Marvel’s Past Struggle Breaking into the MMO Genre
By
Max Borman
Daybreak Games’ canceled Marvel MMO is just one game in a long line of Marvel’s struggles of breaking into the online video game space.
Only seven months after it was announced, Daybreak Games’ Marvel themed MMO has been shelved in favor of the other free-to-play MMOs that the company develops. Little is known about how the Marvel MMO would have played, but if DC Universe Online is anything to go by, then the game would have given Marvel fans hours of superhero mayhem to indulge in. The game would have let players create their own hero and explore a universe themed after one of the largest, and most profitable, IPs in the world right now. Sadly, Marvel fans will never be able to experience this title and instead will have to wait for more self-contained games like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
The cancellation of Daybreak Games’ Marvel MMO is just one ill-fated Marvel themed MMO in a long line of shuttered MMOs. Marvel has never seemed to crack the code on what makes an addicting MMO that players will keep coming back to. While DC fans have been able to experience their universe through DC Universe Online, Marvel has been struggling to deliver a similar experience. The IP has been able to deliver some quality single-player titles with Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, but the online space has always worked against it and Marvel fans have not gotten the expansive online community that they deserve.
RELATED: The Canceled Marvel MMO Had a Ton of Potential
Marvel Super Hero Squad Online
Marvel Super Hero Squad Online was a free-to-play MMO that was geared towards a younger audience. It was based on the Marvel Super Hero Squad action figure line and animated TV show.
The game launched in 2011 and was developed by The Amazing Society alongside Gazillion Entertainment. The title was not super advanced, but it provided decent fun for those who wanted it. However, the servers were shutdown in 2017 and Gazillion Entertainment closed down later that same year.
The game had players collecting different Marvel heroes to form their Squad. They were then able to select one of their Squad members to play as in various games and activities. As they played, their hero would increase in power and unlock animated emotes that were used in the social hubs Players would have to gather currency to purchase new heroes, and some heroes were locked behind a paywall. Each hero looked like a Super Hero Squad action figure, and there were numerous heroes to collect.
The gameplay of Marvel Super Hero Squad Online was beat-em-up style in which players would fight hordes of enemies to get to a final boss. They would do this in various zones inspired by Marvel Comics.
Zones like The Daily Bugle, Asgard, and The Baxter Building were all present. The game also offered a collectable card game and an arcade filled with various mini-games. It was heavily geared towards younger Marvel fans, but it also provided some decent fun for older ones.
Marvel Heroes Omega
Marvel Heroes Omega was the second free-to-play MMO developed by Gazillion Entertainment and took a different approach than Marvel Super Hero Squad Online did. The game launched in 2013, and then was constantly relaunched under new names as the years went by. It had players follow a brand-new Marvel story and was enjoyed by many Marvel fans. However, it would meet the same fate as Marvel Super Hero Squad Online and be shuttered in 2017.
Unlike the previous game, Marvel Heroes Omega went for a more ARPG feel. Players would control one of many iconic heroes and do battle against various enemies. As they progressed through the game, their heroes would level up and players were able to plunge power points into different talent trees.
Each hero had three different talent that were all themed after the hero. For instance, Hawkeye would have a tree for Archery, Fighting, and Trick Arrows. By the time the game closed, there were 63 playable heroes that players could collect along with a multitude of cosmetic options for each.
The story of Marvel Heroes Omega brought in almost all the iconic Marvel heroes that fans have come to expect. They would have to fight off the armies of Doctor Doom, HYDRA, Loki, and even Ultron. They would be able to battle almost all of their favorite villains, and the game even offered large scale raids that players would have to team up to accomplish. The game had almost everything that fans wanted in a Marvel MMO besides the ability to create their own heroes, and almost everything was unlockable without spending a cent which helped elevate the quality of the game for many players.
RELATED: DC Needs a Solo Hero Game to Compete With Marvel’s Wolverine
Daybreak’s Marvel MMO
The most recent Marvel themed MMO did not even see the light of day.
Daybreak Games announced its Marvel themed MMO in late 2021, and it was just recently canceled in May 2022. The developer has extensive experience making free-to-play MMOs, and it has already made a comic book based MMO with DC Universe Online. However, the Marvel MMO was said to be too big and the resources would be better spent elsewhere. Marvel fans are now left to only hypothesize just what the game could have been like.
Recently, there have been some screenshots of the character creator that would have been present in the ill-fated MMO. Unlike past Marvel MMOs, this one would have let players create their own personal Marvel superhero in an art style similar to that of a Pixar movie or Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Players would have had a lot of control over the look and feel of their character, and would have even been able to select their role in the universe. They would have been able to join the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Avengers, or SHIELD which would have most likely affected how they progressed through the game.
The cancellation of Daybreak Games MMO is just another blow for Marvel fans who have been waiting for an exciting MMO to sink hours into. The only other online Marvel game that they can turn to is Marvel’s Avengers, and that has not been received very well. Maybe one day Marvel will have a strong MMO filled with content for players to explore, but for now all Marvel fans can do is wait and see.
MORE: Why Other MMOs Should Add Social Contracts Like World of Warcraft
Into the Super-verse: Will we ever get a Marvel MMORPG?
While DC Universe Online is coasting high on its success in Year Ten, it feels a shame that there’s no Marvel MMORPG to match it. Marvel is still a blazing hot IP as it moves into Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it’s sad that MMO players who love that universe don’t have a massively persistent virtual world to enjoy their fandom.
At the very least, there’s a huge opportunity here that I’m surprised hasn’t been taken yet.
Even with the slate of current and upcoming superhero MMOs providing a hearty buffet for gamers, a Marvel title by its very namesake easily could muscle into the field and stake a large claim.
But will it? And if so, what would that look like?
What we’ve had so far
I certainly do not want to overlook the fact that Marvel fans have had a few significant options over the past decade. Gazillion’s Marvel Heroes was a tremendously fun and popular online OARPG that let us play our favorite heroes (and villains!) over a wide variety of settings. To date, it’s been the closest thing we can claim to a Marvel MMO, simply by virtue of its popularity and design.
Gazillion also ran Marvel Super Hero Squad Online, that kiddie collectable MMO that ran from 2011 to 2017 and was pretty forgettable even when it was operating.
Finally, we can cast our net wider to snare last year’s Marvel’s Avengers, an online brawler that utilized many of the same characters from the popular films (although with different looks and voice acting, which put people off).
Initially popular, this game fell off the map pretty quickly. In his initial impressions, MOP’s Eliot compared it to Marvel Heroes, saying, “If that sounds kind of familiar – putting heroes together in a team and then collecting loot in a smashy frenzy – it’s because we MMO players kind of had that at one point.”
So it’s not as if we haven’t had — or have — any Marvel games. It’s just that none of them have really provided the full-fledged experience that a Marvel MMO should bring to the table.
Daybreak’s mystery Marvel MMO
What’s really intriguing to me is that such an MMORPG might have been in development in recent years. A couple of years ago, we got word that Daybreak had been working on a Marvel MMO – or at least a multiplayer title – for the better part of 2018 before the project suddenly got put on hold (or scrapped).
This completely lines up with what we now know about Daybreak following last December’s corporate sale to EG7. When the treasure trove of Daybreak information was spread out on the table, one of the items that was included with the sale included a “license agreement with Marvel” that Daybreak had.
And perhaps still has. We have no further information about that license, what Daybreak tried to do with it in the past, and what it hopes to do — if anything — with it in the future.
Sure, it would be a little more than strange to have the same studio that operates and develops a DC online roleplaying game to do the same with DC’s direct competitor, but it’s not out of the bounds of possibility. At the very least, Daybreak already knows how to make and run a superhero MMO, and it appreciates the financial windfall that such a title has brought to the studio. Why not another?
What could a Marvel MMO offer?
While I can’t say if we will ever be assured a future Marvel MMO, I am confident in asserting that it’s a good idea. Again, it’s a blazingly hot franchise that’s been tearing up comic books, movies, and TV for a long time now — and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
So what could a hypothetical Marvel MMORPG offer? First and foremost, it would want to capitalize on all of the supergroups and characters that Marvel has in its stable, from the X-Men to the Avengers, from that one Spider-Man to that other Spider-Man.
Whether players would get to be these characters or simply quest alongside of them, it would be essential to establishing a large playerbase to have those recognizable names right out front as ambassadors of this title.
Second, I’d love to see the cross-platform structure of DCUO coupled with the costumes and roleplay of City of Heroes. Personally, I wouldn’t want an MMO dumbed down to fit console controllers and an action combat mindset, but I suppose there would need to be some compromise there to keep this as broadly appealing as possible. As long as I was able to make the character and costume that I wanted, I would be happy.
Third, it’d be pretty amazing if a Marvel MMO dipped into the IP’s wealth of stories to give players a chance to interact with them in a way that they never have before. Forget mopping up a thousand piddly sidequests and sieze the idea of adventuring through the Infinity Gauntlet storyline, the Dark Phoenix saga, or Civil War.
Finally, a Marvel MMO would have all of the cross-promotional opportunities that Marvel Heroes had and DC Universe Online currently does.
Being able to plug into the TV series and movies would be a win-win scenario for all parties involved, including players who would look to an online game to continue the experience that they saw on the screen.
What would you want in a Marvel MMO if it ever got made? Sound off in the comments!
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Eliot Lefebvre and Justin Olivetti covering superhero MMORPGs, past, present, and future! Come along on patrol as Into the Super-verse avenges the night and saves the world… one column at a time.
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Marvel Heroes Omega game review, publications, guides, release date and other events MMORPG Action games Marvel Heroes Omega
Publications Marvel Heroes Omega
Educational organization «Paragon Institute» raises funds for the revival of Marvel Heroes Omega
February 06, 2018 at 12 :12
IndieGoGo launched a fundraiser for the resurrection of the isometric hack’n’slash MMORPG Marvel Heroes Omega, which was closed in November…
Money for Marvel Heroes Omega will still be returned, but not to everyone
December 04, 2017 at 09:33
We didn’t have time to complain about the fact that the former players of the closed Marvel Heroes Omega won’t get a penny back from the money spent
Marvel Heroes is officially closed
November 28, 2017 at 23:31
Gazillion Entertainment is shutting down all servers of its multiplayer game Marvel Heroes on each platform starting today.
..
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Marvel Heroes Omega
Review0006 So, very, very soon we are planning to release a much anticipated game called Marvel Heroes. Despite the fact that the specific release date of the online game has not yet been disclosed, a lot of details are already known regarding the available opportunities for players. Recall also that this model is being developed under the supervision of Gazillion Entertainment, the owner of which once worked on the creation of the Diabolo. Access to the beta version will be absolutely free, the only paid item will be only the accelerated leveling of the character. nine0007
What to expect
In Marvel Heroes, players will find a dynamically developing story, generously flavored with a variety of fights. It should be noted that randomly generated dungeons, along with random loot, are aimed at ensuring that when a player tries to return to an already cleared territory, he will be met there by new monsters and completely different temperature and other conditions.
With all this, each creature will differ from the previous one not only in external data, but also in individual characteristics, weaknesses and combat features, so it will be problematic to prepare in advance for a meeting with them. nine0007
Plot
The life of each hero will take place at several speeds, where some will fight monsters, others will meet their own kind in the agreed places and predetermined zones. Here they will exchange information, goods or receive new tasks from their heads. In addition, each quest will be part of the overall plot, as a result of which the player will unwittingly be completely immersed in the virtual world.
Heroes
It is already known in advance that the developers plan to give users of this version the opportunity to play for each character. Fortunately, there will be a lot of them, as it is planned to introduce all the famous Marvels in the world. It will even be possible to control several heroes at once, although this bonus is generously flavored with a minus, since switching from one hero to another will take a lot of time.
It is not specified how to be players if several people wish to play at once, for example, to play as Spider-Man. However, the class system partially solves this problem. It is also interesting that events will be randomly generated in the game, and the characters will be able to change their appearance. True, at the same time, you will have to earn money for new costumes in order to be able to at least repaint, say, a black raincoat blue. On the mmo13 website, you can already explore all the features of the new online game Marvel Heroes. nine0007
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One line about Marvel Heroes Omega
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November 15, 2017 at 23:00
We’re sad to inform our players and our entire Marvel Heroes family that Marvel Heroes Omega will be shutting down.
The Marvel Heroes servers will stay on until Dec 31, 2017, and we’ll be removing real money purchases as soon as possible. Players
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October 19, 2017 at 05:38 pm
Our G Packs on PlayStation®4 and Xbox One® are 25% OFF through October 26! Stock up on G’s today! Language English
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October 19, 2017 at 05:04 pm
Today, Loki joins Marvel Heroes Omega on Xbox One® and PlayStation®4 as the console version’s 44th playable character. With an ensemble of spells ranging from arcane magic and illusionary tactics to powers of ice and fire, Thor’s half-brother has
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October 12, 2017 at 07:19 pm
Today our Spooky Loot Box hits the in-game store with a host of new costumes fit for the spookiest season of the year: Moon Knight — Earth X Costume Black Cat — Pop Star Costume Venom — Toxin Costume Blade — Original Costume Hulk — Revengers
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October 05, 2017 at 19:50
Strike from the shadows with Elektra! The master combatant launches on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 today! The king of Attilan may not have as much to say as the other 42 playable Marvel Heroes Omega characters but, thanks to his ability to
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MARVEL Future Revolution — Best character for every playstyle
A new project called MARVEL Future Revolution was introduced to the players not so long ago. And you already want to quickly choose your favorite superhero to go on adventures in the exciting MARVEL universe. Unlike other superhero games, Future Revolution is an open-world MMORPG where players control multiple heroes to bring peace to Earth and protect it from evil invaders.
The developer did a great job developing this game. This is especially felt in the presence of several iterations for the same character. At the start, you are presented with a choice of only eight characters. But during the game you will encounter a large number of heroes who repeat each other. You will meet many Doctor Stranges, see many copies of Iron Man, etc. This is explained by the fact that there are many variations of the Earth in the multiverse, and each of them is in danger.
The heroes of their dimensions must unite and fight back the enemy. nine0007
You need to decide which of the heroes you will add to your squad. Choose wisely, once you add a hero to your squad, it can no longer be removed . And you need to be 100% sure of your choice. When you start the game, you will have the opportunity to form a squad of four heroes. You can always increase this number by purchasing additional slots.
In this guide, we will give you a brief overview of all the heroes of MARVEL Future Revolution and share with you our thoughts on each of them. If you are interested in learning more about each of the characters, then scroll on. nine0007
Spiderman — Agile and very powerful
Let’s start with this hero. In our opinion, this is the perfect choice for PvP. Spider-Man combines fast and agile moves with powerful attacks. He can deftly dodge and counterattack any opponent. Since these skills are not so important when fighting NPCs, all this will really come in handy only when confronting other players in PvP.
Be prepared that if you choose Spider-Man as your main character, then this character will take a little longer to level up. However, all the effort you put into it will pay off during PvP. For starters, we recommend turning your attention to other heroes. It’s worth starting with a hero who will perform better in PvE. Only after assigning several squad ranks is it worth starting to pump Spider-Man. So the process will go much faster. nine0007
Iron Man — Attack character
Like Spiderman, this hero is suitable for PvP. Thanks to its powerful defense and high mobility, combined with crushing attacks. However, unlike Spider-Man, he’s great for PvE as well. True, for this he needs several improvements.
In terms of difficulty, Iron Man is much easier to play than Spider. You will be able to attack enemies at long distances and not think about how to dodge enemy attacks every time. nine0007
Storm — Fantastic AoE
Timing is everything when it comes to PvE.
To quickly destroy all enemies, the best solution is to attack several targets at the same time. Storm will help you with this. She has some of the most devastating AoE skills in the game and powerful crowd control effects. Such a set of skills allows her not only to easily destroy crowds of enemies, but also to leave the survivors without a chance to survive in this battle.
However, some of Storm’s attacks can be a little slow, so players need to be prepared for this. However, once you learn how to play this character, you will be second to none in PvE. nine0007
Doctor Strange — Powerful Crowd Control and AoE
Stephen Strange is similar in style to Storm, has AoE skills in his arsenal, as well as some control effects. However, Doctor Strange’s attacks do not take as long as Storm’s.
No matter who you choose, both Doctor Strange and Storm are by far the best heroes for PvE. Both of them are suitable for a quick leveling and are ideal for those who are just starting their journey in MARVEL Future Revolution.
nine0007
Black Widow — An excellent choice to attack
Natasha Romanoff is an interesting character. In terms of style of play, she is somewhat reminiscent of the Spider, but in her arsenal there are several skills that will not leave the enemy a single chance to win in a one-on-one battle. She is quite fast and strong and is perfect for PvP. However, her strong attacks can come in handy when fighting bosses, as they have a lot of HP.
In general, Black Widow is good for some PvE. For example, in the case described above. However, it also works well for PvP. nine0007
Star-Lord — Universal Choice
Although Peter Quill looks pretty cool, this character is not the best choice. His skills are rather weak, he moves slowly.
Download MARVEL Future Revolution on PC
This character doesn’t really stand out from the others.
If you are a fan of the Guardians of the Galaxy, then at least because of this it is worth trying to play for this hero. nine0007
Captain America — Competent in everything
Unlike Star-Lord, Captain America is the exact opposite character. No matter what this hero faces, he will survive everything. This is because his skills are not only very powerful and allow him to deal significant damage, but he also has high defense.
However, Captain America is quite difficult to control. You will need some time and practice to learn how to use the potential of this hero to the maximum. It is worth thinking before starting your journey in the game with this hero. nine0007
Captain Marvel — Unmatched damage to the enemy
Carol Danvers is a universal choice. It is suitable for both PvP and PvE. She can easily deal with bosses and difficult enemies, as she has powerful attacks. .
Choosing the best heroes for each role
Let’s sum up and summarize everything that we have told you in this article.
Here is a list of the best heroes in MARVEL Future Revolution for PvE and PvP:
For PvE
- Unique choice: Storm, Doctor Strange.
- Good choice: Captain America, Captain Marvel.
- Medium choice: Black Widow, Spiderman, Iron Man.
- Bad choice: Star-Lord.
For PvP
- Unique choice: Spiderman, Iron Man.
- Good choices: Captain America, Black Widow, Captain Marvel. nine0180
- Medium choice: Storm, Doctor Strange.
- Bad choice: Star-Lord.
Despite this rating, all the heroes of MARVEL Future Revolution are quite suitable for the game. There are no tasks in the game that one of these characters would not cope with. The only thing that depends on you is your playstyle and how you will fight enemies.
