
The reveal could solidify Sony’s push into high‑profile third‑party fighting titles and expand Marvel’s interactive portfolio, influencing both console and competitive gaming markets.
The extended State of Play broadcast reflects Sony’s broader strategy to showcase a richer mix of third‑party and indie titles alongside PlayStation Studios’ flagship projects. By allocating more than an hour, the company signals confidence that the audience appetite for deep‑dive announcements remains strong, especially as the industry recovers from a slowdown in major reveals. This format also provides a larger window for live interaction, fostering community engagement and real‑time feedback that can shape post‑event marketing tactics.
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls sits at the intersection of two powerful brands—Marvel’s expansive character library and Arc System Works’ pedigree in high‑skill fighting games. The accidental Steam update suggesting a 20‑fighter roster has ignited speculation about which heroes will join the eight already confirmed, such as Captain America and Spider‑Man. A 4v4 format promises fresh competitive dynamics, potentially attracting both casual fans of the Marvel universe and seasoned e‑sports participants. The game’s development timeline, targeting a 2026 launch, aligns with Sony’s push to diversify its exclusive lineup beyond traditional action‑adventure titles.
If Sony announces a release date or an open‑beta during the stream, it could accelerate community building and give developers valuable data ahead of full launch. Early access would also position Marvel Tokon against established franchises like Tekken and Street Fighter, challenging them for market share in the fighting‑game niche. Moreover, a robust character roster enhances cross‑promotion opportunities across PlayStation’s ecosystem, from merchandizing to integration with the PlayStation Network’s competitive ladders. Ultimately, the State of Play reveal may serve as a bellwether for how console manufacturers leverage high‑profile IP collaborations to drive hardware sales and sustain long‑term engagement.
By Dakota DarkHorse Hills · posted 33 minutes ago
Update: The State of Play stream is now live, so you can watch it with us below to see any new Marvel Tokon reveals that will be announced.
The first State of Play event of 2026 from PlayStation is coming today, and it’s going to be quite a bit longer than usual. On top of that, it looks very likely the broadcast will contain new reveals for Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls.
The State of Play live stream is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET and will run for over 60 minutes.
Sony says February’s State of Play event “will spotlight eye‑catching third‑party and indie games headed to PS5, along with the latest from teams at PlayStation Studios,” and the big question is: what fighting game falls under that latter umbrella?
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls was first revealed at a State of Play stream last June as a collaboration between PlayStation Studios, Marvel Games and Arc System Works. We haven’t seen any new characters revealed since then in over eight months, but that could change today.
The Steam store page for Marvel Tokon was seemingly updated by accident a few days ago, revealing that the 4v4 fighting game would launch with 20 characters in total before the page was reverted.
We already know eight fighters from the initial reveal—Captain America, Iron Man, Storm, Doctor Doom, Star‑Lord, Ms. Marvel, Spider‑Man and Ghost Rider—so there are still twelve more to be unveiled this year. On that front, we put together our top 12 Marvel Tokon character picks to fill out the roster, so we’ll see how many of them come true.
Since the new fighting game is still scheduled to release sometime in 2026, Sony could also drop the release date today, or perhaps announce an open‑beta test.
You can watch the State of Play stream from PlayStation here once the broadcast starts.
Embedded video: State of Play live stream (link to YouTube)
Comments
Want to join the conversation?
Loading comments...