Ever since Marvel Studios hit gold with the MCU, connected universes fueled by sequels, spin-offs, and multimedia expansions have become the norm. DC, Star Wars, Game of Thrones and more all have plans for major expansions in the coming years.
So as connected universes become more and more common, especially in the superhero world, one can only wonder if video games are next. Both Marvel and DC are currently working on games from various developers in different genres, styles and universes.
Marvel Games currently has multiple games in the works in the gaming industry, including: Wolverine and Spider Man 2 at Insomniac, a self-titled Captain America and Black Panther game at Skydance, an Iron Man project from Motive, midnight Sun from Firaxis, and more updates to Square Enix’s avengers.
But will the comics publisher’s gaming division want to bring these Marvel stories together for an ultimate crossover, just as has been done on the big screen with the MCU? Well, a new update may have revealed the answer and fans have shared some strong thoughts.
Marvel Touts Gaming ‘Multiverse’, Denies Connected Games Universe
Speaking to Games Industry Biz, Marvel Games creative director and vice president Bill Rosemann spoke about the potential of a gaming-connected universe along the lines of what Marvel Studios has created with the MCU.
Rosemann ditched the idea when he revealed they want to give creators “freedom to tell their own story”, especially as the audience grows more “acceptance of the multiverse” as the concept continues to enter the mainstream:
“The world, amazingly, is very familiar and accepting of the multiverse. We have all these different realities. Now they are all real and we want to give everyone the freedom to tell their story.”
In response to a Twitter post sharing the news, fans reacted strongly to Marvel Games maintaining a multiverse rather than an interconnected universe.
@ArthurRibVale welcomed the news and revealed their belief that people “not even about the quality” and just want “connections and easter eggs:”
“Thank God I’m tired of Marvel giving us the guts that everything that makes is connected. These days people don’t even care about the quality of the MCU, they just want to see fan service, connections and Easter eggs.”
@_ustLike_uicide said there is “no need to feel and watch multiple games” identical for connectivity reasons:
“This is excellent. There’s no need for multiple games to feel and look the same. It would be terrible to water down games for building a ‘universe’. The game world doesn’t need an ‘mcu’ swallowing everything.”
@skgw2010 noted their hopes of seeing stories become “elaborated and convincing in their own right” as long as developers are “passionately matching the DNA” of the characters they customize:
“Definitely not necessary. As long as each story is fleshed out and compelling on its own, different versions of the characters will be good. Hopefully the developers are passionate about the DNA and knowledge of any character they decide to do as insomniac Spider Man. “
@F0rg0tt3nPr0f1t pointed out that a connected gaming universe could lead to titles becoming exclusive to consoles that “not everyone had access to,” prevent them from living the whole story:
“Good. The worst thing Marvel could do is try to force a shared universe. Then we’d end up with exclusive pieces of content on exclusive consoles that not everyone could access. That would cause so much nagging that it wouldn’t be it.” worth.”
@kayjune_ shared their fatigue with connected universes as there is finally “way too much to keep track of”, but revealed their desire to see Insomniacs Spider Man and Wolverine games in the same universe:
“Well, cross-universe/multiverse has become so boring and way too much to keep track of over time (look at how many movies you have to watch to understand the MCU, for example). Although I hope Insomniac’s Spider-Man and Wolverine are both in the same universe!”
@fieryspy64 showed their interest to see “more characters appear in the respective games,” citing the lack of fellow heroes appearing in Insomniac’s Spider Man as an example of an unrealistic scenario:
“I hope more characters show up in the respective games. As in all that Spider-Man ps4 chaos, it’s crazy that we didn’t even see another superhero show up or even talk to Spider-Man, although the landmarks clearly indicate that there are tons of them around the city.”
Does Marvel Need a Connected Gaming Universe?
Marvel Games clearly has no ambitions to bring its many game projects together to tell a bigger story, but is that a missed opportunity? Well, no, there are many reasons why a connected gaming universe would be even harder to create than a cinematic universe, even if that was the plan.
First, unlike the MCU which was all developed under the watchful eye of Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige, these video games come from many publishers. So creating the same level of connectivity, continuity and endgame would be next to impossible, which in itself makes the idea pointless.
There’s also the exclusivity factor and contracts that are wrapped up in the gaming side of things. With some titles, such as Spider Man and WolverineSince it is exclusive to certain platforms, players without access to any platform would end up missing out on parts of this larger story.
But as Rosemann herself said, tying it all together reduces individual creativity, as developers would be forced to build within the confines of this story, this style, and this tone. Right now, fans are treated to varied experiences that match the expertise of their particular creators.
For those seeking that connectivity, Insomniac is evolving Wolverine and Spider Man for PlayStation, and both will likely occupy the same world. This case should work well as the two crossovers, as both titles come from the same developer and are exclusive to one platform.
Once the audience starts to understand the idea of the Multiverse, never say never to these characters jumping from one universe to another to meet up, but the chances are definitely slim. Each of these worlds can have their own take on heroes to meet and interact with, allowing each developer to carve out their own universe in this multiverse.
The next Marvel game comes with Firaxis Games’ midnight Sun out December 2 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
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