Marvel and Playdom launched Marvel: Avengers Alliance last month on Facebook. It’s a social game centered around PvP fighting. But this is Marvel’s biggest franchise. Where’s the big-budget console tie-in game?
Marvel’s films have churned out their share of “based on the movie” video games that have ranged from so-so to downright awful. So when it comes to The Avengers, it looks like the House of Ideas isn’t taking any chances, quality-wise.
A report from Forbes suggests that Disney Interactive (Disney owns Marvel now, don’t forget) is hard at work on a top secret, AAA-quality Avengers video game for multiple devices. In fact, there’s more than one title in the works. According to Marvel’s vice president of games production, TQ Jefferson, Marvel: Avengers Alliance is “the first in a much larger effort to support the Avengers franchise across not just one but multiple video game touch points. The Avengers are bigger than just one game, and we’re planning to allow consumers to enjoy The Avengers regardless of their preference in gameplay style or platform. Look for more announcements in the weeks to come.”
Read between the lines, and it sounds like there’s not only a big console game coming, but games for handheld devices like 3DS, PSVita, iOS, and Android as well. But Disney’s in no hurry to make it happen. It’s a smart move, since most movie-to-video game adaptations turn out to be crapware, rushed through production just to meet a release deadline that lines up with the movie’s theatrical run. By taking their time and getting The Avengers game(s) right, we’re a lot more likely to get something that’s actually worth playing.
So what do you suppose the Avengers console game will be like? It almost goes without saying that it’ll use a 3D engine, but it could be a first-person game, third-person, or even isometric (like the Marvel Ultimate Alliance games). It could be a straight-up shooter, or there could be adventure elements, RPG elements… There are lots of ways to go with this.
A few months ago, gameplay footage leaked showing an Avengers game that had been cancelled for unknown reasons. It was pretty enticing stuff, with first-person action in a shooter-style game, presented with some real graphics muscle. Was the plug was pulled on that game because Disney and Marvel decided to go in a different direction?
It will likely be a while before we find out. Forbes speculates that the Christmas release window for the movie on DVD/Blu-ray could be an ideal time to launch the official video game. They also suggest that Disney Interactive is viewing this as an opportunity to launch a whole franchise of games with this thing, so there will probably be multiple games to look forward to, including some solo titles for various Avengers members.