Marvel’s Avengers may still be nine months away from release (who’s counting, though?), but that doesn’t mean gamers aren’t thirsty for details. The project remained almost a complete mystery for the first two years after its original E3 teaser, but now that the Avengers’ launch day is less than a year away fans are finally start to get a better idea of what this game is going to be, who they’ll be able to play as, and how single and multiplayer will work.

There are still a lot of unknowns about Marvel’s Avengers, but the E3 2019 presentation and the gameplay footage that was revealed in the months that followed have managed to shed a lot more light on the Square Enix comic book-inspired project. After the success of Insomniac’s Spider-Man, everyone wants a piece of the superhero action and Square Enix seems like it will be the next team to deliver at the AAA standard.

With so many details leaking out over the last few months (like the involvement of A.I.M.), it can be a little hard to keep track of everything that has been confirmed about the title. To help keep things simple, we’ve compiled everything we know about Marvel’s Avengers in one spot for readers to study up before next summer.

When does Marvel’s Avengers take place?

First off, let’s talk universes. Marvel’s Avengers doesn’t take place in the 616, Ultimate, or MCU worlds (despite the weird MCU-inspired character designs). Instead, this is the Marvel games universe. In terms of timeline, there appears to be a bit of a time gap early in the game’s narrative. Things kick off with the Avengers riding high at an Avengers Day celebration, but things quickly go very wrong. After Captain America supposedly meets a terrible fate, the game jumps forward in time about five years to when it seems like it will actually take place. During this era, the Avengers are scattered and superheroes appear to be outlawed.

What characters are playable in Marvel’s Avengers?

Captain America (Confirmed)

Black Widow (Confirmed)

Iron Man (Confirmed)

Thor (Confirmed)

Hulk (Confirmed)

Ant-Man/Hank Pym (confirmed as a character in a cinematic teaser, but no gameplay footage)

What is combat like?

Combat in Marvel’s Avengers appears to vary depending on which character players are in control of. There will be ranged, melee, stealth, and magic-like systems; so the game should provide something for everyone. Thor and Hulk offer the ability to smash in with aggressive attacks, while Iron Man gives players the option to keep some distance and reign down DPS from the skies.

The prologue appears to offer players a chance to play as each different core Avenger, so it shouldn’t take long to do some experimenting and figure out which style of play works best for you.

How does Marvel’s Avengers multiplayer work?

This is one of the biggest questions heading into the game. Obviously the game’s single-player campaign is going to attract a lot of players, but the title is also being advertised as a constantly growing multiplayer service game. To compete with the likes of Destiny 2 or The Division 2, Marvel’s Avengers is going to need to provide gamers a reason to stick around after finishing the main storyline.

The four-player co-op element is weaved into the storyline, as Crystal Dynamics promises that story is the heart of Marvel’s Avengers, but co-op play is not locked to story progress. Players will be able to jump in and out of co-op, level up characters in and out of co-op play, but those interested in main-ing one specific character will not be punished for that either. The latter doesn’t appear to be in the best interest of fans, though, as it was confirmed that all post-launch Marvel characters will be free.

How Does Loot Work?

It doesn’t seem like the loot influences the design of the character, which is one cohesive look. For example, the Comic-Con panel showed off a couple of different looks for the entire main Avengers cast, including a mobster Hulk, a more regal looking Thor, and tons of different color schemes for Iron Man. Game Director Shaun Escayg promised that those few costumes shown per character only scratch the surface of what will be available in the main game, so there is sure to be plenty of options for players that want to customize their hero.

But it does appear that the loot in the game also influences the gameplay and not just the look of the characters. In the Avengers gameplay demo, each hero appears to have a few abilities and it’s safe to assume the loot will influence those. Specifics were unclear because of how brief the look at loot was, but more should be revealed later this year.

Be sure to check back in the coming months for more Marvel’s Avengers news, updates, and strategy guides. Until then, Avengers Assemble!

Marvel’s Avengers releases May 15, 2020 for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.