Ryota Niitsuma is to Marvel vs. Capcom as Yoshinori Ono is to Street Fighter. Yes, it’s thanks to Ryota and his strong passion for this crazy fighting series that we got Marvel vs. Capcom 3. He both direct and produced the game, simultaneously pleasing millions of gamers around the world upon the title’s release.

E3 2010: Ryota Niitsuma and Paul Gale

I had the pleasure of being introduced to Ryoto at E3 in 2010 by my long time great friend at Capcom, Taki Enomoto. Taki wanted the creator of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 to meet the super fan that is me! Much to my delight, Niitsuma already knew who I was based off my appearance in Street Fighter IV. To be recognized like that really felt special and that lead the way to a great discussion at the show.

I joked with Ryota about having some fans sneak their way into his game as well and he actually liked the idea…though it didn’t happen in the end. He was very nice and admired my passion for Street Fighter and I told him that it’s me that admires his work and what he’s doing for us fans. The thing I got most out of talking with Ryota is that a person in his position really just wants to take a game and make it the best it can possibly be, and do so by taking into account many opinions (from both within the company and from fans alike).

I even told him, “You’ll never please everyone out there, but we know how hard you’re trying and thank you.” After all, he is a fan himself and I’m sure he’d want his game to be anything but awesome. Fortunately, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 did turn out great and I can’t wait to see what’s next for the series. Thank you Ryota for your hard work and I look forward to having more fun discussions in the future.