Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel Gaming

  • ‘Marvel’s Midnight Suns’ Gets Rating in South Korea, Hints at Release Soon

    ‘Marvel’s Midnight Suns’ Gets Rating in South Korea, Hints at Release Soon

    While most attention has been on Marvel’s Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy game as of late, the upcoming XCOM-inspired Midnight Suns has been a bit dormant. Due to some delays, it was unclear when we might expect the game to release, which will feature a wide variety of Marvel characters facing off against Lilith and the revived HYDRA. The player will take on the character only known as Hunter, who they can customize throughout the game’s playtime. A Redditor by the name of u/LongJonSllver has uncovered a rating in South Korea for the game, which may hint at a release date soon.

    Normally, rating boards are only assigned when a game is near completion and they are on their way to finalizing the project. There’s been no word if the game has gone gold yet, but it does add to the speculation that a new announcement may be on the horizon.

    Normally, rating boards are only assigned when a game is near completion and they are on their way to finalizing the project. There’s been no word if the game has gone gold yet, but it does add to the speculation that a new announcement may be on the horizon. XCOM developer Firaxis is working on the game, which started making the rounds ahead of last year’s E3 event. There are supposedly some unannounced characters for the game. So, we’ll see if they may also get their time in the spotlight once more details are revealed on its upcoming release.

    Source: Reddit via VGC

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’s Future Currently Uncertain After Square Enix Sale

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’s Future Currently Uncertain After Square Enix Sale

    A bombshell has just dropped, as Square Enix just sold its entire Western division for only $300M. With one single sale, the Japanese developer has sold every Western company under their umbrella alongside the many IPs that they work on. Yet, it also opens up the question of what exactly this means for the future of the Marvel games that are being developed by some of their studios.

    Initially, the deal made between Square Enix and Marvel would include four games. Two of those released in the form of Crystal Dynamics’ first venture into Games-as-a-Service with Marvel’s Avengers and the story-focused Guardians of the Galaxy by Eidos. During the press conference on the purchase, a statement was made on if the development of Marvel games would continue.

    All games that have been developed by the studios are included in the deal. However, a number of external approvals are needed from external parties to close this transaction. And potentially, licenses as mentioned here could be one of those approvals needed.

    Lars Wingefors

    So, if Marvel or Disney decides not to renew the license, the games would potentially find their end. This news hits especially hard for Crystal Dynamics, which has been quite dedicated to making Marvel’s Avengers work as a service game. after its critical success, there was also a lot of hope that Guardians of the Galaxy would get a sequel. Yet, if they do not renew their deal with the new Embracer Group, it sadly could spell the end of these ventures once the deal is finalized.

    Source: Embracer

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Leak Offers First Look at MCU-Inspired ‘Civil War’ Iron Man Skin and More

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Leak Offers First Look at MCU-Inspired ‘Civil War’ Iron Man Skin and More

    Just yesterday, we covered the leaked audio files that teased what upcoming playable characters will join Marvel’s Avengers potentially in the future. As production on this game has been in a constant shift, as is usual with any live service game, it does add some excitement to know that they are potentially releasing in the future. Now, it seems that @mmmmmmmiller has potentially leaked some skins from the game that tease comic-inspired designs and Captain America: Civil War‘s Iron Man armor.

    He also teased comic-inspired designs based on Thor when he was wearing a Destroyer armor, as well as Hulk inspired by one of his most iconic War storylines. Keep in mind that all these skins being showcased are low-res and very likely still in some form of development. Of course, these aren’t official announcements and are early leaks. So, these are in some form of development internally, and that doesn’t mean that they’ll release within a specific time frame.

    The details on the new skins are quite impressive, and the new in-game way of gaining character skins through grinding in-game currency has added a good incentive to spend some more time with the game between updates. We will also get our hands on a new playable character in the near future with Mighty Thor, which will make for a fun new character to play. So, here’s looking forward to what the future of this game has to offer.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Announces Mighty Thor as Next Hero DLC

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Announces Mighty Thor as Next Hero DLC

    It’s been quite the wait, but the latest development update by Marvel#s Avengers has given us quite the surprise. It has been rumored for a bit, but the announcement has finally arrived that the next character joining the project will end up being Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor. We even got our first look at the character, which sadly only gives us a glimpse at her upcoming design.

    She won’t be part of the upcoming patch 2.4, which will release sometime in May but is the main focus of 2.5. She’ll also wield Mjolnir and have some common abilities like the current version of Thor but still have some distinct elements to make her stand out. They will offer a better look at the character and more details soon.

    Image

    In regards to update 2.4, it’ll be a way to help solo players to grind to higher levels. Events will get reworked in a way that adds new goals for players and helps with the newly improved game loop from 2.3. So, Crystal Dynamics has put in a lot of work in the current model to ease in new players while also ensuring future updates will have more to offer for players.

    So, those looking for ways to grind and don’t want to be dependent on multiplayer options with Omega-Level Threats or Raids now have an option. While there was still quite a wait for their latest playable character, it’s still great to see the game getting continued support from its developer.

    Source: Play Avengers

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ War Table Rework Adds New Missions and Supports New Players

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ War Table Rework Adds New Missions and Supports New Players

    It looks like we finally got a date for the next major update to Marvel’s Avengers. While it won’t include a new character, Crystal Dynamics has been hard at work trying to rebuild the game’s core mechanics to ensure the game flow is fully optimized. The next big step will be a rework of its war table, where players can choose their missions to play the game. The update patch 2.3 will arrive on March 24th and will see the grand return of Nick Fury to the Helicarrier. While it’s uncertain how exactly he made his way back, it looks like all will be clear next week. Still, here are some insights into the major changes.

    Let’s start off with Fury. He is now part of the Hellicarrier to guide players through the Avengers Initiative. He’ll replace JARVIS and Maria Hill’s narration in the beginning, in tutorial videos and missions. It’s mainly made for new players but old ones can catch up with him, but no details are given. It seems you can talk to him at the War Table to catch up. It would’ve been nice if there was an in-game reason for his arrival though given last we see him stuck in a time bubble.

    The general onboarding process has been updated. There are now multiple mission chains that help guide players on the Initiative. They took in the feedback that it’s a bit confusing. So, they are trying to ease in new players, especially given that the Marvel brand draws in players that might not have any experience with GaaS–was me included early on.

    They have changed the missions that are updated every 15 minutes. Now, Drop Zones and Threat sectors will always be available on the War Table. So, finding a new mission will be a much simpler affair moving forward. Yet, there will still be some mission types that are dependent on your power level. HIVES now only appear within specific regions, as each one also now comes with a suggested power level. That way, players will move on from one region to the next as they level up. They are as follows:

    • 1 – 25 Eastern Seaboard
    • 25 – 50 Pacific Northwest
    • 50 – 75 Utah Badlands
    • 75 – 100 Snowy Tundra
    • 100 – 125 Future Wastelands
    • 100 – 140 Wakanda

    Vaults are also no longer hidden if you don’t have access to the data necessary. It’s uncertain if the SHIELD bunkers will offer anything additional as a replacement moving forward. You’ll require a Daily Mission chain from the SHIELD terminal with Elite Vaults rotating weekly. Villain Sectors are also always visible on the War Table with them rotating daily. Elite Villain sectors also take on a weekly rotation.

    HARM Rooms also got a makeover, as the hero version has a base Power Level of 1. Now, the usual Challenges I to V are part of a rotation. So, they are part of the challenge mission chain but not visible once completed. Flashback Missions have also been rehauled, as they no longer end with a boss fight. Instead, they are now Wasteland and Wakanda Threat Sectors. Heroic Mission Chains (former Iconic Mission Chains) only appear when you’re playing the hero, it seems.

    The best part, we get some new missions: There’s a new Wasteland vault and we finally get the Taskmaster Villain Sector. It took him quite some time to show his face in the distant future after being taken down by a quick arrow. We’ll also get two new Drop Zones and a Threat Sector in the Future Wasteland. The only other location getting a new mission is a Threat Sector in the Snowy Tundry. Just happy that the wasteland is finally getting more than just two missions–not counting the second Maestro mission.

    The updates do sound quite promising even if new players might benefit the most from it. The core changes of the War Table highlight a new direction, as it streamlines a lot of the processes to get to missions. They have locked some specific missions like Mega Hives, the OLT, and Raid only until you unlock a specific level. So, you’ll be eased into the game a bit more. We’ll see if the same will be done with the gear, but this new direction does offer motivation to revisit the campaign again.

    Source: Play Avenger

  • ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Game Did Not Meet Square-Enix’s Sales Expectations

    ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Game Did Not Meet Square-Enix’s Sales Expectations

    Well, this story sounds familiar. Square-Enix has revealed in its earnings report that Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy from Eidos Montréal has fallen short of its sales expectations. Some might recall, there was a similar issue with the launch of Marvel’s Avengers back in 2019. There’s a curious trend with Square’s Western produced releases facing some curious sales issues, especially if you look back to the Tomb Raider franchise that is now under their Western production houses.

    Also, similar to with Avengers back in the day, they are positive that the game will manage to make up for its low early sales at a later point. IT’s only drawback is that it isn’t a Games-as-a-Service model, which helped support Crystal Dynamic’s Marvel venture to continue growing since its initial launch. The report, as shared by VG Chartz is as followed:

    The HD Games sub-segment launched Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy in Q3. Despite strong reviews, the game’s sales on launch undershot our initial expectations. However, sales initiatives that we kicked off in November 2021 and continued into the new year have resulted in sales growth, and we intend to work to continue to expand sales to make up for the title’s slow start.

    Sadly, it really seems like Square-Enix has a problem marketing its projects effectively, especially when it comes to their Western productions. They are still synonymous with Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and so much more. Yet, one of the biggest brands in the world is struggling under their umbrella while Insomniac’s games seem to strive. Of course, Spider-Man is a very different beast from a marketing standpoint but it is still curious. There’s also the issue that Square constantly overpredicts its sales, as in 2013 alone three of their Western productions sold far below their expectations. We’ll see if we hear more and get an announcement on a potential sequel in the near future.

    Source: VG Chartz, EuroGamer

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ Black Widow Skin Leaked Early

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ Black Widow Skin Leaked Early

    It looks like a new skin for an upcoming shipment may have accidentally leaked early, as a recent update of Marvel’s Avengers has led to the reveal that the next shipment will include Avengers: Age of Ultron-inspired design for Black Widow. Currently, Iron Man 3‘s iconic golden armor was made available as part of the next shipments but it seems the update added the next unlockable design for when the next iteration of shipments kicks off, which is the game’s offering to earn cosmetics through grinding various missions.

    User @LewisXI19 shared a good look at the costume that seems mostly true to the films with a very bright red hair. This isn’t the first time that skin like this managed to leak online, as there was a similar case with Hawkeye’s Captain America: Civil War skin, as pointed out by the user this isn’t the first time. The design looks great and the Age of Ultron costume added a lot of neon elements to her costume, which still stands out to this day as she usually focused on primary black, undercover designs.

    We’re still anxiously awaiting any news on what the future has in store for the game. They’ve confirmed they are working on new updates, but it’s uncertain just what we can expect not only from the roadmap but from the year overall. They have mostly focused on teasing content for half a year rather than the full one. So, we shouldn’t expect to know what’ll release by December once the roadmap drops. Still, it’s fun to speculate and we’ll see what the future has in store.

    Source: Twitter

  • New ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Spider-Man Trailer Includes Wonder Man Nod

    New ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Spider-Man Trailer Includes Wonder Man Nod

    Sometime before Marvel’s Avengers was released, there were many theories about the line-up of characters that may have an important role in the game. It seemed like at some point in time, they’ve had quite a few new characters mapped out and there are quite a few teases throughout the latest DLC. Black Panther’s “War for Wakanda” even referenced Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch, and Loki. The latest teaser may have done something similar.

    As pointed out to me by @MonarchWrites, there’s a brief sequence where Spider-Man is sitting alongside the Avengers enjoying some peace and quiet. On the TV, you can clearly see Simon Williams basking in the limelight. In the comics, he eventually becomes the hero, Wonder Man. It’s close to his original design even including the red glasses with some updated designs. His inclusion in this trailer doesn’t mean he’s a playable character, but it does potentially mean he might appear in the franchise at some point. Perhaps we’ll get a small cameo on the TV screens that are on in the Helicarrier.

    You can check out the latest teaser introducing Spider-Man’s upcoming Hero Event DLC titled “With Great Power” here:

    [UPDATING]

    Source: Twitter

  • Skydance New Media’s Marvel Project Adds Writer Marc Bernardin, Drops First Hints at Game

    Skydance New Media’s Marvel Project Adds Writer Marc Bernardin, Drops First Hints at Game

    Not too long ago, we found out that Marvel has entered a deal with newly-formed Skydance New Media, which is run by former Naughty Dog director Amy Henning to kick off a new gaming franchise. Of course, the creator of the beloved Uncharted games adds a lot of interest in what this new AAA title based on an unknown Marvel IP might offer. We know very little about the project, but one of its newly revealed writers might have given us a hint at what it might end up being.

    On an episode of Kevin Smith‘s podcast Fatman Beyond, fellow host Marc Bernardin confirmed that he’s working on the upcoming project. At the same time, the chat started to guess what the game might potentially be with Smith highlighting that they may have confirmed it immediately. MinnMax’s Ben Hanson took to Twitter to highlight the most viable guesses being Ant-Man and Fantastic Four.

    While he does go on to highlight that Fantastic Four seems like the most likely adaptation, there are also rumors hinting at a potential Daredevil game. For now, we’ll have to take everything with a grain of salt but it’s great to get a tease whatever this project may end up being. It’s a big venture for Skydance New Media to tackle such a famous IP for its first game, but it looks like the team has been working on this project for some time now. Here’s hoping the wait isn’t too long before we get an official announcement what it is about.

    Source: GameRant, YouTube, Twitter

  • RUMOR: PlayStation 5 Exclusive Multiplayer Game Based Off of Marvel in Development

    RUMOR: PlayStation 5 Exclusive Multiplayer Game Based Off of Marvel in Development

    Marvel Games has been busy expanding with recent announcements for Insomniac’s Spider-Man sequel and even a brand new Wolverine game. 2K has been busy working on a tactical RPG titled Midnight Suns and Square-Enix continues development on Marvel’s Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy‘s upcoming release. It looks like they might have even more in store, as a new rumor is hinting at a Marvel-based multiplayer game being in some form of development.

    The news comes from the latest episode of XboxEra Podcast, where co-host Nick Baker teased a potential multiplayer game based on Marvel. The only thing he was able to tease was that it’s going to be a console exclusive release for the PlayStation 5. Of course, due to Insomniac’s history, theories are pointing to them developing the project but Sony has a long list of subsidiaries that could tackle such a project. The statement of a “multiplayer” game is also quite broad as it includes a variety of genres.

    Still, it’s great to see Marvel Games expanding their ventures to utilize the different corners of the diverse brand. They’ve had quite a lot of experience with fighting games throughout the ages, and Marvel’s Avengers also offers players the chance to play their favorite heroes with friends. The X-Men brand does seem like the perfect fit for a multiplayer experience given its gaming history. If the rumor pans out, it’ll be interesting to see what else Marvel Games has in store for players in the coming years.

    Source: YouTube via ComicBook