Breakdown
- The first original MCU video game is reportedly in the works
- This will be the first video game to offer a new story that connects to the Marvel Cinematic Universe
- Myriad other Marvel games are in development
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has shifted Hollywood trends for the past 16 years, but it is only now entering the video game industry with its first original MCU video game in development.
Although MCU films have inspired video game adaptations, including Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor, there has never been an original MCU story created specifically for the gaming medium.
According to Alex Perez from The Cosmic Circus, a well-regarded source for MCU leaks, the first MCU game is coming. Following Disney’s new plan to diversify MCU content across film and TV to avoid staleness, a new video game could be crucial to the franchise’s future.
“We already have an MCU Adjacent Video Game in development,” Perez announced to fans on Twitter. “Interesting.”
Despite the lack of an MCU video game since the underwhelming Iron Man 2: The Video Game, the Marvel brand has performed well in unrelated games.
For example, Insomniac’s Spider-Man games are among the best-performing PlayStation and PC games, and the studio’s upcoming Wolverine is expected to be another AAA blockbuster.
Additionally, upcoming Marvel video games such as Xbox’s in-development Blade and Skydance’s Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra are set to introduce exciting new dimensions to the classic comics multiverse.
However, Marvel-based video games can still fail. In recent years, Square Enix’s high-budget Avengers game flopped, and the excellent Guardians of the Galaxy game failed to meet sales targets, despite being built around a beloved IP.
With many claiming superhero fatigue after 16 years of MCU entries, will the first official MCU video game reignite the spark that Marvel has lost? The huge sales of games like Spider-Man 2 provide hope that the MCU will succeed in video game form, but no success is ever guaranteed.