Capcom Arcade Stadium is a 2021video game compilation developed and published byCapcom. It includes 32arcade games originally published by Capcom between 1984 and 2001. It comes with a single free game, and the others require individual purchases.[1][2] It was initially released onSwitch, then onPlayStation 4,Windows, andXbox One,[3][4] and laterAmazon Luna. A second compilation,Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium, was released in 2022.[5]
Capcom Arcade Stadium features1943: The Battle of Midway as a free inclusion, with the remaining 31 games purchasable asdownloadable content (DLC).Ghosts 'n Goblins was made individually purchasable,[6] and the rest were initially grouped into three packs of ten games. Each pack spans a particular time period:Dawn of the Arcade (1984–1988),Arcade Revolution (1989–1992), andArcade Evolution (1992–2001).[6][7][8][9][10] In October 2021, the games also became individual purchases.[11] In June 2022,Street Fighter II was made free to download until July 2022 to celebrate the game's first anniversary, Capcom's 39th anniversary, and the upcoming release ofCapcom Arcade 2nd Stadium.[12]
The games run in anemulator which adds the abilities to rewind gameplay, select difficulty, adjust game speed, and use nostalgic visual filters to simulate vintage arcadeCRT screens.[13] Minor graphical alterations to theStreet Fighter II games include the removal of theRising Sun Flag inE. Honda's stage due to its association withJapanese war crimes, and the replacement of theflag of Hong Kong with theflag of the China forFei Long in the character selection screen due to thehandover of Hong Kong occurring after its original release.[14] In May 2021, Capcom released paid DLC enabling an invincibilitycheat for each game.[15]
In May 2021, Capcom announced the expansion of the collection, and invited fans' suggestions throughTwitter.[16] On April 11, 2022, Capcom announced a sequel calledCapcom Arcade 2nd Stadium,[17] which was released on July 22, 2022, forNintendo Switch,PlayStation 4,Windows, andXbox One.[5] The collection features 32 new games, includingSonSon as a free inclusion, andThree Wonders as a launch bonus for pre-orders and early purchases ofCapcom Fighting Collection.[17]
UponCapcom Arcade Stadium's initial December 2020 announcement,Comic Book Resources found it to be an improvement over the 2013 predecessorCapcom Arcade Cabinet for thePlayStation 3 andXbox 360, by almost doubling the library. However, it lamented the trend of emulation "retreads" fromNintendo andCapcom: "The downside is that these companies have normalized the practice of re-selling consumers classic games every console generation, and that's a price gamers shouldn't have to pay."[7]
Although noting that several of the games have been available in previous compilations such asCapcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle,Nintendo Life praised the selection ofshoot 'em ups inCapcom Arcade Stadium, which includes the console debuts of games such asProgear and1944: The Loop Master.[24]
As of December 2023, 1.8 million units ofCapcom Arcade Stadium had been sold and 1.2 million units ofCapcom Arcade 2nd Stadium had been sold.[25]
