After a two year wait, Square Enix’s Avengers game has finally been revealed to the world. During the E3 2019 showcase viewers got a chance to see what the Marvel’s Avengers gameplay will be like, what heroes will appear at launch, and what the intentions are for the game post-launch.
In 2017, Square Enix and Marvel announced a multi-game partnership that was to start with an Avengers game developed by Crystal Dynamics. Up until right before this year’s E3 things were quiet, and leaks started to roll out and frame what the upcoming Avengers game would be like. The official reveal of Marvel’s Avengers showed in-engine cinematic cutscenes and prototype gameplay using the game’s five main heroes: Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man, Black Widow, and Thor.
The Avengers combat took advantage of each character’s abilities, flight, and lots of chaos. The story focused on a world rocked by a catastrophic event that results in one of the character’s deaths, the heroes taking the blame, and the team disbanding.
The Avengers story can be played with up to three friends in online, four-player co-op. The launch is set for 2020 and is only the start for the game that Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics plans to support over multiple years. In addition to expanding the game’s story, post-launch content like new playable Marvel characters and regions to fight through will be free to owners of the game. Voice actors for Marvel’s Avengers include Troy Baker as Hulk, Nolan North as Iron Man, Laura Bailey as Black Widow, Jeff Schine as Captain America, and Travis Willingham as Thor.
The developers stress that no loot boxes or pay-to-win mechanics will be implemented. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how a thus far straight-forward action experience unfolds as an one that lives or dies on post-launch updates. Electronic Arts’ Battlefield 5 is another game that is taking a similar approach with entirely free Tides of War updates over multiple years, but that game also features a competitive mode in addition to its single-player and co-op modes.
Marvel’s Avengers launches May 15, 2020 for Xbox One, PC, PS4, and Google Stadia. Crystal Dynamic shared during the E3 conference that PS4 gamers will get early beta access, surprises, and other unique benefits to be revealed in the future.
