After years of battling with some of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Crystal Dynamics has confirmed that the end is near for its action-adventure game Marvel's Avengers. The developer announced that following Update 2.8 on March 32, 2023, there are no more plans to add new content or features to the game.
Furthermore, all official support for the game will end on September 30, 2023; however, both the single- and multi-player gameplay modes will remain playable.
This ends a rocky two-and-a-half year run for Marvel's Avengers. The once highly anticipated game launched in 2020 to mixed reviews and a slew of issues that plagued the overall experience. While the combat was enjoyable, the overall experience was marred by bugs, repetitive gamepay, and lack of substantial content in the base game. Another major problem was the online multiplayer experience which often suffered from matchmaking issues, frustratingly slow progression and reused environents and enemies.
Gameplay issues aside, Crystal Dynamics and publisher Square Enix faced further scrutiny for microtransactions. In September 2021, they introduced XP boost which could only be purchased with real-world money. The issue with this was that it followed a previous update that altered the progression system to make leveling-up take significantly longer than it did when the game first launch. Following outcry, it was changed so that microtransactions could only be used to purchse cosmetics and customization options.
Despite the rocky start, Crystal Dynamics stuck with it for over two years. During this time, Marvel's Avengers received multiple post-launch updates that included the release of several additional playable characters, including Clint Barton, Kate Bishop, Spider-Man (PlayStation), Black Panther, Jane Foster, and most recently Bucky Barnes. Update 2.7, which added the Winter Soldier, is the last new content to be added to Marvel's Avengers. No new cosmetics are coming to the Marketplace, and all final balance updates will occur in Update 2.8 in March.
The ability to purchase cosmetics will cease with Update 2.8. Credits will no longer be purchaable and all remaining Credit balances will be converted into in-game resources to aid in your future adventures. Starting March 31, 2023, all of the game's Marketplace, Challenge Card, and Shipment cosmetic content will be made available for free to everyone. Every single Outfit, Takedown, Emote, and Nameplate from the Marketplace, Challenge Cards, and Shipments will be free for all players from this date onwards if you own a copy of the game. No refunds will be given to anyone who had previously purchased any cosmetics over the previous two-and-a-half years.
In a blog post update, Crystal Dynamics wrote:
We know this is disappointing news as everyone in our community has such a connection to these characters and their stories. We’re so, so grateful that you came on this adventure with us. Your excitement for Marvel’s Avengers – from your epic Photo Mode shots, to your threads theorizing who our next Heroes would be, to your Twitch streams – has played a large part in bringing this game to life.
We hope you continue to play and enjoy Marvel’s Avengers. We can’t thank you enough for your support and for being part of our super team.
Despite initial strong sales, it's reported that Marvel's Avengers failed to turn a profit for Square Enix. The publisher reported an estimated loss of $63 million, while Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda described the game as a commercial disappointment for the company. In May 2022, Square Enix sold Marvel's Avengers developer Crystal Dynamics and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy developer Eidos-Montreal as well as IPs like Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, Legacy of Kain, and more to Embracer Group.