6 Titles We Want From Marvel and Square Enix’s Multi-Game Partnership

Death Stranding, God of War, Spider-Man PS4…E3 2016 proved to be one for the ages, as Sony rolled out trailer after trailer showcasing many of the games headed to PlayStation 4 in the not-so-distant future. For all of the excitement generated by Kratos, Atreus, and Norman Reedus clutching onto his (?) stillborn foetus, it was really the unveiling of Insomniac’s licensed Spidey game that instilled a renewed sense of hope in Marvel’s gaming output.

The as-yet-untitled Spider-Man PS4 is by no means a one-off, either; immediately after E3, Marvel’s Vice President of Games Jay Ong asked the question: “Is [Spider-Man] a signal of things to come? Oh, yes. Absolutely. And we can’t wait to tell the world about it.” Matching AAA properities with AAA developers is something fans have been crying out for for generations, and after persevering through an era of rushed, downright terrible video game tie-ins, Marvel Games is beginning to turn a corner. Gone are the days when the comic book giant was beholden to a standing agreement with Activision, one which resulted in a string of licensed titles of diminishing returns.

In one corner, Insomniac Games has been tasked with reintroducing everyone’s favorite friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, while the Guardians of the Galaxy have found a home at Telltale Games. Star-Lord and the gang have proven fairly popular, too, what with reports claiming that former Deus Ex dev Eidos Montreal is also ready to spin out their own version of Awesome Mix Vol. 1.

That tidbit in question was unearthed right around the time when Square Enix and Marvel officially joined forces for a “multi-game partnership.” Beginning with The Avengers project, the creative team-up will involve both parties developing and publishing “original games based on beloved Marvel superheroes.”

No further details were disclosed, but more information on both The Avengers project and other licensed titles is expected in 2018. So far, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are locked in, while an Eidos-developed Guardians game is all but confirmed, but what about Marvel and Square’s other gestating projects? Supposing that that multi-game partnership spans all genres, The Avengers project could herald the start of something special, and here we’ve compiled a list of potential Marvel candidates ripe for an adaptation.

Because let’s face it, the term ‘superhero’ is arguably one of the most flexible in the business. It’s not so much a genre as it is a loose category of Messiah complexes and costumed crusaders, and one need only look to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as an example of creators retooling the formula to fit a wide variety of films. You have Guardians of the Galaxy and its sci-fi sensibilities, while Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man movie is essentially a heist movie wrapped up in a snug (and tiny!) superhero skin. Can Square Enix and Marvel nurture a similarly diverse roster of titles? We certainly hope so, and here, we’ve earmarked six properities and/or characters to consider.

What do our readers make of Square and Marvel’s multi-game partnership? Indeed is there one character/property in particular you’d like to see leap from the comic book panels? Let us know below.

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