PR in the Philippines

(SeaPRwire) –   Although the Marvel Cinematic Universe has dominated Hollywood and captivated audiences for nearly two decades, it is surprising that a game specifically based on the MCU has not been released in ten years. While James Gunn recently discussed efforts to create games within the newly revived DC cinematic universe, the last proper licensed MCU tie-in game was 2016’s Lego Marvel’s Avengers. If Lego adaptations are excluded, the most recent was Iron Man 3: The Official Game three years prior, which was a mobile clone of Temple Run.

However, Marvel properties outside the MCU have seen a series of acclaimed games over recent years, such as Square Enix’s surprise success Guardians of the Galaxy and 2K Games’ Midnight Suns. The year 2023 introduced Insomniac’s hugely popular Spider-Man 2, a title that featured on numerous year-end Best Of lists and, by selling 2.5 million copies in a day, set a record as the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever. Following this, NetEase Games delivered another major hit for Marvel with Marvel Rivals. This free-to-play hero shooter has now become the first title in ten years to re-engage with the MCU timeline, leading up to Avengers: Doomsday.

On April 30, Marvel Rivals introduced a new game mode inspired by 2012’s The Avengers. This asymmetric PvP mode pits one player controlling a powered-up Loki against a team of the MCU’s original six Avengers. Loki not only gets a significant health increase but also a new playstyle drawn from his use of the Mind Stone in the film: he can turn other players against their teammates and summon variants of the Avengers from alternate universes to fight for him. This new mode is a component of a continuing update named Path to Doomsday, through which Rivals will reinterpret key scenes from the movies via gameplay styles, events, and rewards.

While Rivals has regularly honored the MCU with alternate skins, this event is undoubtedly the largest film-inspired addition since launch, representing a smart concept. The live-service, ever-evolving model of Rivals perfectly mirrors what Doomsday is expected to be: both a nostalgic look back and an advance into new territory. Doctor Doom has been a looming presence in the game’s original narrative, likely timed to coincide with another future in-game film crossover.

Regarding officially licensed MCU games, Marvel (and DC, until lately) stepped back from this approach for multiple reasons. Disney-owned Marvel Games now conducts far less internal development, and licensed games impose stricter requirements on external studios—they must adhere to established canon, design characters to look like the current actors, and more. Titles like Spider-Man 2 and Rivals earn praise partly because they can apply their own distinctive interpretations to classic characters, a liberty they would lose if bound strictly to the MCU.

Nevertheless, with DC Studios showing renewed interest in licensed games, the possibility exists for official Marvel tie-ins to stage a comeback, particularly if Doomsday and Secret Wars genuinely reboot the franchise creatively. In the meantime, Marvel Rivals will offer its own distinctive retrospective on two decades of MCU stories.

Marvel Rivals is free-to-play on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.