We recently heard about a new game that was on it’s way to Dave & Busters arcade locations around the country, a 1v1 fighting game with a big license by the name of Marvel: Contest of Champions. Today, we have some media and details to share with you about this card vending video game as it officially launches at the chain’s 122 North American locations.
As mentioned in the first story about this, Contest of Champions has existed as a mobile game since 2013, but the arcade version looks to stand above that thanks to the arcade cabinet and card vending features. Let’s start with the game cabinet, then go from there:
As you can see from that image, the game cabinet is similar to what Raw Thrills used with Injustice Arcade, with some notable differences. First off, you’ve got joysticks, something that was not used in Injustice. This gives the game a different dynamic on how it plays, and gives us a “proper” 1v1 fighting game that fans of that genre look for. While it has four action buttons per player, with two large buttons next to the card readers. Here is a very brief teaser trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boqSJIR11l4
Per the press release below, a company by the name of Kabam is involved with the software. The game has been re-balanced for arcade play and to offer a 2p local mode, but beyond that you’ll have to go and play it to see how it works.
UPDATE: I received more information on the production of this game and what that means regarding the sales status. You might recall that there are certain games that have been Dave & Busters exclusives such as Spider-Man Homecoming, Star Trek card/coin pusher, and Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Robots. Marvel: Contest of Champions falls under the same category, with D&B serving as the publisher of the title – they came up with the idea for the concept and have been funding it through the various development stages, using partners in the industry to bring it to fruition. Fortunately if you are in North America, there are 122 locations that will have it (and presumably any new D&B locations that open in the near future), so it won’t be impossible to find.
Over 70 collectible & unique cards can be obtained from the machine, with more to come down the road. Here are some renders of the fronts & backs of a few of those cards:
Then we have the press release itself; before that, what do you think about this game? I’m curious to hear expectations, as Injustice by all reports has done quite well on earnings, despite being very casual from a gameplay perspective.
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DAVE & BUSTER’S AND KABAM PARTNER TOGETHER FOR ALL-NEW MARVEL CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS ARCADE GAME
Award-Winning Mobile Brawler Now Playable in 122 Locations in North American
VANCOUVER, CANADA – FEB. 14, 2019 – Kabam, a world leader of developing entertaining, immersive, and highly social multiplayer games for mobile devices, and Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. announced they are partnering together to release an arcade version of the award-winning mobile fighting game Marvel Contest of Champions and it is launching today in North America. Marvel Contest of Champions’ arcade version is co-developed by renowned arcade video game developers Raw Thrills.
Starting now, anyone that visits one of Dave & Buster’s 122 high-volume restaurant and entertainment complexes in North America can play against others with their favorite Marvel Super Heroes. By starting a new game, attendees will earn a new Champion Card and duel against their opponent. With over 70 Champions to collect – and more being added soon – players can build their roster of fan-favorite Marvel Champions and fight against the computer or friends in real-time. Fans can get a first look at the arcade version here.
Marvel Contest of Champions is a mobile arcade-style fighting game that goes beyond the films and dives deep into the Marvel Universe. Super Heroes and Super Villains from Marvel’s Avengers, The Defenders, X-Men, Inhumans, Guardians of the Galaxy, and more battle it out in iconic Marvel locations in an epic storyline that stays true to classic Marvel storytelling. Immediately following its launch in December 2014, Marvel Contest of Champions was awarded the App Store’s Editors’ Choice.
For more information and the latest updates, visit www.playcontestofchampions.com or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/marvelcontestofchampions. Also, follow Marvel Contest of Champions on Twitter and Instagram at @MarvelChampions
About Kabam
Kabam is a world leader of massively multiplayer games for mobile devices. High quality Kabam is a world leader of developing entertaining, immersive, and highly social multiplayer games for mobile devices. They merge consumer behavior with the art of game design to create experiences that are enjoyed by millions of players across the globe. Each game has raised the benchmark in mobile gaming, bringing high-quality graphics, next-generation technology and revolutionary gameplay to the console in every player’s pocket.
Kabam has partnered with leading entertainment brands like Disney, Hasbro and Universal to create mobile games based on some of the world’s most iconic franchises.
Kabam’s games have generated hundreds of millions of downloads including Fast & Furious 6: The Game, Fast & Furious: Legacy, Marvel Contest of Champions and Transformers: Forged to Fight. These games have also received multiple awards such as Apple’s Editor’s Choice and Google Play’s Best Game of the Year.
Founded in 2006, Kabam has studios and offices in Vancouver, San Francisco and Austin, Texas. The company has doubled in size year over year since opening and currently has more than 350 employees. Kabam is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Netmarble Games.
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media. For more information visit marvel.com. © 2019 MARVEL
About Dave & Buster’s
Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLAY), headquartered in Dallas, Texas, operates 122 high-volume restaurant/entertainment complexes throughout North America. The exciting environment of Dave & Buster’s also provides the perfect setting for corporate and group events. Each Dave & Buster’s offers an impressive selection of high-quality food and beverage items, combined with the latest games and attractions. Guests can watch sporting events in the D&B Sports Bar and play state-of-the-art simulators and games of skill they can’t play anywhere else. For more information, visit daveandbusters.com.
About Netmarble Corporation
Netmarble Corporation strives to entertain audiences of all ages around the world by providing great mobile gaming experiences. Established in Korea in 2000, Netmarble is the fastestgrowing mobile game company and consistently ranks as a top mobile developer and publisher worldwide. With more than 4,000 employees, Netmarble has been producing and servicing some of the most successful mobile games including Lineage 2: Revolution, MARVEL Future Fight, Everybody’s Marble, and Seven Knights. As a parent company to Kabam, a top mobile game developer in massively multiplayer free-to-play games, and the largest shareholder to Jam City, a leading casual social game developer, Netmarble has a strategic partnership with CJ E&M Corporation, Asia’s largest entertainment company, Tencent Holdings, Asia’s largest internet company, and NCsoft, a prominent MMORPG company. More information can be found at http://company.netmarble.com
MEDIA CONTACT Steven Kunz / Susan Yin Rogers & Cowan for Kabam 310-854-8121 kabam@rogersandcowan.com
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Current thoughts: A mobile port is not ideal. I’d rather have something original. However, it LOOKS like a decent fighting game, and that has me really excited. I’m gonna try out the mobile version just to get a feel for what’s it like.
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I’m indifferent to the card-collecting aspect, but I’m sure it adds to the appeal. As long as there are settings for “Winner Stays, Loser Pays” (for free games), I’m happy. Most Injustice and Cruis’n Blast cabs are set to not allow free games. It makes me feel robbed.
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If it’s fun and there’s plenty of content, I’m more than willing to support this game. (Especially arcade-exclusive content.) But if it’s another Super Bikes 3…no thanks.
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As spiteful as it sounds, I hope that Contest of Champions–pending it’s a real fighting game–is vastly more popular than Injustice Arcade. I still can’t over that game’s existence.
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Really hoping this isn’t a Dave and Buster’s exclusive if it is actually good. I’ve grown a little…weary of D&B’s power over the industry.
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On a more positive note, I hope this is a solid fighting game! If so, we’ll have another proud Raw Thrills genre revival to sit alongside TMNT!
It is confirmed as a D&B exclusive – imagine if Dave & Busters was a game console, MCoC would be their Halo or Super Mario Bros. (their 1st party IP) They hired the different partners involved to create this game, as opposed to a company like RT putting it together and approaching D&B with it; funded all aspects of development, and the license also keeps it under their belt.
you basically said most of what I was about to say lol but I really hope its nothing like injustice is where you play and its game over so soon. as much as I like raw thrills games they’re not very generous and fair with how they set their games length of play. the last fair game from them was jurassic park but after that all the games are impossible to play unless you continue. I hope this game is more fair like how most games used to and should be.
how come this game weren’t shown at any trade shows arcadehero?
So I played this at my local Dave & Buster’s today, and I have mixed feelings for it.
Now before I get I to it, I’ve never played the original mobile game, so this was my first time playing.
With that said, when. I came across this cabinet, I was shocked to see a “fighting” game inside Dave & Buster’s. I was really shocked to see that there were actually arcade joysticks on the machine. I got excited, and I IMMEDIATELY jumped in to see how it was played.
The experience for me was a positive one, however there can be some changes. The gameplay itself is alot more close to a traditional fighting game than injustice was. there are some differences about movement compared to a traditional fighter. I actually dont mind the change up. It makes the game unique on that aspect. I like the light, medium, and heavy buttons played out in a 3 button format. The super button is big, but I dont mind it at all, it actually fits well. As for testing out the moves, I didnt get to test everything due to my one MAIN GRIPE about the game.
I dont like how you only get one match -best 2 rounds out of 3 off one credit. Your playthrough is done after one match, and you must pay again to play another. In traditional fighters, you get like 8 rounds with increasing difficulty, including a boss battle at the end. That feels like I get my credit worth of play. You can lose on any stage, and would have to add another credit to continue. A 2nd player can jump in at anytime, so why not have 4 to 6 rounds or so if you’re playing solo.
Also, you cant choose your characters I’d you dont have the card for them. So if you’re starting off from scratch, you get randomize 3 character team. And you cant choose the order in which you play them in. On top of that, you get a card after your playthrough, however you dont get a card of any of the characters you played with on that playthrough. What you get is pretty random. Now this is a 50/50 situation due to the collectable cards. I dont like how random it is, however, it’s almost like buying a pack of pokemon/yugioh cards and not knowing what you’re going to get. Using what you’ve been felt with to improve your deck or set. I do kinda like that, but one card being random including the characters at random is just iffy for me. It’s not that big of a deal however. The one match is the biggest gripe I have.
Other than that, it’s interesting. Fighting games have been becoming a little experimental with the gameplay now a days. Things like dive kick, fantasy strike, rising thunder, power stone, snk heroines, and even super smash bros. have simple inputs compared to traditional fighters. so the mechanics in this one is welcoming.
Excuse my typos and poor paragraph spacing. I was writing this on my phone on a trip back home from out of town. Couldn’t see everything I was writing, so I didnt double check.
I’m glad you shared that, Darkshortyx, because I was seriously considering going to Dave and Buster’s to try it. Now I know I don’t have to. It may be much more traditional fighting game–which I am in full support of–but it certainly doesn’t seem perfect, based on your account.
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How nice of Dave and Buster’s to force players off the machine after just one match…/s
Sounds like most of the people commenting don’t even play the mobile game and don’t realize how big this is for the community of that game… I’m excited for it no matter how it plays. You want the full experience. DOWNLOAD THE GAME
I just played it today. I’m a big fan of card collecting and love marvel so that aspect of the game is pretty sweet. I really wouldn’t call it a fighting game because the joystick really doesn’t do much. You just mash the buttons. It’s just the mobile game in a cabinet. I would not go out of your way to play it. If you have the mobile game you get way more out of it. I would just keep the money you would spend on this and use it on the mobile app. Win or lose 2 rounds and game over. I played it about 12 times and really didn’t feel one way or the other. I did enjoy the random card you got though. If your into card collecting it’s deffinatley worth it. Most the cards I got were common grade. They have common, uncommon, and rare cards. Some cards are foiled also. Any rarity. Overall if you like collecting cards go for it other wise it’s no big deal.
Is there a way to scan the cards on the mobile game, there is a barcode on the back of it, it would be cool to incorporate that almost like cross compatibility