Summary
In a shocking bit of news during Evo 2024 on Saturday,Capcom announced, then shadowdropped SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos. It’s a welcome surprise, and one that continues Capcom’s commitment to bringing over older titles to modern consoles,a la the upcoming Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics release.
That said, the even more shocking bit of news from that announcement is the fact that SVC Chaos won’t be onXbox. No. Instead, it’ll be exclusively onPS4,Nintendo Switchand PC. Now, normally, that would be par for the course when it comes toCapcomand Xbox releases.That’s because the upcoming Marvel vs. Capcom collection won’t be on Microsoft’s console due to reported issues with its MT Framework engine.
However, SVC Chaos doesn’t appear to be on that engine. That bit is unconfirmed, though it’s built on what theKing of Fighterswas using. What’s more, the game was originally an Xbox console exclusive in North America, giving it a special level of history. As expected, fans are upset, and rightfully so.
Sony Originally Passed On SVC Chaos On PS2
SVC Chaos first debuted on arcade cabinets and the Neo Geo back in 2003. It then received a port to PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles,though only the Xbox port made its way to North America. The PS2 versionremained a Japanese exclusive.
In a report from 2004, it was said that Sony rejected SVC Chaos for a U.S. release. That information came from Ben Herman, who previously served as SNK Playmore USA’s president. Herman said that Sony’s standards were “very high,” and that the corporation was concerned about games that would bring a “new experience” to the console. As a result, SVC Chaos became one of SNK’s Xbox exclusives along with Metal Slug 3, which was also rejected by Sony.
Flash forward to today, and SVC Chaos is a somewhat rare Xbox title.Its standard edition routinely sells for around $30-40 used,while a new copy can touch $100 or more. It’s alsonot backwards compatible on current Xbox hardware, leaving would-be fans scrambling for a defunct title.
Much like when Marvel vs. Capcom was revealed to be skipping Xbox hardware, fans were once again displeased with this latest bit of news.
Over on Reddit, fans noted the original’s Xbox exclusivity, making Saturday’s turn of events a harsh one. “What makes it worse is that it came out originally for the original Xbox,“one user noted. Elsewhere,another commenter said, “I would have bought this. I would have bought the MVC as well. I don’t get it.”
Either way you chalk it up, it’s a disappointing situation for everyone involved. Much like Marvel vs. Capcom before it, SVC Chaos has a real and genuine history on Xbox. And with no official reason as to why these titles are skipping Xbox outside reported MT Framework issues, it leads to rampant speculation. It’s a messy situation with no winners, even as cool as it is to see these classic fighters re-released.
