Today, in a press release from Capcom, gamers across the world were given the news they’ve been desperately waiting to hear: the official release date for Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

Everybody, mark your calendars and get ready for February 15th, 2011 because that is when the showdown begins. Not wanting to leave fans with only that bit of news, Capcom announced a few more surprises like new characters, a special edition of the game, and a pre-order deal with GameStop.

Yesterday two new characters were added to the constantly growing MvC 3 roster, She-Hulk and Zero. Jill Valentine, a MvC regular, and Shuma-Gorath were announced as the first set of DLC characters. It has been revealed that Valentine will instead don her Resident Evil 5 battlesuit, so fans that were hoping to fight with Jill and her beret might be disappointed.

Previously announced characters were Dante, Arthur, Nathan “Rad” Spencer, Wesker, Tron Bonne, Ryu, Morrigan, Magneto, Viewtiful Joe, Spider-Man, M.O.D.O.K., X-23, Thor, Dormmamu, Trish, Felicia, Chun-Li, Amaterasu, Chris Redfield, Deadpool, Hulk, Wolverine, Super-Skrull, Captain America, Doctor Doom, and Iron Man.

For those looking to pre-order this game, there are incentives if you go through GameStop. Not only will you pick up three exclusive Console Decals featuring Ryu, Wolverine, Deadpool, and Dante, but you’ll also get the essential move-set for each character. When you’re there, you might want to think about reserving the Special Edition which is only $10.00 more. Per the official press release, one will receive:

• Steelbook case featuring exclusive artwork
• Comic/Art Book - a 12-page prologue comic, written by Marvel writer Frank Tieri, plus campaign art and a curated section selection of fan art.
• 1-month subscription to Marvel Digital Comics, providing unlimited online access to Marvel content
• 2-playable DLC characters - Jill Valentine & Shuma-Gorath. Content is available 4 weeks post-launch.

Finally, the official boxart for the game has also been revealed. Adi Granov, the artist who designed the armor for the Iron Man movies, was tapped to do the cover, so check below for images of the boxart, Special Edition, and more!