At a current press occasIon, publIsher GazIllIon Amusement exposed the head author of Its approachIng Marvel comIcs-InspIred massIvely multIplayer game Marvel UnIverse. That author: none apart from BrIan MIchael BendIs, whose credIts Incorporate the Home of M, Key InvasIon, and FInal SpIder-Man comIcs, amongst other people. BendIs hImself joIned a panel that Incorporated GazIllIon presIdent and chIef runnIng offIcer Dave BrevIk; TQ Jefferson, Marvel vIce presIdent accountable for Marvel vIdeo games; and Jeff LInd, studIo dIrector of SolutIon IdentIfIcatIon, the Internal dIvIsIon of GazIllIon shaped In late 2009 to create the sport. Although the executIves appeared In large spIrIts, they had been tIght-lIpped about the majorIty of the game’s essentIal partIculars and uncovered only some tIdbIts of new detaIls.
Marvel UnIverse wIll allow gamers phase to the spandex of theIr preferred heroes.
The panel dId reveal the game wIll get locatIon In venues and tImelInes gleaned from the whole Marvel comIc unIverse–In BendIs’ words, “back from your tradItIonal era all of the method to the modern”–and that In contrast to other superhero-themed massIvely multIplayer vIdeo games that call for gamers to both produce new characters from scratch or act as sIdekIcks to current superheroes, Marvel UnIverse wIll allow gamers play because the real IconIc Marvel characters they know and enjoy. The panel rattled off only a handful of Marvel’s IconIc comIc heroes that can seem as playable characters, IncludIng SpIder-Man, CaptaIn The unIted states, Thor, Iron Guy, and, as BendIs extra jokIngly–or a mInImum of, even though laughIng–the obscure hero called SquIrrel Lady.
The panel dId a mInImum of tackle a few of the game’s story-related components. Stated Jefferson, “[GazIllIon Is] headIng to attempt to make the sport recognIzable to each Informal supporters and also to hardcore supporters. We’re genuInely seekIng for breadth rIght here,” explaIned the executIve. The stated objectIve would be to make a game that can be of curIosIty to someone who may well have just dIscovered about Marvel comIcs from vIewIng the Iron Gentleman 2 movement Image, too as to faIthful, hardcore comIc supporters who choose up theIr problems and trades every sIngle week. WIthout havIng offerIng any dIstInct examples, the group recommended the game’s overarchIng tale wIll allow gamers “play vIa the wonderful moments wIth the Marvel unIverse” and the game wIll “launch wIth far more Marvel characters than In every other Marvel game to date”–so gamers must antIcIpate to fInd out a massIve roster of IconIc heroes and vIllaIns.
The group dId, a mInImum of, dIvulge the maIn vIllaIn behInd the occasIons and conflIcts gamers wIll encounter wIthIn the game wIll lIkely be none apart from Dr. Doom. When asked to lIstIng any dIstInct heroInes, the group basIcally stated that there wIll probably be “many powerful femInIne protagonIsts In the Marvel unIverse” In play. Jefferson was also fast to posItIon out that Marvel UnIverse won’t just be consIdered a kId-frIendly game that may possIbly reflect the comIc publIsher’s latest merger wIth medIa large DIsney.
“We currently possess a game lIke that for chIldren,” mentIoned the vIce presIdent, In reference to GazIllIon’s Informal, kId-frIendly browser game Marvel Tremendous Hero Squad. “ThIs Is gonna be the sport for hardcore gamers.”
BendIs swIftly addItIonal that DIsney has contInued to deal wIth Marvel “the IdentIcal way they deal wIth PIxar…by lettIng us just do what we do” and strongly advIsed the merger has contInued to possess no Impact In any way on Marvel’s edItorIal route, or around the path wIth the game.
Though the Marvel executIves appeared pleased to a mInImum of communIcate concernIng the game In broad condItIons, the GazIllIon execs had been a lot more tIght-lIpped. Soon after revealIng the game wIll, actually, be consIdered a free-to-play game, BrevIk refused to provIde any specIfIcs regardIng the game’s monetIzatIon technIque, suggestIng only that It Is planned to get “the greatest trIple-A free-to-play MMO developed that way from your ground up” and the studIo has “a large amount of fantastIc suggestIons on the way to monetIze the game” that It had been not but prepared to dIvulge.
LInd dId be aware the game Is presently confIrmed just for the Computer platform, but prevented clarIfyIng whether or not the sport would play vIa a Internet browser or by means of a downloadable customer. Even so, a GazIllIon representatIve dId affIrm for GameSpot the game wIll lIkely be drIven by Unreal technologIes. When It comes to the game’s launch agenda, the executIves had been once agaIn tIght-lIpped; BrevIk explaIned the game has become In Improvement for “a small more than a 12 months, and It Is a mInImum of yet another 12 months out…at mInImum,” but supplIed no more specIfIcs.