Avengers (2020 video game)

Marvel's Avengers is an upcoming action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix. Based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers, the game is inspired by the long-running comic book mythology and adaptations in other media. The game's main storyline takes place five years after A-Day, a celebratory day for the Avengers wherein a tragedy resulted in death and destruction, and the Avengers were blamed. The team is forced to reassemble to save the world from peril in the form of A.I.M. led by George Tarleton / M.O.D.O.K., which threatens ending the world from superpowers.

Marvel's Avengers
Developer(s)Crystal Dynamics[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)Square Enix
Director(s)Shaun Escayg
Designer(s)Magali Stretton
Alisha Thayer
Artist(s)Patrick Parenteau
Writer(s)Hannah MacLeod
Platform(s)
Release
  • Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia
  • 4 September 2020
  • PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
  • Q4 2020
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay is presented from the third-person perspective and features an online co-op mode, allowing players to assemble a team of heroes of their own. The initial playable characters include Steve Rogers / Captain America, Tony Stark / Iron Man, Bruce Banner / Hulk, Thor, Natasha Romanova / Black Widow, and Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel, with more becoming available to players post-launch.

The game will be released for Stadia, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on 4 September 2020. The game will also be released on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X when both consoles launch, with PlayStation 4 players and Xbox One players being able to upgrade to the next-gen version for free.[1]

Gameplay

Marvel's Avengers is a third-person, action-adventure game that combines an original, cinematic story with single-player and co-operative gameplay. The game can be played offline as a single-player experience or online with up to four people during certain aspects of the game.[2] The game will feature customization options including abilities and costumes, which can be upgraded using a skill tree. Costumes have been sourced from "all corners of the Marvel universe" and can be earned in-game or bought separately as DLC.[3][4] Players will also be able to receive free updates containing new regions and characters.[5]

Synopsis

Characters

Marvel's Avengers features a large roster of characters drawn from the Marvel Universe, consisting primarily of the title team members and other superheroes. The initial playable characters include Steve Rogers / Captain America (Jeff Schine), Tony Stark / Iron Man (Nolan North), Bruce Banner / Hulk (Troy Baker / Darin De Paul), Thor (Travis Willingham), Natasha Romanova / Black Widow (Laura Bailey),[6] and Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel (Sandra Saad).[7][8] Following the game's initial release, more characters will be made available for free to players, including Clint Barton / Hawkeye,[9] and Peter Parker / Spider-Man, the latter of whom is exclusive to the PlayStation 4 and 5 versions.[10] Crystal Dynamics studio head Scot Amos stated the exclusivity of Spider-Man came from Marvel and Sony's existing partnership, and clarified that this was the only character to be console-exclusive.[11]

The game's supporting characters include Hank Pym,[12] J.A.R.V.I.S.,[13] Nick Fury, Maria Hill and Dum Dum Dugan.[14] During the game, the heroes come into conflict with several supervillains; among them are George Tarleton / M.O.D.O.K.,[15] Emil Blonsky / Abomination,[16] and Tony Masters / Taskmaster.[17]

Plot

The story begins on A-Day, where five of the founding members of the Avengers — Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow and the Hulk — are celebrating the unveiling of a second headquarters in San Francisco, including the reveal of their own Helicarrier, the Chimera, powered by a Terrigen Crystal. The ceremony soon goes awry when a terrorist attack led by Taskmaster results in the Golden Gate Bridge and most of the city being destroyed, as well as the apparent death of Captain America. In addition, the destruction of the Terrigen Crystal has caused the spread of Terrigen Mist, which turns countless regular people into superpowered beings known as Inhumans. Blamed for the tragedy, the Avengers disband.

Five years later, the rebuilt San Francisco is now under the control of a science-based organization called A.I.M. led by George Tarleton, and superheroes—including those who were members of the Avengers—are outlawed. With the world in peril once more, Pakistani American teenager and Inhuman Kamala Khan uncovers both her new superpowers and a shocking conspiracy regarding A.I.M. She embarks on a quest to reassemble Earth's Mightiest Heroes,[8] avenge Captain America's death, and uncover the true culprit behind the A-Day incident.[18][19]

Release

A teaser trailer was released on Marvel Entertainment's YouTube channel in January 2017 which announced the game. The game was under the working title The Avengers Project.[20] More than two years later at E3 2019, Square Enix hosted a press conference that shared more details on the game, including a full trailer and release date. The 14-minute presentation showcased a trailer made from in-game footage, a brief description of the gameplay including characters, multiplayer and customization, and a preview of the actors behind the game.[21] A playable demo was available to show floor attendees behind closed doors.[22]

A closed beta is available for those who pre-ordered the game. This began 7 August and ran until 9 August for Playstation 4. The closed beta then came to Xbox One and Microsoft Windows from 14 August to 16 August, with an open beta for all Playstation 4 users also being available during this weekend. A final open beta will then take place from 21 August to 23 August for all platforms.[23]

Marvel's Avengers was originally set to release on Stadia, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows on 15 May 2020, but it has since been pushed back to 4 September, in order to adjust and polish the game.[24] The game will be released in four editions; a Standard Edition, an Exclusive Digital Edition (Only for PS4), a Deluxe Edition, and an Earth's Mightiest Edition, with the latter three editions being playable from 1 September.[25]

Tie-in media and merchandise

Marvel Comics has published five tie-in prequel comics for the game. The collection is called Marvel’s Avengers: Road to A-Day.[26] Each comic focuses on one of the five playable characters available at launch, excluding Ms. Marvel.[27] The first comic to be released was Marvel's Avengers: Iron Man #1 on 11 December 2019,[28] followed by Marvel's Avengers: Thor #1 on 8 January 2020,[29] Marvel's Avengers: Hulk #1 on 5 February 2020,[30] Marvel's Avengers: Captain America #1 on 18 March 2020,[31] and concluding with Marvel's Avengers: Black Widow #1 on 25 March 2020.[32]

Titan Books will publish two tie-in books for the game. The first book, titled Marvel's Avengers: The Extinction Key, will be released on 1 September.[33] The Extinction Key, which was written by best-selling author Greg Keyes, is a prequel focused on the events that take place prior to the A-Day, which also sets the game's events in motion. The novel follows the Avengers as they try to prevent an ancient organization called the Zodiac from acquiring an infinitely powerful weapon capable of warping the very fabric of time and space — the Zodiac Key. The Extinction Key also introduces the game's versions of Doctor Strange and Brother Voodoo, as well as specific members of S.H.I.E.L.D.[34] The second book, Marvel's Avengers: The Art of the Game, will also be released on 1 September and contains concept art, storyboards and artist commentary, an intimate study of the Avengers, plus a detailed view at the different environments and missions in the game.[35]

Funko released a set of Pop! Vinyl figures based on the playable characters in the game that are available at launch, in addition to a figure based on Taskmaster. Black Widow received a "chase" variant which is a glow in the dark version of the standard figure, but with the stock of this variant being less than that of her standard appearance. Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, and Hulk also received alternate designs exclusive to certain retailers, with the first two being glow-in-the-dark variants.[36] The designs for the characters were also loosely adapted for Lego Marvel Avengers sets releasing in 2020, though it is unclear if the events depicted are from the game itself.[37]

Notes
  1. Additional work by Eidos-Montréal, Crystal Northwest and Nixxes Software

References
  1. "MARVEL'S AVENGERS CONFIRMED FOR PLAYSTATION 5 AND XBOX SERIES X". Square Enix (Press release). 23 June 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  2. "Marvel's Avengers Multiplayer vs. Single-Player Options Explained". ScreenRant. 14 June 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  3. Barnett, Brian (21 June 2019). "How Marvel's Avengers Character Customization Works: Skills, Gear and Cosmetics - E3 2019". IGN. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  4. Makuch, Eddie (14 June 2019). "Marvel's Avengers Game Has Microtransactions - E3 2019". GameSpot. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  5. May, Rebecca April (23 June 2019). "How the Marvel's Avengers video game's constant updates and DLC will actually work". Digital Spy. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  6. "Marvel Teases Hawkeye's Inclusion in Avengers Game". Comic Book. 12 June 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  7. "Marvel's Avengers game confirms Kamala Khan's Ms Marvel at Comic-Con". Comic Book. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  8. "Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan joins Marvel's Avengers game". Virgin Media. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  9. "Marvel's Avengers: Hawkeye Revealed as Post-Launch Hero". IGN. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  10. "Spider-Man in Marvel's Avengers will be exclusive to PlayStation". Polygon. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  11. "Marvel's Avengers: How Spider-Man Became a PlayStation-Exclusive Character". IGN. 5 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  12. Fischer, Tyler (6 December 2019). "Marvel's Avengers Director Explains Hank Pym's Role in the Story". Comic Book. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  13. Patel, Akshay (30 July 2020). "Marvel's Avengers: Beta Drop Dates, New Avenger, War Zones and More". Essentially Sports. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  14. Williams, Mike (24 June 2020). "Marvel's Avengers Stream Shows Off New Takes on MODOK, Nick Fury, and Maria Hill". USgamer. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  15. Wood, Chandler (14 July 2020). "How Marvel's Avengers Adapts the Popular Property into Something All its Own, and Talking Endgame – Crystal Dynamics Interview". PlayStation LifeStyle. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  16. Chandler, Sam (7 August 2020). "Hulk smashes Abomination in this Marvel's Avengers boss fight". Shacknews. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  17. Polo, Susana (11 June 2019). "Marvel confirms the identity of the villain in Square Enix's Avengers game". Polygon.
  18. "Marvel's Avengers: A-Day". Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  19. @PlayAvengers (21 August 2019). "In the five years since the events of A-Day, a new evil threat has emerged: Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.). They believe that science, not Super Heroes, will save the world. Reassemble Earth's Mightiest Heroes to take on AIM in Marvel's Avengers. #EmbraceYourPowers #Reassemble" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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  21. "Marvel's Avengers Full World Premiere Presentation | Square Enix E3 2019". YouTube. GameSpot. 10 June 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
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  23. Reynolds, Matthew (6 August 2020). "Marvel's Avengers beta times, dates, how to get beta access and everything you need to know". Eurogamer. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
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  25. "Marvel's Avengers: Editions and preorder bonuses revealed | Square Enix Blog". square-enix-games.com. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  26. "How Marvel's Avengers Prequel Comics Set Up the Game". Den of Geek. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  27. "New Marvel's Avengers Prequel Comics Announced". GAMING. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  28. "Marvel's Avengers: Iron Man (2019) #1 | Comic Issues | Marvel". Marvel Entertainment. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  29. "Marvel's Avengers: Thor (2020) #1 | Comic Issues | Marvel". Marvel Entertainment. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  30. "Marvel's Avengers: Hulk (2020) #1 (Variant) | Comic Issues | Marvel". Marvel Entertainment. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  31. "Marvel's Avengers: Captain America (2020) #1 (Variant) | Comic Issues | Marvel". Marvel Entertainment. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  32. "Marvel's Avengers: Black Widow (2020) #1 | Comic Issues | Marvel". Marvel Entertainment. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  33. Keyes, Greg (1 September 2020). 'Marvel's Avengers': The Extinction Key (paperback ed.). Titan Books. ISBN 9781789092066. Retrieved 5 August 2020 – via Waterstones.
  34. Workman, Robert (6 December 2019). "Marvel's Avengers Video Game Will Get a Prequel Novel". SuperHeroType. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  35. Reeves, Brianna (6 December 2019). "Marvel's Avengers Prequel Novel Will Pit the Team Against an Ancient Organization". PlayStation LifeStyle. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  36. "Funko Pop New York Toy Fair 2020 Reveals – "Marvel's Avengers"". bleedingcool.com. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  37. Paige, Rachel (21 May 2020). "LEGO Marvel Avengers: Five Brand-New Sets Arrive This Summer". Marvel.com. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
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