Marvel’s Avengers was recently delayed to September 4th, 2020 which is quite substantial considering it was initially set to release in March of this year. The game received mixed feedback upon its reveal at E3 2019, but since then has captured the interest of fans with its reveal of Kamala Khan and its tease at how the game will be supported for years to come.
Fans are currently cautiously optimistic at the prospect of playing it. Let’s look at 5 reasons why fans should be worried about Marvel’sAvengers as well as 5 reasons why they should be quite excited.
10 Excited: It’s The Avengers
It’s hard not to be excited at the prospect of a new video game featuring Earth’s Mightiest Heroes that’s not just a licensed title, but rather a new AAA experience with a substantial budget that’s being developed by a studio that’s quite beloved in the industry.
For years fans who have been fans of Marvel and/or the Marvel Cinematic Universe have seen Rocksteady Games release three tremendous Batman games and have just wanted the same for their favorite heroes. Marvel’s Spider-Man on PlayStation 4 was the start and fans are hoping Marvel’s Avengers continues the positive trend.
9 Worried: Cyberpunk 2077
When the game’s delay to September 2020 was originally announced fans were upset they’d have to wait but excited that it now seemed to own its release window rather than being up against some big titles.
A few short days later when Cyberpunk 2077’s delay was announced fans became worried when they realized the juggernaut title from CD Projekt Red was going to come out two weeks after the Avengers title. These two games will generally serve different audiences, but it’d be foolish to not believe that a good number of people will opt to spend their $60 on one over the other.
8 Excited: Crystal Dynamics
Crystal Dynamics is a very solid and capable developer who successfully brought Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider franchise into the modern era. Each of their titles in the series reviewed at the very least in a good fashion and deliver enjoyable adventures.
Considering this is a big partnership for Square Enix they likely gave this project to the Western studio they had the most confidence in, which ended up being Crystal Dynamics. The multiplayer components could be rough at launch, but at the very least you know the single-player campaign will likely be fun and enjoyable from the start.
7 Worried: The MCU
When the game was originally revealed the biggest issue fans had was that the designs of the Avengers looked nothing like their MCU counterparts. This was an issue both the development team and publisher knew they were going to have to deal with considering obtaining the likeness for the MCU actors would be astronomical.
It seems that several of the designs have been tweaked to look more aesthetically pleasing but it’s still unclear of the diehard MCU fans will ever get over the fact that the game’s heroes will never resemble the actors.
6 Excited: Next-Gen Support
Even when this game was set to arrive during the early part of 2020, it was assumed that a next-gen port and/or a backward-compatible upgrade would be available on next-gen consoles for this game. Now that it’s releasing a month or two before the launch of both the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5, it’s even safer to assume that.
Considering the legs of this game will focus on multiplayer it’s also safe to assume it will get tons of support on next-gen consoles throughout the early years, where heavy hitter AAA games have yet to release consistently.
5 Worried: Games-As-A-Service
When the first Destiny game was revealed and the genre we now know as Games-As-A-Service was born, fans were hopeful and excited about the prospect of an ever-evolving and growing game that receives constant and consistent updates.
Now, years later, after players have been burned by microtransactions and false promises, that label for a game comes with plenty of assumptions. The promise of free updates including additional heroes is a great place to start, but gamers are at the point where these types of games need to prove themselves.
4 Excited: So Many Heroes
When the game was initially revealed fans were worried at what seemed to be a rather limited roster. Since then there have been teases that additional heroes will be in the base game, alongside the already promised and confirmed additions post-release.
A big surprise as well was that Ms. Marvel, aka Kamala Khan, would be a prominent figure in the game’s narrative, which came after the tease of her superpower origin during the A-Day event. This is a game that’s looking to go on for years and it seems the roster will continue to grow as time goes on.
3 Worried: Spider-Man 2
Marvel’s Spider-Man released on PlayStation 4 and took the video game world by storm. For the first time, the Marvel brand finally had a game that matched the quality and potential of the MCU. Now Marvel’s Avengers needs to match the quality set forth by that title and is carrying the weight of the franchise’s most iconic team of heroes.
It seems like a real insurmountable task when you stop to think about it. If Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is teased or showcased at any point this year it will put even more pressure on Crystal Dynamics to deliver an experience worthy of the Avengers name and Marvel license.
2 Excited: It’s Getting More Development Time
At the end of the day, a delay means that the developers and creatives working on the game get more time to polish the product. This means that instead of it being forced into the market with bugs and underwhelming content, these artists and programmers can do their best to deliver the highest-quality version of this game that they can.
It also lets them experiment and playtest which could lead to valuable last-second changes that could turn a good game into a great one. Consumers don’t understand how important the final few months of development are on a project that’s been worked on for years.
1 Worried: The Delay
Delays are always worrisome even if people like to showcase an optimistic outlook. The belief that a delayed game will be better than what it would have been when it was set to release is a pretty solid one that should be backed wholeheartedly. The problem is that no one knows what shape it was exactly in.
When the game comes out it will certainly be better than the version that would have released in March, but how good is that September version? If it appears at E3 2020 in any capacity it could do a lot when it comes to making their fan base more assured and optimistic about the final product.
NEXT: Marvel’s Avengers: 5 Features We Want (& 5 We Want To See)
