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Marvel's Avengers to reportedly cease development [UPDATED]

Marvel's Avengers may be nearing the end of the road, according to a new report.

Donovan Erskine

January 20, 2023 12:10 PM

Square Enix

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Updated on January 20 at 3:05 p.m. PT: Crystal Dynamics has released a statement confirming that Marvel's Avengers will receive its final patch on March 31, 2023. Official support for the game will end on September 30, 2023. The rest of this article remains as originally written.

When Marvel’s Avengers launched, its unique campaign that centered on young hero Ms. Marvel was lauded by fans and critics. Its multiplayer component, however, was far less favored. It struggled to find a large audience out of the gate and was the biggest point of criticism of the game overall. Roughly two and a half years after its launch, new reports allege that publisher Square Enix may soon pull the plug on Marvel’s Avengers.

A report from eXputer was published earlier today, stating that Marvel’s Avengers would soon be given the axe. Often described as “sunsetting,” this means that the game would receive no more content updates, DLC, or patches. The servers would be left up for existing fans, but all other development would stop. The outlet claims that sources within developer Crystal Dynamics have said that an official announcement could be coming sometime next week. The article also points toward a report from December 2022 that claimed plans were in motion for Marvel’s Avengers to retire in 2023.

Marvel’s Avengers’ multiplayer component took a games-as-a-service-style approach, with routine updates designed to keep players engaged longterm. Unfortunately, a lack of content at launch and some road bumps afterward caused many players to bounce off of the superhero game rather quickly. Over the past two years, Marvel’s Avengers got major updates that brought characters like Black Panther and Jane Foster to the game.

Marvel’s Avengers wouldn’t be the only GaaS title to fail to meet its full potential. EA’s Anthem also had ambitions of replicating the success of games like Destiny 2, only for its life to be cut short.

We here at Shacknews gave Marvel’s Avengers a positive review when it launched in 2020, mostly on the back of its impressive campaign. As we await an official announcement from Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix, stick with Shacknews.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_