Marvel's Avengers Has Been "Disappointing" For Square Enix, Confirms CEO


Marvel's Avengers was an ambitious title that aimed to push the "Games As A Service" (GaaS) experience. While its initial launch was impressive, the receiving impressions were somewhat lackluster by fans and critics alike.

Square Enix has seemingly noticed this reaction, as issued in a shareholders statement by the company's president and CEO, Yosuke Matsuda. As reported by VGC, Matsuda inferred that the GaaS outcome didn't produce the results they expected, implying that Crystal Dynamics may not have been a good studio to co-develop this game.

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Marvel's Avengers Has Been "Disappointing" For Square Enix, Confirms CEO

Matsuda emphasised their initial expectations for the title, especially through the provision of constant post-launch content, but ended up with a "disappointing" outcome. Despite difficulties developing during the pandemic, the launch date was still met:

Marvel’s Avengers was an ambitious title for us in that we took on the GaaS (Games as a Service) model. We overcame a variety of unexpected difficulties in the final phase of the game’s development, including needing to transition to work-from-home due to the pandemic. We were able to surmount these challenges and release the game, but it has unfortunately not proven as successful as we would have liked.
Black Panther in the War For Wakanda expansion
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Black Panther in the War For Wakanda expansion

Following Avengers' release, the ambitious War For Wakanda update was unveiled last summer, also implementing Hawkeye and Kate Bishop into the fold. Despite these impressive additions, the president hinted at a mismatch between the game's attributes and what factors like Crystal Dynamics is best known for:

Nonetheless, taking on the GaaS model highlighted issues that we are likely to face in future game development efforts such as the need to select game designs that mesh with the unique attributes and tastes of our studios and development teams.

Square Enix was also under fire last week for adding "pay-to-win" boosts to the game; a scheme that was eventually removed earlier this week. Xbox Game Pass subscribers can try Marvel's Avengers after its addition to the service last month.

For more articles like this, take a look at our Marvel's Avengers, Marvel Games, and Gaming News pages.