Marvel has become an undeniable pop culture juggernaut: The legendary company is the most successful western comic book publisher of all time, while the MCU is easily the highest-grossing film franchise ever. That success, however, hasn't quite as consistently translated to the world of video games, where Marvel has historically had plenty of ups and downs throughout a 40-year gaming history that began back in 1982 with Spider-Man for Atari 2600.
Bu Marvel Games as it exists now aims to emulate that success in the games space, as Marvel’s games division rebranded, reformed, and was rebuilt into the Marvel Games brand we know today. The plan really began to materialize with the release of Spider-Man PS4 in 2018, which has since been followed by Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Guardians of the Galaxy, among other (less celebrated) games.
As the company continues to establish its foothold in gaming, we've compiled this list of every upcoming Marvel game (for now, we're only focusing on officially announced games). From Marvel Snap and Midnight Suns to Insomniac's Spider-Man 2 and Wolverine, these are all five known Marvel games currently in development.
More on games in development:
- Every Star Wars Game in Development
- Every Take-Two Game in Development
- Every Activision-Blizzard Game in Development
Marvel Snap
The company most recently announced Marvel Snap, a free-to-play collectible card game (CCG) coming to PC and mobile later this year.
Marvel Snap is being made by many of the minds behind Hearthstone, including former director Ben Brode. In addition to featuring over 150 Marvel heroes and villains — Captain America, Shang-chi, Scarlet Witch, Ghost Rider, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, Hulk, Venom, and many others — the CCG’s hook is its brevity: Matches are played with 12-card decks and turns are played simultaneously (no waiting for your opponent to make their move), resulting in an average match time of three minutes.
Developer Second Dinner said additional cards — all of which can be earned in-game without spending money — will be released with each season, though given its a free-to-play game, cards may be available to purchase as well.
Marvel Snap will launch simultaneously on mobile and in early access on PC. A beta is expected to begin “soon,” according to the developer.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns
Two legends in their respective fields — Marvel and Firaxis Games — have teamed up for a tactical RPG-card battler hybrid called Midnight Suns.
Based on the Marvel Comics storyline Midnight Sons, Midnight Suns features plenty of familiar faces from the Avengers (Iron Man, Captain America) and X-Men (Wolverine, Magik), as well as other notable Marvel characters like Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, Ghost Rider, and Blade. Players, however, will take on the role of a customizable superhero known as The Hunter.
Creative Director Jake Solomon, a veteran XCOM developer, said Midnight Suns is “easily as tactical as XCOM,” but faster-paced. The new card mechanics are meant to add a layer of customization and randomness to combat never before seen in a Firaxis game.
On the RPG side of things, players can spend time at a home base called the Abbey, where The Hunter can build (strictly platonic) relationships with other heroes. Doing so will unlock new costumes and character abilities.
Following a delay earlier this year, Midnight Suns is due out in the second half of 2022. According to an official rating in South Korea, that release may come sooner than later.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Insomniac is working on a sequel to its hit 2018 Spider-Man game that will continue the stories of Peter Parker and Miles Morales. It’s due out in 2023, exclusively on PS5.
Venom will star as (at least one of) the game’s major villains, as seen in the sequel’s reveal trailer (below). He’ll be voiced by Candyman’s Tony Todd, who called Spider-Man 2 “massive.” Marvel’s Bill Rosemann, meanwhile, said the sequel is “darker” than Insomniac’s original: "If the first Spider-Man game was Star Wars, Spider-Man 2 is kind of our Empire [Strikes Back].”
Spider-Man PS4 creative director Bryan Intihar and game director Ryan Smith return for Spider-Man 2 alongside voice actors Yuri Lowenthal (Peter Parker) and Nadji Jeter (Miles Morales). New to the writing team is Brittney Morris, who penned Marvel’s official Spider-Man: Miles Morales prequel novel, Wings of Fury.
Insomniac’s Ryan Schneider said the studio’s goal with Spider-Man 2 is to not only “tell a great superhero story, but also deliver a compelling human story, one full of heart and humor that dives deep into the people behind the mask.”
Marvel’s Wolverine
Insomniac is also developing a PS5-exclusive Wolverine game, due out sometime after Spider-Man 2. We know very little about Marvel’s Wolverine outside of its brief reveal trailer, which showed Wolverine sitting at a bar in the aftermath of an altercation. As a knife-wielding man approaches him from behind, Wolverine extends his claws, and the trailer ends.
Creative director Brian Horton, who held the same role on Miles Morales, said Wolverine will be a full-sized game with a “mature tone.” Horton is assisted by game director Cameron Christian, who also worked as a lead on Miles Morales.
Insomniac said one of its main reasons for pitching Sony and Marvel on a Wolverine game is the character's similarity to Spider-Man: “Both heroes feel deeply compelled to defend people who are less able to do so,” said Ryan Schneider. The company’s goal is to “not only respect the DNA of what makes the character so popular, but also look for opportunities to make it feel fresh and truly reflect the Insomniac spirit.”
Wolverine will be part of Insomniac’s original Marvel universe that began with 2018’s Spider-Man. Though the project was in “very early development” as of September, Marvel’s Bill Rosemann said fans eager for more can scour the reveal trailer, as it’s “packed with details and Easter eggs.”