The Marvel’s Avengers game has begun closing its doors. At the beginning of 2023, developer Crystal Dynamics announced that development on the online, live-service game would end after just shy of three years on the market. As of 31 March 2023, and with one final patch – Update 2.8 – no new content or features will be added to the game. However, all existing content for the game will be available for all players, for free.
That means that as of today, all cosmetic items found in the in-game marketplace – including character outfits, emotes, custom takedown animations, and more – will be accessible for free to each and every player. Most items will be automatically added to each player’s inventory, however, some items will need to be manually unlocked from respective vendors, or earned through in-game progress.
All official support for the game will cease on 30 September 2023, when it will also be removed from digital storefronts.
For those who have been curious about the game, it’s a good time to jump in and take a look at it for yourself. Despite the game’s contentious live-service elements, there is a solid single-player action campaign at the core of Marvel’s Avengers that revolves around the story of Kamala Khan (Ms Marvel), as she comes to grips with newfound powers, while attempting to reunite a disbanded Avengers team.
The campaign features some clear inklings of the blockbuster narrative game trappings that Crystal Dynamics did so well in games like the Tomb Raider reboot series – and the combat system is entertaining, and features some surprising depth and complexity. The PS4, Xbox, and PC versions of the game can be found at a steep discount online.
For those who have previously played Marvel’s Avengers, Crystal Dynamics is gifting a unique outfit for Iron Man, called the ‘Variable Threat Response Battle Suit.’ It’s fashioned in the style of the armour worn by James Rhodes (War Machine) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Those players who previously had invested real-world currency into the game will have their balance converted to a generous amount of in-game resources.
A constant battle for Marvel’s Avengers
The story of Marvel’s Avengers has been one filled with constant battles. Prior to the game’s launch, the marketing campaign around it created much confusion over what it actually was. Its live-service multiplayer aspects were rarely spoken about, and audiences were critical about the designs of characters, who all looked a little too much like their Marvel Cinematic Universe counterparts – but not enough.
When Marvel’s Avengers was released, it received a mixed critical reception from critics and audiences alike. The single-player campaign that followed Kamala Khan was received positively, but the game’s integration of live-service mechanics – like multiple currencies, an assortment of different ‘gear’ for each character, and repeatable missions – did not go over as well.
While Crystal Dynamics continued to support the game post-launch to the best of its ability, Marvel’s Avengers was regularly cited in Square Enix investor calls as ‘disappointing’, with the publisher at one point suggesting that Crystal Dynamics wasn’t the right partner for a live-service game.
Read: Square Enix says it has a lot to learn from ‘disappointing’ Marvel’s Avengers
It should be mentioned that Square Enix was equally critical of its other games from Western studios, including Eidos Montreal’s Guardians of the Galaxy, despite that game being a critical success. Square Enix would later sell off its Western game development studios, including Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, and the now-defunct Square Enix Montreal, to Embracer Group.
All official support for the game will cease on 30 September 2023. At this point, the game will be removed from digital storefronts. For those who already own the game, it will continue to be playable in both single-player and multiplayer modes.
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