We had the opportunity to interview renowned fighting game player Justin Wong during his visit to gamescom asia 2024 in Singapore, where he shared insights on recent developments in the fighting game community and his perspectives on both current and upcoming titles. Known for his methodical playstyle and historic contributions to the fighting game community, Wong provided candid thoughts on everything from recent game releases to potential future developments in the genre.

Marvel vs. Capcom Collection Reception and Fighting Game Philosophy

Justin Wong addressed the viral phenomenon surrounding the recently released Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection, clarifying that reports of mass refunds were largely exaggerated. He explained that what began as a single interaction snowballed into a community-wide joke. “I don’t think people wanted to refund the game. I feel like it was one Steam review. I actually fought this guy and he was so happy that he fought me,” Wong explained.

“But then I think everybody started memeing, it became a meme and a funny meme I would say.” He emphasized that there was no evidence of actual refunds, stating, “If Capcom can show me that there has been refunds then I will take full responsibility. But right now there’s none of that whatsoever.”

The veteran player also shared his unique approach to fighting games, particularly highlighting his strategy in the Marvel vs. Capcom series, which features 56 playable characters. “My whole philosophy of just learning how to play a fighting game is I want to play every character in the game,” Wong stated.

He noted the contrast between his approach and that of most professional players: “When you think about the most highest level of play, professional play they only play five characters probably total.” Instead of focusing on top-tier characters like Storm or Sentinel, Wong prefers exploring the depths of less-utilized fighters. “I’m using like Spider-Man, Ken, Jin… characters you normally don’t see at high level. So I think that’s what really stands out for me.”

High-Stakes Challenge

During the interview, Wong addressed his recent $10,000 money match challenge to Dominican Republic’s Street Fighter champion MenaRD. The challenge, rooted in a generational rivalry between old and new school players, remains open but uncertain. “I don’t know if it’s going to happen. It’s more of like the challenge is out there. If you want to do it then let’s do it,” Wong explained.

He elaborated on the context behind the challenge, noting the generational gap: “I’ve been playing fighting games for over like 20 years right? And he’s more of a newer school player that played more Street Fighter 5, Street Fighter 6… it’s kind of like a kind of pay your respects to your elders type of thing.”

However, Wong acknowledged the practical considerations that might prevent the match from materializing, particularly given MenaRD’s current focus on Street Fighter 6 competition. “Right now I think he’s more focused on Street Fighter 6 because obviously he’s qualified for Capcom Cup. And if you think about it, I’m pretty sure he would rather win $1 million versus my $10,000 in Street Fighter 3.”

Current Fighting Game Scene and Looking Forward

When discussing Street Fighter 6, Wong spoke enthusiastically about his favorite players from different generations. “Anytime I see Punk in the tournament, I always root for Punk no matter what,” he said of Victor “Punk” Woodley. “I love his style, he’s one of the only players that doesn’t really try to play aggressive… he tries to play a bit slower and force people to make their own mistakes and counter that.”

As for the old guard, Wong praised Momochi: “Probably my favorite player of all time. I just love how he just dissects the game, how much grind he has. Like it’s so hardcore.” He noted Momochi’s recent success, mentioning his fourth-place finish at EVO.

Wong expressed particular interest in two upcoming releases. “The two that I’m really looking forward to is the new Capcom collection that has like CVS2 [Capcom vs SNK 2], Plasma Sword… just because it’s never been online before,” he explained. He emphasized the importance of modern netcode improvements: “With the implementation of Rollback, I really want to play those older games just because I want to see how good people are, like that I never played before.”

Regarding Fatal Fury: City of Wolves, Justin Wong shared his enthusiasm about recent announcements: “The fact that they announced recently Ken and Chun-Li in the game, I think those are two really good guest characters.” He noted the overwhelming amount of new fighting game content available: “Every month is a new fighting game or indie fighting game or fighting game patch or new DLC character. It’s a lot.”

Marvel vs. Capcom Future

Regarding the future of the Marvel vs. Capcom series, Wong expressed optimism about the possibility of a new entry, particularly given recent developments. “I’m hoping that the Marvel vs Capcom collection did so well and people loved it so much because it blew up on social media that they have no choice but to do Marvel vs Capcom 4, or if you count Infinite then 5.” he said.

Wong reflected on the series’ history: “Marvel 2 is a huge success. Marvel 3 was a huge success. MVCI eh, you know what I mean?” He pointed to the success of Marvel’s cinematic universe as additional motivation for a new game: “Especially with the movies, everyone, the movies are killing it as well too. So why not capitalize off of this?”

The interview concluded with Justin Wong sharing his positive impressions of Singapore, particularly praising his accommodation: “MBS spoiled me so much that I don’t want to stay at another hotel ever again. It’s probably the best hotel I ever stayed in to be honest.”