges, including various character and online mode-specific achievements, i.e: New King in Town: dethrone the champion in King of the Hill, Last Man Standing: carry your team to victory while being the last remaining fighter on your team in Mosh Pit. You also get various achievements for winning __ matches in a row and for beating a holder of such a streak, thereby ending it. Additionally, all characters have their own challenge for using each of their individual Hyper Combos and for each of their character ending unlocks, meaning you're rewarded for using a variety of different characters.
 * Winning ranked matches online-You earn a 15% bump in points by winning a ranked cross-play match.
 * Being part of the winning squad in 'Square Enix vs. Capcom War' (online) mode-This is determined by the number of Red and Blue Cards you use while playing this mode online. If you've played the majority of your 'War' matches with a Red Card (Square-Enix team) or vice versa, you will be awarded XP points should they win the weekly tournament. Winners awarded 10,500 XP points.

You start out with a base roster of 28 characters, or 14 per side which can be bumped up to 21 per team (base roster of 42) by pre-ordering the game and purchasing the Fighter Pack (Season Pass). By gradually ranking up (from Lv1 to a max rank of Lv50), you unlock more characters (Point-Unlock Characters), similar to Street Fighter V's Currency System. This is m eant to incentivize widespread use of characters, DLC and online play (as you'll rank up faster via online battles), particularly its trademark 'War' mode and patented cross-play feature between platforms and add to the game's replayability. You can unlock up to 20 point-unlock characters (10 per team), or 2 for every 5 Player Levels.
 * Lv5: Rico Rodriguez & Nathan Spencer
 * Lv10: Riku & Zero (Mega Man X)
 * Lv15: Maka & Moka
 * Lv20: Raziel & Samanosuke
 * Lv25: Dr. Doom & Seth
 * Lv30: Kain & Nemesis
 * Lv35: Sora & Akuma
 * Lv40:  Aya & Regina
 * Lv45: Magus & Demitri
 * Lv50: Sephiroth & Vergil

Stages
Capcom:
 * Arklay Mountains
 * Knock-down bonus: Level players into a cave or down a waterfall.
 * Spencer Mansion
 * Knock-down bonus: Level players through various doors and onto the staircase above (Aerial/Hyper Combo or Special Move), potentially leading to more trap doors.
 * New York City
 * Knock-down bonus: Level players through a smashed skyscraper window many feet below.
 * Fortuna Castle
 * Knock-down bonus: Level players through the balcony many feet onto the bridge below.
 * Inabayama Castle
 * Knock-down bonus: Level players through the door into the field below.
 * Jurassic Era Research Facility
 * Knock-down bonus: Level players into a laboratory with caged dinos inside (NOTE: when cornered against them, they will bite and toss you many feet across the map for damage).
 * China
 * Knock-down bonus: Level players into a bistro or dojo, venture or knock opponents into a side street.


 * Queen Zenobia (ship)
 * Knock-down bonus: Knock players off of rails into lower deck areas and through trap doors leading to various rooms.

Square-Enix:
 * Neo-Umbrella Headquarters (Final Stage)
 * Knock-down bonus:You can knock players into a generator, causing extra damage, and onto a catwalk above (3 flight combos).
 * Airship
 * Knock-down bonus: Level players into a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier (interior via windows many feet below.


 * Military Airport
 * Knock-down bonus: Level players into one of various hangars.


 * The Abyss
 * Knock-down bonus: Level players into the ravine below.


 * Midgar
 * Knock-down bonus: Knock players into the Shinra Headquarters (bottom floor) and onto the surrounding scaffolds and building rooftops.


 * Saint Thomas Church
 * Knock-down bonus: Level players through the doors into the city streets.


 * Croft Manor
 * Knock-down bonus: Level players onto the staircase above (Flight/Hyper Combo/Special Move), who can then be knocked into the pool area below (through the nearby catwalk), even the pool itself (will cause a rift effect that'll drain the pool on impact)!


 * Latveria Doom Bot Factory
 * Knock-down bonus: Level players (through the windows) into the Latverian city streets below.


 * Valhalla (Final Stage)
 * Knock-down bonus: Level players off the giant bridge into the city streets below (Gilgamesh will compound this with an energy-siphoning Double Foot Stomp).

Development
In recent years, Capcom has been aiming at maximizing profits and cutting costs due to their dire financial situation. With Capcom's highly-popular Marvel vs. Capcom license having expired due to Disney's acquisition of Marvel, the success of the rebooted Tomb Raider franchise-including the awaited sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider-and Street Fighter 5 with it's innovative crossplay feature, and Capcom's relationship with the company, Capcom reached out to Square-Enix, and signed a deal for a new series of crossover fighting games featuring Capcom and Square-Enix-licensed characters. Much like Sony with Street Fighter 5, Square-Enix has agreed to co-fund any Square Enix vs. Capcom fighting games. In addition, they've also decided to bring over the hugely-popular cross-play feature between platforms.

Interestingly enough, this game had been hinted at for several years as a Street Fighter V ad was seen donning the Square-Enix copyright at the Tapei Gameshow in 2015. What started out as an accidental leak turned into a money-making machine for many parties involved. The very first teaser trailer featured Dino Crisis ' Regina in an open field with dinosaurs after opening with the Capcom logo, capitalizing on the success of Jurassic World when "something" sets off the nearby alarms. They then cut to the inside of the now-compromised control center, where they show the back of a silhouetted gun-toting blonde woman before fading out with the Square-Enix logo and copyright. This led to rampant speculation for months on end.

E3 2016 Trailer (second trailer)
This hype train was capsized at E3 2016, where a new promo hyping Lara Croft vs. Jill Valentine was teased. The two are eventually seen wielding guns at each other on top of BSAA Headquarters. They begin fighting, but are soon cut off by Wesker. It then cuts to Nate Spencer shooting at a running Rico Rodriguez on top of a skyscraper and thereafter leaping at him when "something" destroys his chopper. An energy-covered silhouette then flies around panned shots of a dueling Chrono and Ryu (which cuts away at Ryu unleashing a Hadouken), Dante and Cloud Strife, Sephiroth and Vergil, Sora and Akuma, Dr. Doom and Seth in an energy-charged exchange, Morrigan battling Zero and Soul Eater 's Maka Albarn attacking Capcom fighting newcomer Moka Akashiya with her scythe in a battle of manga characters. Moka counters with a backflip kick. She then utters her signature "know your place" catchphrase as the clip freeze frames at her raised foot, then cuts away just after she delivers a ground-shattering Demon Kick.

After getting a 360 panoramic view of all these intense rival battles, the flying silhouetted figure crash-lands on top of the BSAA HQ where Lara and Jill are both getting manhandled by Wesker (just as it happened in RE5's "Lost in Nightmares" chapter). Wesker turns around to a surfacing Ultron rising in the flames right before it cuts to the Square-Enix vs. Capcom logo with the caption "The Ultimate Fighting Experience: Coming Holiday 2017 on PS4, XB1 and PC" appearing below it.

Following the insane applause from the crowd, they're treated to one final clip of Jill regrouping when "something" runs past her off-screen (reflected by a shadow running by her) and the subsequent flashing of the Sega logo in an easter egg, further fueling the hype train.

In getting the OK from Disney, who owns various Square-Enix properties (namely their Kingdom Hearts characters) to use Dr. Doom and Ultron, Capcom's licensing relationship with Sony on SFV inspired them to reach out to snag a couple of their old IPs who've butted heads multiple times across various mediums: Alien and Predator from Capcom's Alien vs. Predator Arcade on SNES. Now owned by Sega, who are likewise looking to build on their Shenmue brand after selling the rights to Yu Suzuki for Shenmue III, Capcom seized the rights to these characters and more as part of what would become a long-term collaborative effort between the 4 companies.

Kickstarter Campaign (third trailer)
Days after Square-Enix vs. Capcom was revealed as the new Capcom-Square crossover IP hinted at in the first teaser trailer, a Kickstarter Trailer was leaked online. With Sega co-developing the game's engine along with Capcom's team and Cloud Strife coming to Super Smash Bros. 4 as a DLC character in an agreement between Square-Enix and Nintendo, a kickstarter campaign trailer was launched in which they promised to bring Samus Aran and Bayonetta to the game's playable roster and a Nintendo NX port of the game if they met their crowdfunding goal of $1.5 mil before Comic Con in July. Producer Ryota Niitsuma later clarified that any additional money crowdfunded through the kickstarter project would potentially go towards creating additional content, including, but not limited to, extra game modes.

San Diego Comic Con 2016 (fourth trailer)
At SDCC 2016, they revealed a fourth promo, teasing not only the return of Regina and Aya Brea and Alien and Predator along with a successful kickstarter campaign, but Shenmue 's Ryo and Virtua Fighter 's Akira as well, making it the most-hyped fighter ever. Picking up where the second (and first "full") teaser picked off, Jill runs into Alien, who's then being observed fighting it through first person infrared vision. It then cuts to Regina riding a T-Rex to attack Aya, who unleashes her signature mitochondria powers, Ryo and Akira fighting, Lost Planet's PTX-140R battling Wanzer Zenith in a battle of mechs (which cuts away just after Zenith fights back and launches missiles at the PTX-140R), and Bayonetta leaping over the charging trios of Dante-Trish-Vergil and Cloud-Lightning-Sephiroth to attack a Zero Suit-clad Samus as they begin fighting, revealing that they met their kickstarter goal. It then fades back to Jill being pinned down by Alien, who holds its agape mouth with her hands as it tries to devour her, drooling saliva in her face only to be stalked by none other than archrival Predator, who lets out familiar cackles before warping in front of the Xenomorph to face him head-on following a camouflage effect. The screen then fades to black as the two foes charge at each other, announcing NX, PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of the game.

They then went on to announce a Fighter Pack with the following advertisement after fading out: "Purchase the Fighter Pack, and get early access to these and more DLC character and skin packs." Dante in his Devil Trigger form shortly appears along with Wesker in his Uro monster state, Vergil in his Nelo Angelo suit, Lightning in Valkyrie armor, Ultron in Iron Man armor, and a Crossbones-plaited Dr. Doom skin (Dr. Doom in black Crossbones armor and Crossbones-styled Doom mask), compromising the first wave of DLC skins.

Tokyo Game Show 2016 (fifth trailer)
In a deal benefiting both parties, Capcom held a panel along with Sega president/CEO Haruki Satomi at the 2016 Tokyo Game Show. A special announcement/teaser trailer was aired of a new open-world, GTA-style third person shooter game developed by Capcom and Sega based on the Black Lagoon anime coming out Holiday 2017. Square-Enix CEO, Phil Rogers then took the stage along with Disney CEO Bob Iger, Xbox division head Phil Spencer and Sony CEO Kaz Hirai, plugging in Square-Enix vs. Capcom by announcing the game would feature cross-play between Xbox One and PlayStation 4 users. They then showed a "rival" teaser, pitting Black Lagoon 's Revy against Marvel's Deadpool in exclusive SEvC gameplay footage before announcing the two as special pre-order bonuses.

After the screen faded to black, Satomi and Niitsuma revealed that the game would include an (unlockable) exclusive Black Lagoon gameplay trailer, granting buyers of the game early access to the first full trailer of the upcoming Black Lagoon game (to be publicly revealed at E3 2017) after completing the Story Mode. In addition, Satomi revealed that those who complete the game also get access to two special unlockable characters extending across all game modes (online included), revealing Vampire Night 's Count Auguste for Square-Enix and House of the Dead 's Magician for Capcom in a third promo package. Each will be playable in all game-modes (except the unlockable boss-exclusive game modes) after completing the Story Mode for their respective side.

Unlockables
The game is ripe unlockables, in which the player will be notified at the main menu screen upon completing certain tasks in the game's Story/Arcade Moe via the game's Companion App system. The game mode containing said unlockable will be highighted with a text bubble informing the player will appear on screen, i.e: "Theater Mode: You Have _ New Unlockable(s)" for every character ending, hidden trailer and character Story cutscene unlocked, and "Arcade/Survival Mode: You have _ New Unlockable(s)" for every unlocked game mode and character in either Arcade or Survival.
 * Samus Aran (Metroid)-Complete Story Mode with the team of Cloud, Lightning and Sephiroth.


 * Bayonetta (Bayonetta)-Complete Story Mode with the team of Dante, Trish and Vergil.


 * Count Auguste (Vampire Night) special bonus character and stage ("The Chateau")-Complete Story Mode on Hard or Very Hard using 2 or more Square-Enix characters.
 * The Chateau is a reimaginining of Count Auguste's throne stage in the Sega/Namco rail shooter, Vampire Night.
 * The Magician (House of the Dead) special bonus character and stage ("The House")-Complete Story Mode on Hard or Very Hard using 2 or more Capcom characters.
 * As the name suggests, The House is a high-tech, futuristic rendition of the titular Curien Mansion from the original House of the Dead.
 * Bison Mode-Complete the game with 2 or more Square-Enix characters and finishing with a score of 300,000 or more.
 * Gilgamesh Mode-Complete the game's Story Mode with 2 or more Capcom characters and finishing with a 300,000+ score.
 * Boss Survival-Successfully complete either of the special "boss" Modes. NOTE: You must complete both in order to be able to choose from both sets of bosses in the Character Select screen.
 * Black Lagoon early gameplay trailer (Theater Mode)-Complete Story Mode.
 * Black Lagoon playable demo-Successfully unlock after unlocking Revy's character ending, i.e: by defeating the end boss (be it Gilgamesh or Mutant M. Bison) while controlling Revy.
 * Special "hidden" game trailer-Complete the game with Magician after unlocking him. You will then get Magician's character ending featuring Jill which will then cut to a "hidden" game trailer. Jill and her fellow BSAA partner, Chris Redfield are seen talking with AMS Agents G and Kate Green in cutscenes before cutting to game clips of Green blasting Tyrants, Lickers, and other BOWs and Jill shooting HOTD-styled zombies using its familiar light-gun engine. It then cuts to one last shot of Alex Wesker in her white uni before the Resident Evil X House of the Dead logo flashes across the screen followed by the ominous "Coming First to Arcade 2018" advertisement. NOTE: This trailer will only roll the first time you watch Magician's character ending and you can rewatch in Theater Mode if you desire.
 * Beach Elimination Catfight Mode-Unlock Samus or Bayonetta's character ending.
 * Rival Mode-Unlock all Point-Unlock characters.

Companion App E-mail
Another unique feature to the game's Companion App system is its use of e-mails, wherein it will notify you of online challenges and other features, reverting to a laptop screen to view them. It is through this feature that the game will inform you of various unlockables and how to obtain them, either through simple text messages or ominous videos that pop up.
 * (After unlocking Vergil and Sephiroth as Point-Unlock characters) ZeroSuit1287 @CloudStrife @LightningFarron @Sephiroth: "You guys think you have what it takes to rock this Zero Suit? Meet me after the Square-Enix vs. Capcom fighting tournament to find out!" 
 * (After unlocking Samus) Bayo669 @Dante @Trish @Vergil: "You sly devils want a little 3's company action after taking this tournament?"
 * (After completing Arcade Mode with a Red Card for the first time) (Video message) Silhouetted Figure: "So this is our destiny... I knew some day, this day would come. The fate of light and shadow. To live as a vampire, as an immortal, how I have suffered. Where there is light, there is shadow. What my heart desired, you are my shadow! Let us settle this once and for all! What we started 300 years ago! This battle is for my devoted followers!" Text message: who was the sender of this ominous message? Complete Arcade Mode on Hard using a Red Card (Square-Enix squad) to find out!
 * (After completing Arcade Mode with a Blue Card for the first time) (Video message) Silhouetted figure: "I've been waiting for this time to come. You have no future. Either I get you... or the Emperor will. Either way, your fate is in our hands!" Text message: who was the sender of this ominous message? Complete Arcade Mode on Hard using a Blue Card (Capcom squad) to find out!

Trivia

 * The game is rated 'M' due to the Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Dino Crisis, Onimusha, Bionic Commando, Just Cause and Parasite Eve side-missions in the game's Story Mode, all mirroring their respective game counterparts.
 * With the inclusion of these missions, Capcom's famous "This Game Contains Scenes of Explicit Violence and Gore" warning message/screen appears when you first load the game up. Producer Ryota Niitsuma included this as a throwback to these classic titles.
 * The success of SF5's PS4-v-PC cross-play feature is largely credited with MS head Phil Spencer agreeing to allow cross-play between Sony consoles.
 * Capcom's strong relationship with Sony and Square's strong relationship with Microsoft is also said to have played a role not only in the game being released multiplatform, but in the cross-platform play between XB1 and PS4 being enabled.
 * Alex Wesker (Resident Evil: Revelations 2) is included as an alternate skin for Albert Wesker (captioned and announced as simply "Wesker" in-game to avoid confusion).
 * Bosses/sub-bosses can only be played in their respective unlockable boss game modes, in Vs. Mode and in Rivals Mode after being unlocked.
 * Magician's stage (The House) contains a remixed version of Magician's Theme from the House of the Dead series playing in the background.
 * Count Auguste's stage (The Chateau) contains a remixed version of Auguste Battle, his 2nd theme that plays while fighting his 2nd (bat) form form in the final stage of Vampire Night.
 * Sega AM2 is responsible for character designs, animations, and stages for their guest characters, including Revy, who is owned by both Sega and Capcom for the Black Lagoon game.
 * Count Auguste's and Magician's voice messages are their speeches preceeding the end battle of Vampire Night and House of the Dead 2, respectively.
 * Samus' Power Suit is available as an alternate skin.
 * This marks the very first non-Nintendo-licensed game where Samus Aran appears as a playable character.
 * In Ryu's character ending vs. Samus, he utters, "You're no worse for wear from the last time we met", implying that both titular company's involvement in SSB4 via DLC (Capcom's Ryu and Square's Cloud Strife) was instrumental in bringing Samus over as a guest character for Square-Enix along with the Kickstarter campaign while also hinting at a shared universe between the three characters.
 * Moka utters her signature catch phrase before 2 of her Hypers, delivering a low-pitched "know your place" before her Demon Kick and shouting "YOU SHOULD KNOW YOUR PLACE!" before her Hyper 3 combo, ironically named after her catch phrase ("Know Your Place").
 * Rosario + Vampire 's Moka Akashiya was rumored to be planned for Marvel vs. Capcom 3, but was ditched at the last second due to concerns about her marketability. This marks her very first Capcom fighting game appearance.
 * Aya-me's appearance in Project X Zone as an unplayable boss was instrumental in her being added to the Square-Enix roster as a rival guest character for Morrigan due to Sega and Capcom's involvement in both games.