Marvel Entertainment has announced a multiyear pact with game powerhouse Square Enix for a series of video-game titles, starting with a new Avengers game — but details for now are scant.
Disney-owned Marvel said more info on the Avengers game and other titles will be announced in 2018. Square Enix owns and publishes the “Final Fantasy” sci-fi/fantasy role-playing game franchise, among other titles.
For the Avengers game, Marvel is working with two Square Enix-owned studios: Crystal Dynamics, longtime developer the “Tomb Raider” series, and Eidos Montreal, known for its “Deus Ex” series of first-person shooter role-playing games.
“By partnering with Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal, we are now working with two of the industry’s most talented and respected game development studios to bring Marvel stories to life in ways our fans have never experienced,” Jay Ong, senior VP of games and innovation for Marvel Entertainment, said in announcing the partnership. He said the Avengers project is “a perfect example of how Marvel is making games a key part of the landscape for Marvel storytelling, alongside comics, television and film.”
Phil Rogers, CEO of Square Enix Americas and Europe, said the two companies’ collaboration will “craft epic, imaginative experiences allowing gamers to live out their superhero dreams like never before.”
Marvel first revealed the forthcoming game on social media Thursday with the hashtag “#Reassemble.” “The world will always need heroes,” a female voiceover says in the 50-second video teaser. “We just need to reassemble.”
Introducing The Avengers project from @SquareEnix, @CrystalDynamics, and @EidosMontreal! #Reassemble pic.twitter.com/0ppcquTIWi
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) January 26, 2017
According to the description in the YouTube teaser for the Marvel-Square Enix partnership: “The Avengers project is being designed for gamers worldwide and will be packed with all the characters, environments, and iconic moments that have thrilled longtime fans of the franchise. Featuring a completely original story, it will introduce a universe gamers can play in for years to come. More details on the Avengers project and other games will be announced in 2018.”
Square Enix Holdings Co., based in Tokyo, Japan, owns and manages brands including Square Enix, Eidos and Taito and a network of development studios in North America, Europe and Japan. The company’s game properties include “Final Fantasy,” which has sold over 115 million units worldwide, as well as “Dragon Quest,” “Tomb Raider” and Taito’s arcade classic “Space Invaders.”
