Spider-Man Can Save Marvel’s Avengers!
Marvel’s Avengers had had a difficult road since its launch last year. This is due to the constant trend of taking one step forward and two back. Spider-Man’s long-awaited addition to the main roster is a beacon for hope.
Spider-Man was revealed as a PlayStation exclusive in August 2013 and has been teased extensively. We finally saw Spidey in action earlier this month in a trailer for his Hero Event With Great Power. It has received a mixed reception, with Crystal Dynamic’s Spider-Man take standing in the shadow Of Insomniac’s critically acclaimed take of the web-slinger in Marvel’s Spider-Man. This is a sad state of affairs for Marvel’s Avengers. There are growing criticisms and little real story content for Spidey.
It is important to know how we got there, so let’s take a look at the history of Marvel Avengers. Marvel’s Avengers was first announced in 2017 as a multi-year, multi-game partnership between Square Enix and Marvel. It teased an epic story that would see the Avengers fall apart. The collaboration between Crystal Dynamics & Eidos-Montreal was even more exciting. The signs were there for something special, with two industry titans collaborating on development.
We finally saw the first glimpse of the game at E3 2019, after which details were sparse in the years that followed. It’s difficult to know if Crystal Dynamics was anticipating the backlash that this trailer would receive, but it really was the beginning of a downward trend. The trailer’s bulky characters didn’t even look like the cinematic counterparts. Previews were also not exactly glowing. Many fans found the decision to take the live-service route the most offensive.
The problems with Marvel’s Avengers would not end with the troubled launch, which saw more than 1,000 issues reported. It did not set the world on fire, scoring a score of Metacritic of 67 and a 4.9 user score. Many were critical of the numerous bugs, repetitive nature, and lacklustre content. These issues accumulated over time, eventually leading to a massive player decline with just 1,190 active players on PC two months after launch.
Crystal Dynamics tried to remedy the situation by releasing updates that included new characters such as Hawkeye. He also had his story DLC. A series of skins were added to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as cosmetic options. This was done to alleviate fans. With the Black Panther-focused expansion War for Wakanda, Marvel’s Avengers returned to the top ten UK video games charts; it seemed that the tide was turning. Crystal Dynamics made the bizarre decision to increase microtransactions in their game just as it looked like they were regaining some goodwill.
The introduction of XP boosters encouraged players to spend real money to increase their character’s level, which was met with outrage by the fan base. Crystal Dynamics was quick to get rid of XP boosts. However, when your boss doesn’t believe you, it’s not the best way to look. Yosuke Mizuda, the president at Square Enix, said that Crystal Dynamics was not the right fit for the game in their annual earnings reports. Perhaps you should look inward.
This brings us to a few weeks back, when Spider-Man was finally revealed to Marvel’s Avengers. Spider-Man’s inclusion in this game is a huge deal. Spider-Man is the most successful superhero and has generated more than $1.3 Billion in global retail sales. Spidey has already enjoyed a lot of hype and success since his solo adventure on PS4 with Miles Morales. This is not to mention all the commotion surrounding Spider-Man 2: No Way Home. Crystal Dynamics has the ball to make sure this doesn’t go wrong, but things aren’t looking good.
Spider-Man’s trailer revealed that this Spider-Man is a completely different Peter Parker than the one we saw in Insomniac’s video game. The portrayal is much closer to Tom Holland’s version of the character. While the suit has the traditional red-and-blue colour scheme, it also features some nods towards the more stark suit in Spider-Man: Homecoming and the MCU. This Spider-Man is still trying to find his feet and his place in Marvel’s Avengers. Spider-Man has flown solo all his life, appearing first aft.
