Upcoming Superhero Video Games That Will Blow You Away
Ever since Superman arrived on Atari 2600 in 1979, superhero games have been a big part of the industry, allowing players to suit up as their favorite comic book characters and take to the skies of a giant metropolis or into the criminal underworld of a dangerous city.
Who can forget Sunsoft's 1990 platformer Batman: The Video Game for Nintendo Entertainment System or Capcom's X-Men: Children of the Atom fighting game from 1995? For many of us growing up in the 1980s and '90s, whether we were Marvel or DC fans, superhero games shaped our childhoods.
Superhero games continue to shape the way we play today. Rocksteady took the video game world by storm when it released Batman: Arkham Asylum, an adventure that sends the Dark Knight into the depths of insanity in order to defeat the Joker. It tops lists of the best superhero games ever made. With a few projects currently in the works at some great studios, we have created a list of all the upcoming superhero video games you need to keep an eye on!
The Avengers Project still requires some assembly
Spider-Man isn't the only Marvel character getting the video game treatment from a highly regarded studio. The Avengers, Marvel's flagship team of superheroes, are also getting their own game, courtesy of Square Enix. "The Avengers Project," as it's currently being called, is the first title in a multi-game partnership between the two companies. Both Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal, the studios behind Tomb Raider and Deus Ex respectively, are working on the Avengers Project.
The game will feature "all the characters, environments, and iconic moments that have thrilled longtime fans of the franchise." It will also have a "completely original story." Further details and what characters will be featured in the game are slim, but the game's announcement trailer teased Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk.
A set of job listings from 2017 could indicate that the game will be an online third-person action-adventure game, although that has not been confirmed. With so little to go on, we'll just have to wait and see what the game actually is.
Guardians of the Galaxy may have their own game to break out of
While Square Enix's deal with Marvel spans multiple games, we haven't heard anything about what else the publisher is working on beyond the Avengers Project. That said, there is a second Marvel project currently in development at Eidos Montreal, according to Eurogamer: a new Guardians of the Galaxy game.
Eidos was reportedly in the "early stages of production" on Guardians of the Galaxy in early 2017. What progress the studio has made since then is unknown. Don't forget that Eidos is also aiding Crystal Dynamics on the Avengers Project, which means that Guardians might still be a ways away.
Still, any new Marvel project is enough to get excited about. Just look at what Telltale Games did with the quirky band of space exploring misfits. It's important to note, though, that the Guardians project has not yet been confirmed by Square Enix or Marvel.
Batman's son (maybe) gets his due
There might be a new Batman title brewing at WB Games Montreal, makers of Batman: Arkham Origins. Back in 2015, a plethora of job listings were posted on the studio's website which indicated that the studio was working on at least two AAA games related to DC properties. At the time, WB Games described the projects as "focused on expanding the DC Comics universe in the interactive space."
We've not heard much about these game since, but rumors have continued to float around the internet. For instance, one of those projects, a Suicide Squad game, was reportedly canceled in 2016 after it "failed to impress" WB management. According to the same report from Kotaku, the other project is a Batman game starring Damian Wayne, Bruce's son. The game is rumored to be an open-world co-op Batman game with a "games-as-a-service" element, which is not surprising considering gaming is apparently trending away from linear experiences.
In addition, recently some artwork leaked that may or may not indicate a WB Montreal game about Batman taking on the Court of Owls. Is this the same Damian Wayne project? Or a different project altogether? Or just some personal art from a guy who used to work at WB? Who knows! But it definitely seems like Batman isn't done with video games yet.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order
Nintendo surprised many fans at the 2018 Game Awards when it revealed Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, the third installment in the beloved action-RPG franchise. The first entry in the series in almost a decade, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 will boast another huge roster of characters, this time with some fan favorites made popular by the Marvel Cinematic Universe such as Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Drax, Gamora, and Nebula. In fact, most of the initial roster teased in the announcement trailer leans heavily on the characters you've already met in the films, but don't fret if you're a Marvel vs Capcom fan who felt cheated by Infinite: the X-Men will also appear in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3.
As far as the baddies go, the Mad Titan Thanos is unsurprisingly the centerpiece of the game, but he's not working alone. Popular Spidey villains the Green Goblin and Sandman, as well as Ultron and Kingpin, will appear in this sequel.
Gameplay-wise, expect the fast-paced melee action you know and love from Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. And if you have some friends who happen to be big Marvel fans, enjoy kicking Thanos' butt in co-op mode!
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is coming exclusively to the Nintendo Switch in 2019.
A new Marvel game from the developers behind Hearthstone
While we don't know much about this mysterious Marvel game at the moment, we're confident about the talent working on the project. Second Dinner, an indie studio founded by former Hearthstone director Ben Brode and exec producer Hamilton Chu, along with a few other former Blizzard developers, is working on a Marvel title still wrapped in mystery.
"We're partnering with Marvel on our first game," Second Dinner said in a statement on its website. "I know what you're thinking: 'WHAAAT?!!? You get to make a game with Hellcow the vampiric cow and Throg, the Mighty Frog of Thunder??' Yes. Yes we do. ... We're working on the prototype already and we think it might just be the most fun thing ever in the history of fun."
According to Kotaku, the studio received a $30 million investment from Chinese tech company NetEase to develop the game. It remains to be seen what type of Marvel game Second Dinner come up with. Some might point to the team's experience with Hearthstone as an indicator that the new game is a Marvel CCG, but it's worth noting that Marvel Battle Lines, which released in 2018, already has that covered. Whatever the game is, there's a big chance that it's something completely different from what Brode, Chu, and the others have worked on before.
Our spider-sense is still tingling
Marvel's Spider-Man released to glowing reviews and a rapturous response from fans, more than matching its own hype. It gave players everything they wanted from a Spider-Man game: free-roaming webslinging, a broad roster of villains, and a compelling story brought to life with fine acting. It also gave Sony everything it wanted: namely, money. So even without any formal announcement yet, our spider-sense is tingling pretty hard that a sequel is already in development.
After such a stellar debut, where might a second game go? The first question would be where the next open-world sandbox would be located. New York, Spidey's home turf, was brilliantly realized in the first title. Even if a second game wanted to keep the city, developer Insomniac Games would probably want to either expand on it or, more likely, add in a whole new city to websling around in.
As for the story? After so thoroughly focusing on Spider-Man himself in the first go-round, it would be great if a sequel could force Spidey to work alongside — or put up with — another hero, testing both of their tempers. Wolverine and Spider-Man are a classic comic matchup, given their wildly contrasting personalities. Then again, the Avengers Tower is right there in the first game. Maybe it's time for Peter Parker to join a team effort.
With such a great foundation to build off of, Insomniac really can go anywhere it wants with a sequel. Here's hoping that whatever it does, it preserves the heart, intellect, and good old-fashioned joy of the original.