Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Next War Table Finally Confirmed

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Next War Table Finally Confirmed

    We’ve all been waiting for something relating to Marvel’s Avengers future updates. Well, it looks like we are this close to some answers, as Square-Enix has officially sent out a newsletter confirming when we will be getting a War Table video. The best part is, we will get the video tomorrow at 4 PM GMT, so there won’t be a long wait as we initially expected. The video will be a deep dive into the character of Kate Bishop, who will be Crystal Dynamics’ first major addition to the game. The e-mail also comes with a brand new look at the character, and a short tease of her story.

     

     

    Kate Bishop was on the fast track to becoming an Avenger when A-Day changed her course. Blindsided by the avengers’ disbandment and AIM’s crusade against Inhumans, she stuck with her mentor Clint Barton to investigate the disappearance of former SHIELD director Nick Fury.

    It looks like we might get our answers to Fury’s storyline earlier than expected. Her story will also act as a set-up to that of Clint Barton, so it will be interesting to see how exactly they will connect. The video is confirmed as a Deep Dive, so we will most likely get a tease of her gameplay, skills, and missions. Hopefully, they will also highlight some future content within the video, which isn’t evident as of now.

    Also, the fact that it is called a Deep Dive could be a hint at her being sooner rather than later. Keep in mind, that statement is just a theory of mine and not confirmed in any way. We hopefully will get an official release date within the video, as people believe she won’t be playable until December as of now. This reveal is fantastic news, as we finally are getting to the moment that Avengers can grow as a game. Here’s hoping this is just the first step that gets the ball rolling.

    UPDATE: They have also shared the news on Twitter, so here is the official tweet confirming the video will be pre-recorded:

    Source: Twitter

  • New ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’ Merch Teases Sharon Carter on the Run

    New ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’ Merch Teases Sharon Carter on the Run

    While The Falcon and the Winter Soldier isn’t set to debut until sometime next year, it seems Marvel isn’t holding back on the release of new merch based on the upcoming Disney+ series.

     

     

    Earlier today, the Marvel Pop Up Store in Tokyo, Japan started to display some of the merch it will be selling for Tokyo Comic-Con, and it seems to give us some details about the status of some of our characters while also giving us a clue at to where the show might be headed. So, let’s break down these sets and see what we can find.

     

    SET A:

     

    “Set A” is displaying what seems to be some notebook coverings and stickers about the show, with some details about Sam and Bucky’s powers and enhancements, as well as the tagline “Who will wield the shield?”. The most stand out article out of all of these items is the Sharon Carter “Wanted” sticker on the top right. It seems to indicate that Sharon is going to be on the run from the government and the law in this series. It’s no surprise considering that the last time we saw Sharon, she aided Captain America during Civil War (2016).

     

    SET B:

     

    Set B, as we can see here, features a FAWTS towel, along with a sticker and keychain of Cap’s shield.

     

    SET C:

    As for Set C, there’s a FAWTS Keychain with a two-sided logo piece that swivels and interchanged between Bucky’s signature star on his arm and Sam’s falcon icon. There seems to also be 3 pins for the logos of both the characters and the show, and lastly a sticker with a close-up of both of the characters.

     

    Following the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) team up in a global adventure that tests their abilities—and their patience—in Marvel Studios’ “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.” The all-new series is coming to Disney+ sometime in 2021.

  • First Look at Spidey in Action on ‘Spider-Man 3’ Set

    First Look at Spidey in Action on ‘Spider-Man 3’ Set

    After a long hiatus, Marvel Studios has been kicking it into high gear. They were finally able to finish up productions that were put on hold in mid-April. Many of their upcoming films have also entered production as we slowly enter 2021. Their next line-up of films will start to expand what we thought was possible with the franchise. WandaVision and Doctor Strange Into the Multiverse of Madness will grow beyond the universe that we are familiar with. This concept may also expand into Sony and Marvel Studios’ next film, the still-untitled third Spider-Man film. They just recently entered production, so we were clamoring for something from the set. Well, it looks like we finally got a look at our favorite wallcrawler in action.

    It is hard to make out, but it looks like Spidey is on top of a container of some kind. As he is about to leap from it, he grabs another person that seems to be shouting or talking with him. Now, the blue container could also be a placeholder that they can replace in post-production. We can’t see what is below them as they jump down, but it seems to be quite the leap. If they are containers, maybe Elektro or another villain is making them float or fly away, so they have to leap off.

    Have to say, it is amazing to see the set-up for such a shot. We can see the wires hanging from the crane as they jump down. Just seeing the camera suddenly drop makes me wonder how this entire sequence will come together. It looks like it possibly could be a sequence with Zendaya or her stunt double. The person who shared this video pointed out she was on set. Her outfit seems to match that what she wore during Spider-Man: Far From Home, which could confirm it continues where the last film takes off. Just this small shot can mean so much for the production. Hopefully, we will get some more details in the coming months on the film.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Hawkeye Voice Leaked

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Hawkeye Voice Leaked

    So, after dissecting the Marvel’s Avengers player base claim that has been going around, which you can find by clicking here, it looks like we got a new leak that teases more of the work that Crystal Dynamics has been working on. Just recently, data miner @mmmmmmmmiller had leaked an update on their work for Black Panther. Now, he also revealed our first listen to Giacomo Gianniotti‘s voice as Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye. So far, he is the second confirmed character that was going to release shortly after Kate Bishop. Given the current delays, it is unclear when we will have a chance to play as the titular character. Still, it is nice to hear the voice and a reference to his background in the circus.

    We still do not know much about where the game is heading with their DLC characters. Right now, the best orientation point for future content would be to keep an eye out for the War Table, which hopefully will give us a tease of where the story is heading. I think right now, the best move Crystal Dynamics can do is to surprise its players. They may have a crazy story planned, which is why we saw the addition of Tachyon Rifts. These new mission styles did sadly not include a brand new mission string but did add a new level of gameplay.

    Plus, the concept of time-altering rifts is a great way to introduce a unique storyline that may twist our expectations with A.I.M. The Marvel universe has a lot to offer, and slowly seeing this story evolve around that could be quite the journey similar to when Iron Man just started the franchise. Right now, it feels closer to the same experience I had with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which had a rocky start but managed to change into a unique sector with the Marvel brand.

    Source: Twitter, Vocaroo, GameRant

  • Taking a Closer Look at the ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Player Base

    Taking a Closer Look at the ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Player Base

    So, I’ve been seeing a lot of coverage surrounding Marvel’s Avengers dwindling player count. The game is suffering from terrible PR since its first reveal. Initially, people hated the designs, which seemed inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe actors but just off enough to create a weird juxtaposition. The reveal of it being a Games-as-a-Service concept just added fuel to the fire. Shortly after, Sony goes out of its way to ensure that people will hate the corporate side when they announced Spider-Man would be an exclusive character. Not just that, they started piling exclusivity partnerships that just tainted what goodwill was left.

    The game was already fighting a steep uphill battle, which was exasperated by the buggy Beta and launch. Avengers became a popular punching bag, as it was an easy target just going by the build-up alone before players even could try it out. I am not here to defend what has happened. It shouldn’t have been this way, we can all agree on this point, but we also can’t change it now. I like the game quite a bit, so I wanted to dig a little deeper and dive into the rabbit hole to see what these claims building upon. It felt like we are only seeing a very small part of the picture, so hope you will join me in this journey.

     

     

    So, this is the most current issue that is surrounding the game. You’ll see a variety of outlets sharing that same headline based on an article by Gamebyte. They, however, point to these claims being only “reportedly” a showcase of the game’s player loss. Surprisingly, most covering this claim do not repeat this aspect but have moved forward with the statement that this is a definite loss. Once you look closer into articles, it is clear that what is discussed turns out to be the PC player base, which does not include the other launch platforms.

    Of course, it makes sense that the player base dwindled. The game has hit a brick wall with its content. Every promised update has also gotten delayed due to the bugs during release. The “rumor” aspect is rather bizarre, as anyone can publicly access Steam’s ongoing analysis via Steam Charts, which is most likely the source of this claim. One close look at the site, and it isn’t too farfetched that it has sunken from 28,145 players to 837 active players as of November 14th.

     

     

    I can claim based on this image that the game has indeed lost 97% of its player base. Yet, I have to note this is only a representation of those that actively played it on Steam. So, it is only the peak amount of players during a specific timeframe that was connected. The peak does not account for those that purchased the game but have yet to try it out or replaced other players during its runtime. So, it could be even higher. We do not know how many actively purchased the game on Steam until this day. Still, from a concurrent point-of-view, it has seen quite the drop. It makes sense, as the game had the roughest launch on the platform, so it has a much harsher road ahead to regain its audience.

    Now, we must take into account that the game is also available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. So, let’s take a closer look at the only available source for their player base, Gamstat. The platform uses an API (Application Programming Interface) that connects to the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. This connection creates estimates with a 10% potential deviation due to the statistical measurements based on the available data. This site is quite fascinating. If you are interested, you can read up on how it works by clicking here.

     

     

    Okay, now back to the topic at hand. According to the database, as of now, the game has a total PlayStation player count of 2,1M with 190K additional players within the last month. It also can showcase that within that period, 320K have earned at least one trophy. So, these get counted as active players that interacted with the game to some degree. These numbers do not include players that haven’t earned a trophy. On the other side, Xbox showcases a total count of 860K players with 90K brand new ones joining in the last month. It’s MAU (monthly active users) is currently higher than that of the PlayStation with 410K. It is interesting if you consider that the total player base is higher on Sony’s console.

    Our only sour spot is the Steam Chart source, which only shows the peak of active players and not how many have played at least once. For the sake of the analysis, we can only include the 28K as a representation of PC players. It isn’t a perfect analysis point with the concurrent players, but it is our only existing maximum player number. It is also available on Stadia, but we have no data for this specific game. Destiny 2 seemed to peak at around 30K players, so this game might represent a minor margin of it. As such, we currently are talking about a player base of 2.98M.

     

     

    If we want to make a comparison point to see how many active players exist, we cannot state its current daily base between all consoles. Microsoft offers us a look at the daily active players with Avengers‘ currently having a daily peek at 6.8K. That would put it at 0.80% of its player base active daily, while 47,67% were actively playing in the last 30 days. Just this comparison highlights the difficulty of using the daily player count as the baseline comparison point. The best way to look at the existing player base is to base it on the common denominator. So, we can determine that in total 730K has played the game within the last 30 days.

    All this brings us to the fact that by current estimates, 24,46% of the player base was still active within the last 30 days. All this data represents the time range of October 14th until November 14th. It can change tomorrow or the next week. Yes, the player count is down, and that is not good for the game’s long-term development. The biggest question is if the number will rise once more content has been added. Right now, PlayStation represents the game with around 70% of its player base. It looks like that Spider-Man deal might have been a good investment after all.

     

     

    If we go purely by the existing numbers from Steam, it is only a mere 1% of the total player base representation. So, even if it is closer to 3 or 4% considering the data’s restrictions, it doesn’t truly represent the game. There are too many variables to pinpoint its current state. The only ones who can answer that question are Square-Enix and Crystal Dynamics. We can only estimate based on existing data. I am not an industry expert, but I do believe that there is enough available to at least get a better estimate than run a simple statement.

    We can even try to make comparisons, such as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, which was released around the same time window. It saw a drop in returning players by 88.5% on PlayStation. Avengers dropped by 84.7% so held a little steadier in the same timeframe. Of course, they are different genres, but GaaS games have been out for some time. Anthem‘s player base most likely has already earned most trophies, so it only counts 13K returning players. That makes the comparison even more difficult, such as Destiny 2 having 160K players and 270K new additions. Yet, that game is also available to play for free, so you can see strong jumps since that change in September plus they were building up to a new content drop.

    Once I went down the rabbit hole, there were so many variables that it is difficult to really confirm the claim that is being made. If Avengers can make more money off of players that check-in once or twice a week, does it even matter by then? They haven’t dropped a big content patch, so that could also get players to return. Yes, the player base is low when compared to its launch but the true question will be, can it recover? If we go by the usual Anthem comparisons, if that game can stick around after all this time and its launch, I think the game certainly still has some time to surprise us.

     

    Source: ScreenRant, Forbes, Escapist Magazine, Forbes (Marketing), Gamebyte, SteamCharts, Gamstat (PS), Gamstat (Xbox), 9to5Google, StadiaSource, Gamstat (Concurrent Users Xbox), Gamstat (Tony Hawk), Gamstat (Anthem), Gamstat (Destiny 2), Games Industry

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Teases Kate Bishop…Sort Of

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Teases Kate Bishop…Sort Of

    The content drought continues for Marvel’s Avengers. Yes, the game is at a low-point with its Steam player count. Its current peak is at around 700 players, which isn’t a good look but also understandable with a lack of an update or additional content. Gamstat has a direct API connection to the game, which highlights how many people earned trophies within the last month. So, according to their system, at least 320,000 players are still active on the console. The site only provides data for the total amount of players for Xbox. You have to consider that it only showcases players that have played the game, so it doesn’t directly correlate to sales. Still, without any new content, there isn’t much reason to return to the game currently, a challenge I’ve been facing myself. Their latest update did provide quite a lot of performance fixes.

    Their latest weekly blog did not include any details on upcoming content again. Yet, we noticed that last week they started sharing screenshots alongside the Priority Missions. We saw the mission count almost triple as they showcased the developer’s build of the game. This week, we had one more tease with the reveal of this week’s Priority Missions.

     

     

    If you look closely on the left side, it includes a new symbol that we haven’t seen before. It is difficult to make out from this distance, so luckily, @PlayAvenger shared an image zoomed in to highlight that it is Kate Bishop’s symbol that was teased in the initial War Table. Surprisingly, it seems they did end up giving her a unique icon, as the launch video showcased her operation with Clint Barton’s.

    https://twitter.com/PlayAvenger/status/1326995398452506625?s=20

    At face value, it is a little tease that Kate’s development is further along. These teases are nice, but it would’ve been better earlier on. Many of us are desperate for content, so this tease without any timing reminds players about the long wait. Once they get the ball rolling, however, I do hope they continue with these teases. This reveal is rather interesting. If you look closely, the symbol has the same outer rim as that behind the Avengers Initiative. It just includes a globe as its main symbol, just like the Reassemble campaign uses the Avengers’ A icon. We normally select the story operations through the tab above. Now, it looks like you can even choose them directly in the War Table.

    Just based on speculation, this may be a result of them developing the New Game+ mode. This icon would enable players to replay the story directly in the War Table. We know Crystal Dynamics hasn’t started the mission, as the image highlights that a new operation is available. It isn’t much, but it feels deliberate that they are teasing this icon. Plus, this could confirm that you can replay story missions of the various operations in addition to the Reassemble campaign. It would give players an incentive to revisit some of the best parts of the game and not just restrict them to a New Game+ with the Reassemble campaign. Hopefully, we will get more clarity in the coming week(s).

    Source: Steam Charts, Gamstat (PS), Play Avengers (War Table #10), Play Avengers (War Table #11), Twitter, YouTube

  • Chris Pratt Confirmed for ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    Chris Pratt Confirmed for ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    The ending of Avengers: Endgame gave us an unlikely pairing. Thor joined the Guardians of the Galaxy to find his new purpose in life. He left behind New Asgard and made Valkyrie their new Queen. So, we assumed he might be part of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 before we get a new Thor sequel. Once they revealed the line-up for the fourth phase in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we found out that Thor: Love and Thunder would be the first to feature the Norse god. So, we wondered if it will include the Guardians or skip to a different point in time. Well, it looks like the Hollywood Reporter was able to confirm that Chris Pratt will indeed make an appearance in the upcoming film. There is a good chance he won’t be in too many scenes, as it might just pick up where the last one left off. It makes you wonder if they finally were able to solve the debate about who would be captain.
    The film is currently eyeing a February 2022 release date, so they’ve been slowly getting production started. They seem to be aiming for a January production start, as Pratt is still finishing up production on The Tomorrow War. This reveal comes at a perfect time before theories start floating around why he is traveling to Australia in case he shares something on Social Media. Strangely though, there is no confirmation of the other Guardians appearing, so it’ll be interesting to see if they are confirmed at a later date. Chris Pratt joins Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, and Christian Bale.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • What to Watch While You Wait for WandaVision

    What to Watch While You Wait for WandaVision

    It’s finally official: WandaVision will make its Disney+ debut on January 15, 2021. Even though Disney recently announced it would come out a bit earlier, this slight delay will ensure things are 100% ready to go on time. As someone who pays close attention to the buzz around MCU projects, a sentiment I’ve noticed from the general public and even hardcore Marvel fans towards WandaVision is one of intrigue, but confusion. This isn’t just the first Disney+ MCU series, it’s also the first to explore the world of classic TV shows, and from the trailers and clips alone, the plot isn’t really clear (heck, if you throw in the tidbits we’ve gotten from the Marvel crew and scoopers, it’s still pretty murky).

    Superpowers and sitcoms aren’t elements that sound like they would mesh well on paper, but while we may not have seen a genre bend quite like this before – especially within a major franchise – there are a few shows and movies out there that may be able to give us a taste of what can happen when the two mix together. So while you’re waiting for WandaVision to begin, check out these other projects with similar genre crossover!

    1. Pleasantville

    This Gary Ross-directed film from 1998 doesn’t feature any superheroes but does star future web-slinger Tobey Maguire along with Reese Witherspoon. The two play a pair of teenage siblings who become trapped in the (fictional) 1950’s sitcom Pleasantville thanks to an oddball TV repairman played by the late Don Knotts. The movie is all about how the influences our two leads bring into the idyllic world of Pleasantville cause things to change from black-and-white to colored…both figuratively and literally, as the sitcom’s characters slowly change in this manner as they are exposed to more complex and even “scandalous” concepts.

    As seen in WandaVision‘s trailer, the show will also start off as a black-and-white show which later changes to color. While we don’t yet know what exactly will cause the switch, it’s possible the concept could be based within a similar symbolism of things getting more colorful as the times change and become more complicated. And as we here on Murphy’s Multiverse have discussed aplenty, WandaVision’s sitcom world is more than likely created by Wanda herself as a way of escaping the trauma and grief of her true reality.

    The idea of outsiders entering into this sitcom world also looks as though it will be explored in WandaVision, as we briefly see Monica Rambeau be seemingly shot out of it and (back) into the real world in the trailer. And there may very well be even more similarities between the film and Disney+ series, so Pleasantville is definitely worth a watch before WandaVision begins.

    2. The Twilight Zone: “A World of His Own”

    The Season 1 finale of the original run of the classic anthology series The Twilight Zone premiered in 1960 and is about a man who can make anyone materialize at his will by describing them into a mysterious dictation machine (and disappear by cutting that section of the tape out and burning it in the fireplace). It takes place in what was supposed to be a typical American middle-class household at the time and plays around with domestic life-based dynamics. The screenplay was penned by Richard Matheson, who also wrote many other science fiction and horror-based stories including the novel I Am Legend and the book and screenplay for the film adaptation of The Shrinking Man.

    The Twilight Zone is not a sitcom, nor is this episode set up like one, but the idea of the power to create and destroy people out of thin air is something explored in some of the Marvel comic runs WandaVision is taking inspiration from and will probably come up in the series itself. It will likely be the explanation as to how Vision, who died (twice) in Avengers: Infinity War, is somehow alive in this series, and in the comics is how he and Wanda’s twins (seen briefly in the trailer) come to be.

    How might they react if (when?) they discover they’re simply the creations of Wanda’s mind? “A World of His Own” may give us an idea as to how things could play out if this is the case in WandaVision, or at the very least may provide insight into how this power may affect Wanda herself.

    3. Too Many Cooks

    This short film first aired during Cartoon Network’s late night block “Adult Swim” back in 2014 and quickly gained a cult following online. It starts out like the intro for a typical 1990’s-era sitcom, but soon begins to take some strange and dark turns. To say any more would either give everything away or make the project sound even more confusing, but you can watch the full 11-minute video for yourself below. (Thanks, Adult Swim YouTube channel!)

    While Too Many Cooks mixes the sitcom with pretty much every other genre except superheroes, the trajectory of things starting out quaint and charming and growing more and more bizarre and unsettling as it goes on looks much like how WandaVision is expected to play out. There are lots of strange little happenings and easter egg-esque things in the background of Too Many Cooks, much like WandaVision looks like it will have with MCU stories of the past as well as old sitcoms.

    Of course, WandaVision will have much more time to dive into the concept of “sitcom gone wrong” but Too Many Cooks, perhaps more than any other piece of media out there, will probably provide a good taste of the tone the series will take. And if so, we’re in for quite the ride this winter.

    In addition to watching the projects listed above, check out our list of comic elements that will likely play out somehow in WandaVision for some pre-show reading recommendations!

  • Disney+ Surpasses Expectations with 73 Million Subscribers

    Disney+ Surpasses Expectations with 73 Million Subscribers

    It hasn’t been an easy year for any company. The pandemic has strongly influenced consumer behaviors and forced many companies to remain closed. Disney was no exception, as they struggled with the closing of their parks and theaters locking down. They had to postpone many of their biggest film releases. Black Widow was pushed back by an entire year as they struggled to figure out if they should focus on their streaming service. After a trial run with Mulan, it seemed like they were hoping to return to theatres. Even Pixar’s next entry Soul will be released for free on the service next month.

    While they haven’t been able to make money at the Box Office, it looks like their investment with Disney+ has been a success. Their forecast was to reach between 60 to 90 million subscribers by 2024. They have reached that first threshold within the first nine months. Now, they already passed 73 million within the first 11 months.

    The service makes use of a large part of Disney’s vault. The company had a list of shows entering production after The Mandalorian kicked-off the streaming service’s launch. Sadly, the pandemic delayed most of their high-profile releases, so most releases were for younger audiences. With the recent announcement of Marvel Studios’ first show WandaVision eyeing January, it could see another boost in subscribers by then. It’ll be interesting to see how fast this service grows to compete with Netflix’s 195 million users.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • EXCLU: Clint Barton Set to Lose His Hearing in ‘HAWKEYE’

    EXCLU: Clint Barton Set to Lose His Hearing in ‘HAWKEYE’

    We’ve all been waiting for some kind of news regarding the upcoming Hawkeye show. We still don’t know who is playing Kate Bishop even though She-Hulk and even Moon Knight were just recently cast. Still, we may have a minor detail that could further tie the show to the Matt Fraction run. In a recent casting sheet, we saw a variety of side characters being looked for to join an untitled production that started in November. There was one interesting giveaway that connects it to the archer’s upcoming Disney+ show.

    They are actively looking for a middle-aged Chinese audiologist, who works in a rundown building and is off-the-books. Now, many fans of the archer might know that he is actually deaf and uses hearing aids. He destroyed his eardrums after using a sonic arrowhead on a villain. So far, it didn’t seem like Hawkeye had that issue in the MCU, well, at least until now. There is a good chance that in the show he makes the same mistake and is forced to use old contacts to get in touch with the audiologist.

    This casting also could hint at the story featuring the famous archer on the run at some point. There is also a chance that the audiologist could turn out to be someone who treats Echo, who is also deaf in the comics. She was deaf from an early age so it could be someone she visits for a check-up. The casting also includes an elderly lady, or man as well as an Eastern European kid. These could turn out to be other patients from the audiologist. Still, it’ll be interesting how they approach Clint’s loss of hearing if they do go that direction.