How Marvel Studios Can Deliver the MCU Avengers Game That We All Deserve

The Avengers became the biggest thing in the world after a flurry of successful blockbuster films took over Hollywood in the past two decades. Year after year, the Marvel Cinematic Universe grew and dominated the film industry and dipped its toes on the streaming front through Disney Plus. It is time for the universe to expand even further to a different format that could rival the storytelling and spectacle of the live-action film counterparts.

Video games could be President Kevin Feige’s next frontier and the definitive interactive experience for the gaming community after the disappointing 2020 game crashed and burned. Perhaps Marvel Studios could succeed where others have failed.

The Avengers Deserves a Second Chance in the Video Game Industry

The gaming community believed they had entered the golden era of superhero video games after the success of the Batman Arkham trilogy from Rocksteady and Marvel’s Spider-Man from Insomniac Games. Both franchises perfectly captured the essence of each titular hero and proved that these projects could be as cinematic and compelling as their live-action film counterparts.

It was only a matter of time before Earth’s Mightiest Heroes received the same treatment from big-name video game developers like Square Enix. The team had everything they needed for a successful game; unfortunately, this project fell flat spectacularly and became a cautionary tale on how not to adapt a superhero brand into a video game.

Marvel’s Avengers had great potential but was snuffed after the game developers failed to realize what the fan base wanted. Rather than going in the same direction as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which focused on storytelling, spectacle, and an interconnected universe, Crystal Dynamic made a live-service and Destiny-esque game with superheroes on top of it.

Players were taken aback when the game primarily focused on looting, which is an awkward structure for a superhero video game and were beyond disappointed with the obvious technical problems. The live-action Avengers movies were on point and knew what the fans wanted, whereas this project was all over the place and Square Enix had to pull the plug three years after release.

Perhaps the folks from Marvel Studios could apply the formula they have been using for the past 16 years and bring the same level of success to a video game. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown exponentially from movies to television series and tie-in comic books; perhaps expanding into the world of video games is the way to go.

If It Isn’t Broken, Don’t Fix It

Recent rumors suggest that the people behind the success of the MCU are interested in developing an original project set within the universe. Most games are set in separate universes, like Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man and Wolverine being in Earth-1048. The Marvel fan base always believed bridging the gaps between movies and TV shows was the start of something much more ambitious.

President Kevin Feige did the impossible when he first brought the original lineup of the Avengers in 2012 and has proven that comic book storylines can thrive on the big screen. The franchise has thrived after each year to where it is today and creating a video game could give more obscure characters the opportunity they never had in the films.

Square Enix failed to understand what fans wanted and learned its lesson the hard way. Marvel Studios can take advantage of the gaming company’s shortcomings to deliver what the fans want and the video game these characters deserve and branch out the legacy of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to newer heights.

Marvel Studios Can Redeem Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Through Video Games

The game developers of the 2020 project could have used the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a template to build an original video game universe that could rival the movies; unfortunately, they went over their heads and overestimated the chances of a live-service structure succeeding nowadays.

There are plans for DC Studios to do something similar by hiring the same actors to play certain characters across movies, TV shows, animated projects, and video games. Perhaps Marvel could apply this strategy and give the gaming community a way into the larger shared universe.

After the success of Avengers: Endgame concluding the Infinity Saga, the franchise started introducing smaller projects through Disney Plus with shows like WandaVision, Loki, Moon Knight, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and many more sharing the same qualities as the films from storytelling and worldbuilding. The rumored video game project could be made in the same vein to expand the franchise and give the fans more content before each new major project.

These smaller projects gave these characters the time to shine and introduced newer characters in the process. Perhaps the rumored video game project could do the same to introduce new superheroes and serve as another branch for existing storylines.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is unlike any other and expanding into the video game industry could be the right step forward. The superhero genre has carried Hollywood for the past few years but there has been a noticeable decline in quality in the more recent projects. While it is risky for filmmakers and producers to dip their toes into a format without prior experience, this can still bear great fruit for the existing franchise.

Modern video games can rival major movie blockbusters in storytelling, quality, and visuals. There might come a time when these two different formats will converge, and this new direction could become a massive game-changer for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The cinematic universe is about to change forever in the best way possible.

Hopefully, President Kevin Feige did his homework because making video games and movies are two different structures. Regardless, it is exciting to hear about the possibility of the Avengers getting a chance at redemption in the video game industry and an opportunity to expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Which MCU character would you like to see in the rumored video game? Let us know in the comments section below.