Marvel's Avengers: Release Date, Gameplay, and What We Know So Far

Updated 6/25 with new Marvel's Avenger story and gameplay details. The Marvel's Avengers game is set to launch in just a few months and fans of the Marvel Universe will soon be able to play as one of six playable heroes confirmed for it. Set five years after the events of A-Day, Marvel's Avengers follows Kamala Khan as she assembles a team to help her tackle a new threat. With a beta confirmed for later this year and the release date drawing near, now is a great time to catch up on what we know about Crystal Dynamic's Marvel's Avengers so far. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/24/marvels-avengers-summer-of-gaming-interview"]

Marvel's Avengers Release Date

The Marvel's Avengers release date is September 4, 2020 and will arrive on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia. Crystal Dynamics initially planned for a May 2020 release but elected to push back the date so developers could finish "fine-tuning and polishing the game." Marvel's Avengers has been teased by Square Enix since 2017 and was officially revealed at E3 2019. Those who preorder the game will get access to the beta and some other cool rewards. Check out our Marvel's Avengers preorder guide for more information.

Marvel's Avengers Story

Marvel's Avengers takes place five years after the cinematic trailer that was shown during E3 2019, where the Avengers are blamed for a tragedy involving Terrigen mists (a mutagen that transforms its victims into Inhumans) that struck the San Francisco Bay Area. After the event, dubbed "A-Day", superheroes are outlawed and the Avengers are officially disbanded. One of the victims of the Terrigen mists includes the co-founder of Advanced Idea Mechanics (or A.I.M.) George Tarleton, who eventually transforms into the game's main supervillain, MODOK. Utilizing the lingering resentment against the Avengers after A-Day to imprison Inhumans and "find a cure", Tarleton begins secretly using their powers to form an Adaptoid robot army with the goal of eliminating all superpowered peoples from the Earth. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/24/marvels-avengers-meet-modok"] A teenager named Kamala Khan (also known as Ms. Marvel) is another victim of the Terrigen mist who discovers her powers during a fight. She later finds evidence that reveals the true nature behind A.I.M.'s Inhuman "research" as well as the truth about Captain America's death, and brings the information to Bruce Banner who then informs Tony Stark. Eventually, the Avengers are forced to reassemble to confront the threat.

Marvel's Avengers Gameplay

Marvel's Avengers can be played as a single-player game or as an online co-op game where you can team up with three other players. There are also two types of missions in the game, Hero and Warzone missions. Hero missions are single-player only and part of the main campaign according to Crystal Dynamics' Studio Creative Head, Noah Hughes. Warzone missions, on the other hand, are less story focused and allow players to play as any Avenger they like, either by themselves or with friends. When playing co-op, heroes can work together to perform Team Finisher moves. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/24/marvels-avengers-co-op-war-zones-trailer"] Crystal Dynamics is focusing on player choice as far as Marvel's Avengers gameplay is concerned, allowing each hero's gear, skills, and outfits to be customized. We spoke with the developers to find out more about customizing hero moves in Marvel's Avengers and lead combat designer Vince Napoli told us, "All the support abilities also have a primary function for the main character as well." For example, Thor has an ability that strikes enemies with lightning but also strikes each Avenger, giving them a lightning shield and making them invincible for 12 seconds. These abilities can also be customized to suit specific needs. Napoli explained, "You can change the way that the god mode sort of works for Thor and you can turn him into a sort of a beacon of health where he’ll sort of channel health to nearby characters for the duration of his god mode." As players progress through the game, they'll be able to upgrade gear to make their heroes more powerful, similar to games like Destiny or Borderlands. However, gear upgrades will not be visible on a hero's suit, but will instead be "part of or underneath your suit" according to senior producer Rose Hunt. "We thought [players] would rather have the visuals that we're pulling from the comic books or the original suits that we're making up, rather than have a bunch of attachments on the outside of it making them look not as cool," said Hunt. "When you scale up or when you level up gear, there's definitely going to be some different visuals for VFX. Generally, it's going to feel like a celebration. It's also going to have probably some different animations at different times." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/24/marvels-avengers-thor-8-minute-gameplay-reveal"] As far as game length goes, Crystal Dynamics hasn't released an official statement on Marvel's Avengers playtime. However, senior brand director Rich Briggs suggested to Comicbook that quickly going through the main story might take around 10-12 hours, but a more in-depth playthrough could last up to 30 hours. In a clarifying statement to IGN, a Crystal Dynamics representative indicated the studio intends to support the game for "multiple years" with DLC and post-launch content. Further, Crystal Dynamics is calling Marvel Avengers the largest game in the history of its studio. IGN was able to go hands-on with it at Gamescom 2019, so be sure to check out our Marvel's Avengers first impressions, if you're interested. Additionally, we've rounded up a list of over 38 new details about the game.

Marvel's Avengers Characters

There are currently six heroes confirmed for Marvel's Avengers. You can see a list of all the characters below.

• Iron Man
• Thor
• Black Widow
• Captain America
• Hulk
• Kamala Khan

At the 2019 New York City Comic Con, Kamala Khan was introduced as the sixth playable character to join the elite squad of heroes. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/10/05/marvels-avengers-every-revealed-character-costume-and-finisher-in-4k"] It was also revealed that Kamala Khan's Ms. Marvel will be the main protagonist of Marvel's Avengers. Rose Hunt, Marvel’s Avengers senior producer told IGN that the team decided to focus on Ms. Marvel in part due to her lack of history in the Marvel universe, allowing the studio more freedom when crafting her story for the game. “Another advantage of her is that she doesn't have 80 years of history, like Captain America or some of the other Avengers,” said Hunt. “And that allows us to actually tell more of an original story with her, because her story has just begun, and we can build on that in very interesting ways.” Some fans were disappointed to see Hawkeye left off the list, after all, he is one of the core Avengers. While he hasn't been officially revealed at the time of writing, Marvel Games' Creative Director Bill Rosemann is telling fans to "stay tuned, true believer," suggesting Hawkeye may be joining the lineup at a later date. Various trailers and gameplay reveals have also indicated that Abomination and Taskmaster will show up in the game as villains. While there is little to no public information on these character's roles in the game, Taskmaster will be one of the villains in the upcoming Black Widow movie, which has been delayed due to the coronavirus. Game footage has also revealed that A.I.M. will be the main mastermind group behind the conspiracy uncovered by Kamala Khan. This group first appeared in Marvel comics in the 1960s and has since appeared in a variety of movies, shows, and even games. For more, check out our deep dive into the history of A.I.M. MODOK is confirmed to be the main supervillain in Marvel's Avengers. In addition to all this, Square Enix has announced that there will be characters added to the game post-launch, which will be free for all players. Be sure to check out our list of heroes we want to see added in the DLC.

Marvel's Avengers Beta

The Marvel's Avengers beta will be available to everyone who preorders the game. At the time of writing, the beta release date hasn't been announced yet and Square Enix is telling fans that more information will be provided at a later date. Additionally, those who preorder a copy on the PS4 will get access to the beta first. Anyone who preorders the Deluxe or Earth's Mightiest editions (any platform) of Marvel's Avengers will get access to the game on September 1, three days before its launch. However, preordering any edition of the Marvel's Avengers will grant you beta access when it becomes available. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Andrew Smith is a freelance contributor with IGN and is super excited to play Marvel's Avengers in September! Follow him on Twitter @_andrewtsmith.

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