Skydance New Media has yet to officially announce a release date for its upcoming superhero action adventure Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, but a recent interview with one of the game's prominent voice actors has narrowed the game's launch window. While many have speculated a 2025 launch for the game, voice actor Khary Payton recently revealed to TheDirect that the game is on track to release this holiday season.
"We’re still working. We’re planning on 2025… We’re thinking like a Christmas situation. But I'm so excited," Payton told TheDirect at MultiCon in Los Angeles, California. The holiday season in North America typically kicks off with the shopping rush in November, but it's possible that Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra could launch in October depending on a number of factors, including the game's development progress and possible competition.
Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra was first teased at D23 Expo in 2022 with Skydance and Marvel officially revealing the game's full title, Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, at GDC in March 2024. Inspired by the 2010 Marvel Comics limited series Captain America / Black Panther: Flags of Our Fathers, the game's story follows Steve Rogers/Captain America and Azzuri/Black Panther as they team up to prevent the rise of Hydra in German-occupied France during World War II. A multiplayer action-adventure, Gabriel Jones, a U.S. soldier and member of the Howling Commandos, and Nanali, leader of the fledgling Wakandan Spy Network, join Captain America and Black Panther as playable characters.
In the chaos of war, worlds collide. Captain America and Azzuri, the Black Panther of the 1940s, must overcome their differences and form an uneasy alliance to confront their common enemy. Fighting alongside Gabriel Jones of the Howling Commandos, and Nanali, a Wakandan spy embedded in Occupied Paris, they must join forces to stop a sinister plot that threatens to turn the havoc of WWII into the ultimate rise of Hydra.
Payton voices Azzuri in the game and in the same interview told TheDirect what it means to bring Black Panther to life, especially as a Black man himself.
"If you would have told me that I, you know, after everything that happened with the Marvel universe and everything, and as a black kid growing up in America, I mean, of course you think, 'I want to be Black Panther.' And then you see it on the big screen and you see Chadwick [Boseman] bring him to life and you're just like, 'You know what, this is better than I ever thought it could be.'
And to be playing him in the video game, playing his grandfather, be playing a version of Black Panther, and looking on there and seeing that it's me… It's like the most photo realistic… We want people to play this game and have the entire family, sit on the sofa and watch it like they're watching 'Game of Thrones,' or 'The Walking Dead,' or something. We’re looking for just an incredible cinematic experience for everybody, and I pinch myself.
Keep in mind that Payton's comments don't necessarily ensure the game will be released this holiday season, but it is the most official source we've heard from. Skydance has not provided any substantial updates about Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra since GDC last year. Assuming development stays on track, we should hopefully get a more prominent gameplay trailer in the coming weeks or months.