Marvel's Avengers received fairly middling reviews from critics, while the response from fans was similarly unenthusiastic. While there was a lot to love about the story mode, the multiplayer and Destiny-style aspects of the game just didn't work. As a result, we've seen interest in the title plummet, even in the midst of frequent DLC drops adding new characters and missions.
In a new report released by publisher Square Enix breaking down the company's previous fiscal year, President Yosuke Matsuda addressed the performance of Marvel's Avengers.
Acknowledging that 2020 was a difficult year to release a game due to the pandemic, he'd later admit that it didn't quite reach the highs they hoped for. "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," Matsuda said.
"Nonetheless, taking on the [Games as a Service] 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," he continued. "While the new challenge that we tackled with this title produced a disappointing outcome, we are certain that the GaaS approach will grow in importance as gaming becomes more service oriented."
Marvel's Avengers definitely won't reach its planned targets at this stage, and while it would be unfair to call it a flop, Matsuda admitting that it was "disappointing" does tell you all you need to know.
Perhaps that long-delayed Spider-Man DLC can change things? Well, if it ever actually materialises...