With five months remaining until Marvel’s Avengers finally comes out, it’s been announced that fans will soon have something Marvel’s Avengers-related to fill the time before then. As part of a collaboration between Marvel and publisher Titan Books, there will be an official prequel novel that will help set the scene for the upcoming game from Square Enix and developers Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal.
While there are plenty of existing comics to read in preparation for Marvel’s Avengers, the novel in question, Marvel’s Avengers: The Extinction Key, will take place in the game’s version of the Marvel universe. According to the official announcement on IGN, it will follow the Avengers as they take on the Zodiac, an ancient organization out to get its hands on a weapon known as the Zodiac Key. The Avengers team in the novel will consist of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, and Hulk, who will also team up with fellow Marvel heroes like Doctor Strange, Doctor Voodoo, and agents of SHIELD to put a stop to the Zodiac.
Written by Greg Keyes (bestselling author of multiple sci-fi and fantasy novels, including stories set in popular franchises like Star Wars and The Elder Scrolls), The Extinction Key will be released on March 31, 2020. That will give fans enough time to read the book, get hyped, and be ready for Marvel’s Avengers just in time for its launch in May. But it won’t be the only book related to the game that Titan will release next year.
Coming September 1, Marvel’s Avengers: The Art of the Game will offer exactly what that title suggests, featuring detailed looks at the visual development of Marvel’s Avengers’ characters, environments, and missions. These will include, according to Titan, “exclusive concept sketches, character art, storyboards, and fully-rendered scenes alongside fascinating insights into the creative process.”
While these two books were the only ones announced, it’s likely they won’t be the only ones fans will get, as IGN stated that The Extinction Key and The Art of the Game are but “the first entries in a new collaboration” between Titan, Marvel, and the game’s creators that will see “a range of official fiction and non-fiction titles for Marvel’s Avengers.”
As for the game itself, Marvel’s Avengers will feature action-packed loot-based gameplay that will enable players to customize their heroes as they progress, either in single-player or four-player co-op. While the game will launch with only six characters, consisting of the game’s five main Avengers plus Ms. Marvel, the game will add more playable heroes over time, all of whom will be free.
Marvel’s Avengers will be out on May 15, 2020 for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
Source: IGN
