The next-generation edition of Marvel’s Avengers has been delayed to 2021. As a silver lining for Square Enix, the superhero game was also the highest-selling game of September, according to the latest NPD report.
Square Enix announced the delay in a State of the Game blog post, explaining that the company “made the decision to shift our PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S launch to next year to ensure that we give our team the time to deliver a next-gen experience showcasing all that this game is meant to be.”
The blog post doesn’t specify a new launch date or window for the game, but does reaffirm that players who own the current version will be able to upgrade to the PS5 and Series X|S version for free.
In addition to the next-generation delay, the upcoming Kate Bishop DLC, which was set to drop this month, has been pushed back. The blog post mentions a “slight delay” for the content drop, but no firm date was given there either.
The blog post mentions that the team has been hard at work fixing bugs since the game came out and that fixing the game experience takes priority over releasing new content.
The news comes on the same day as the latest NPD sales report, which reveals that Marvel’s Avengers was September’s best-selling game. The live service game is 2020’s seventh-best-selling title to date, and marks the second-highest launch sales for a superhero game, trailing Marvel’s Spider-Man.
The game beat out plenty of heavy hitters for the top spot. Super Mario 3D All-Stars debuted at number two, while Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 and NBA 2K 21 took the Nos. 4 and 5 slots, respectively.
Overall, consumer spending on video games was up 10% over this time last year, with year-to-date spending reaching $33.7 billion. The strong sales month was anchored by a 15% increase in console sales over last September, totaling $277 million.
