Invincible VS Interview – Violence, Learning Tools, Gameplay Identity, and More

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Following the launch of the new 3-on-3 tag fighter, Invincible VS, we spoke with the team at Quarter Up. Executive producer Mike Willette, game director Dave Hall, and technical director Bill Merrill answered our questions about the game’s future, including post-launch plans, learning resources for players, and their perspective on the latest console technology.

The Invincible comic and animated series are famous for their intense violence, but the game’s beta version suggested a focus on making that violence feel impactful and connected to the action, rather than just being there for show. Could you explain the thinking behind bringing that specific tone to the fighting game?

We always aimed to keep the action flowing. Similar to the source material – the comics and TV shows – we wanted battles to feel realistic and have genuine consequences. If a character was in danger of being seriously hurt or killed, we wanted to show that on screen to emphasize the high stakes.

There are already a lot of team-based fighting games out there. What makes Invincible VS unique, and how do you want players to see it differently from other games where you fight with teams of three?

We really wanted to capture the intense and realistic feeling of fighting in the Invincible Universe. Drawing on our extensive experience with Killer Instinct, we aimed to create a tag battle game with a lot of back-and-forth interaction between players. Even when you’re taking damage, you always have a chance to quickly turn things around and fight back.

“If a move could kill, we wanted that represented on screen showing the stakes of battle.”

The initial public test focused mainly on ranked matches, a tutorial, and practice options. What did players say about these features, and how did we improve them based on that feedback?

Hey everyone, just wanted to share some updates from the dev team! We’ve been looking at how damage was scaling in the game, especially with those quick, repeatable combos. We noticed things were getting a little out of hand, so we adjusted it to make sure really impressive combos still feel rewarding and work well with the tag system. We also focused on making sure moves that should leave you open to a counter-attack actually can be punished – it just felt right to make that happen!

We want the game to be welcoming to new players, especially fans of Invincible who haven’t played fighting games before, but also offer enough depth and challenge to satisfy experienced fighting game players. How are we striking that balance?

We’ve designed a combo system with options for all players. Beginners can easily perform combos by repeatedly pressing the light attack button, using magic chains, or starting with special moves. While these simpler combos won’t maximize damage or build up resources as quickly, experienced players can take advantage of our open combo system to create powerful, high-damage sequences and efficiently gain resources.

While the tagging system allows for some amazing combinations, what core game mechanics are most crucial for players to master if they want to truly understand the game?

Mike explains that the game features a flexible combo system. Players can seamlessly switch between regular attacks and special moves, creating extended and inventive combos by mastering attack cancels and utilizing the boost system.

“The easier routes for combos are not optimal for meter or damage scaling”

At launch, how quickly will you address balance issues? Will you react swiftly to exploits and overpowered strategies, or prefer to take a more cautious, considered approach with larger balance patches?

We’re committed to quickly fixing any problems that are making the game less enjoyable for players. However, we’ll be cautious with future updates to ensure balance, carefully monitoring how the game evolves and making adjustments as needed.

The game features a story mode with a brand new, cinematic narrative. For players who prefer to play alone or offline, what else does this mode offer besides just battles?

The game features multiple arcade modes with different difficulty levels. Each character has their own special ending that you can unlock by completing any arcade mode with them. Plus, players earn rewards for competing, including new colors for characters, items to customize your player card, music, artwork, and collectibles from the Invincible Universe.

As a fighting game player, I’m really curious about how developers are helping us get better. Are they focusing on good training modes? Things like being able to see exactly how fast moves are (frame data), tools to help us learn combos, and helpful tutorials are super important. It can really make or break whether I stick with a game, so I’m interested in seeing what they’re prioritizing!

Mike will guide you through the basics of our combat system. You can practice with different dummy opponents, record and replay your moves, and even see detailed frame and attack data. This allows you to thoroughly explore various combat situations and master your favorite characters.

Every character has a special ending you can see after completing arcade mode with them as your main player.

The recent beta allowed players to seamlessly transition from practice mode to ranked matches, which is a really convenient improvement. What other online or practice tools do you think competitive players would find particularly helpful?

Mike says our practice mode lets you explore different situations with any character. It includes features like fake opponents, the ability to record and replay your actions, and detailed information about moves and timing.

Now that the Year 1 pass is set and we know Immortal and Universa are coming, what are your plans for supporting the game after launch beyond just adding new characters? Will there be new game modes, more story content, or significant updates to the game’s systems?

Mike says they’re currently exploring ways to improve the game, including balancing gameplay and making it more user-friendly, but there are no specific details to share just yet.

Considering the team’s history with fighting games, especially those like Killer Instinct, did any past experiences influence how Invincible VS controls the speed of matches, how easy it is to follow the action, or how exciting key moments are?

We at Dave are big fans of exciting plays! We love celebrating those incredible moments – like impressive victories and clever maneuvers – that can change the course of a match.

“We love hype moments!”

As a game developer, what are your impressions of the PS5 Pro? How does its more powerful graphics processing unit (GPU) affect how you create games compared to developing for the standard PS5?

With Invincible VS being a demanding fighting game, the PlayStation 5 Pro’s powerful hardware helped us improve performance on all systems. This allowed us to enhance graphics and resolution, especially for players with a PS5 Pro.

What resolution and frame rate are we aiming for on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and the upcoming PlayStation 5 Pro?

We’re aiming for smooth gameplay at 60 frames per second on all platforms, including consoles. To balance visual quality and performance, we use a system that dynamically adjusts the resolution during the rendering process. While we’re targeting a 4K output on both PlayStation 5 models, the more powerful PS5 Pro allows us to achieve a consistently clear 4K experience.

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2026-05-09 19:43