Microsoft Nabs Marvel Multiplayer Games

By Geoff Duncan July 14, 2005

Microsoft Corporation and Marvel Enterprises have announced Microsoft will have exclusive rights to develop and publish massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) featuring Marvel superheroes like Spider-Man, The Hulk, the X-Men, and the Fantastic 4. The games titles will be developed for Microsoft’s forthcoming Xbox 360 gaming console, with the first title expected to ship in 2008.

Microsoft has previously developed MMO games for PCs, but the deal marks its first venture into creating console-based MMO gaming, although last November the company launched Xbox Live, a fee-based online console gaming network. Microsoft’s new Xbox 360 is set to debut in the third quarter of the year, and Microsoft reportedly sees MMOs as a strong growth opportunity as broadband Internet access becomes more common in the U.S. and around the world. MMO games are widely popular in east Asia, with an estimated 2 million players worldwide.

Marvel has existing video game licensing arrangements with Electronic Arts, Vivendi, Majesco, and Activision, although none cover MMOs.

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