Can New Fighting Games Revive the Genre?

The recent wave of fighting game announcements has brought an unexpected subgenre back into the spotlight: tag team fighters. Discover why this revival is happening now and what these upcoming titles promise.

An Unexpected Renaissance of Fighting Games

Let's be honest - the fighting game community is yearning for something fresh. The current landscape feels stagnant.

Tekken 8's popularity has waned due to community dissatisfaction with balance changes and social media engagement. Mortal Kombat 1's Definitive Edition release suggests NetherRealm may have moved on. While Guilty Gear Strive maintains a steady player base, Fatal Fury hasn't achieved commercial success despite critical acclaim. Even Street Fighter 6's latest season feels underwhelming with its minimal meta changes.

The truth is, mainstream fighting games aren't providing the excitement players crave. While the genre isn't dying, it's certainly experiencing a creative lull that's testing players' patience.

The scene desperately needs something dynamic and unpredictable. Suddenly, we have Marvel Games collaborating with Arc System Works on a new tag fighter, the Invincible universe getting a fighting game from Killer Instinct's developers, plus Riot's long-anticipated 2XKO update. And let's not forget the massive hype around the upcoming Hunter x Hunter tag fighter.

As a fighting game enthusiast, this resurgence excites me. The potential for wild setups and devastating combos in tag fighters offers something traditional fighters can't match. But how did we reach this point?

A Return Long Overdue

The tag fighter genre has been in decline since Dragon Ball FighterZ's 2018 release. Before these new announcements, no recent tag fighter has matched DBFZ's impact - except perhaps the legendary Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

Other attempts have struggled to gain traction. Marvel vs Capcom Infinite disappointed with its visuals and roster. Games like BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle and Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid never achieved mainstream popularity, whether due to niche appeal or gameplay limitations.

Understanding Tag Fighters

For the uninitiated, tag fighters typically feature 2v2 or 3v3 team battles with unique mechanics like assists - allowing inactive characters to support attacks. This differs from team-based fighters like King of Fighters that lack assists.

The genre's appeal lies in deep team synergy and creative combinations. Finding the right character interactions can lead to devastating strategies. In UMvC3, ChrisG's famous Morrigan/Doom/Vergil team exemplifies perfect synergy with its zoning, pressure, and comeback potential.

Some teams achieve success through unconventional combinations. IHeartJustice's Cap/Phoenix/Strange team supported a unique evidence-collecting strategy, while ABEGEN's Tron/Thor/She-Hulk combo leveraged supers and high damage output.

This design philosophy rewards experimentation and creativity, offering nearly limitless strategic possibilities.

The New Challengers

Four major tag fighters are generating buzz:

2XKO

Riot's free-to-play League of Legends fighting game features simplified controls and tag mechanics. Despite being in development since 2016, it still lacks a release date - a missed opportunity given its prime position in the genre's lull.

Hunter X Hunter NEN IMPACT

Releasing July 17, 2025, this 3v3 fighter from UMvC3's developers promises fast-paced action with assists and tag supers. Hunter x Hunter's rich combat system makes it ideal for a fighting game adaptation, and with Marvel 3's developers at the helm, expectations for crazy combos and team synergy are high.