Strangely enough, Marvel video games aren’t quite as common as fans might expect them to be in the modern era, but there’s certainly precedent for games based on comic book heroes; launched in 2011,DC Universe Onlineis a successful MMO that bridges together the many disparate aspects of the DC comic book multiverse. Though thePS5 and Xbox Series X conversions of the game were delayed, the title remains reasonably popular and is continually updated. In late 2021, aMarvelcompanion game of sorts was revealed, though the Stockholm-based conglomerate EG7 has now revealed in a recent earnings report that this has been scrapped.
Given the generally positive reception ofDC Universe Onlineand the undeniable profitability of mostMarvelIPs, this cancelation may come as a major shock to fans. Helmed by Daybreak Game Company, the same studio behindDC Universe Onlineand other recognizable outings such asPlanetside 2andEverquest, the Marvel MMO was seemingly in good hands. However, EG7 cites the increasing investment cost as a notable reason for its cancellation; while it’s not put in layman’s terms, it seems like development costs were beginning to outstrip the title’s projected profitability.
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This certainly isn’t out of the ordinary, as the server maintenance and constant updates players would expect from an MMO wouldn’t be cheap, and games in the genre are canceled or phased out routinely. Avid Blizzard fans may still remember the troubledTitanIP that never came to fruition, andDaybreak itself cannedEverquest Nextback in 2016over fears that the game simply wasn’t fun enough to maintain a solid player base.
Though they occupy separate genres and were being handled by completely different teams, the impact of the Square Enix-developedMarvel’s Avengerslive service game may have played a part in the Marvel MMO’s cancelation. Despite launching with quite a bit of fanfare in 2020, new content drops are few and far between in 2022, and, thougha new Iron Man skin was recently added, there’s not been anything particularly game-changing for some time. Billed as a blockbuster title meant to receive constant updates for years to come, the game’s less-than-stellar reputation may have hampered other Marvel game productions, though that’s just speculation at this time.
This isn’t the first time an MMO based on Marvel properties was canceled. Some may remember way back in 2008 when news broke that aCryptic Studios-developed Marvel game had been canned. Cryptic Studios went on to developDungeons and Dragons Neverwinter, but it’s interesting to think about what might have happened had the team’s other MMO ambitions panned out. Regardless, it seems as if Marvel fans will be waiting in perpetuity for an MMO based on their favorite heroes.
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