Crystal Dynamics' end of Marvel's Avengers potentially approaching, the X-Men may soon step back into the gaming spotlight.
While they have taken a backseat in recent years, the X-Men have been the focus of many video game adaptations. The classic X-Men arcade game, a side-scrolling beat-em-up title that boasted a large cast of playable mutant heroes, was a staple machine throughout the 90s. Another prominent video game adaptation of the iconic Marvel team was X-Men Legends, an action RPG that let players form a four-person squad of uncanny heroes. The game spawned a sequel and led to the Marvel Ultimate Alliance series, which features characters from throughout Marvel Comics. Breakout star Wolverine has led his own solo titles, like the fondly-ed X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but the once-popular X-Men games have become largely nonexistent over the last decade.
Despite a lack of X-Men titles, Marvel video games continue to be a staple of the superhero franchise. Games like Marvel's Spider-Man and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy have successfully adapted the company's popular characters to the big screen, but Marvel's Avengers never found its footing. Since launch Crystal Dynamics' game has been criticized for its microtransactions, technical issues and repetitive content. Numerous free updates have attempted to fix the game by adding improved systems and new playable heroes, but it may be too late for Earth's Mightiest Heroes and their multiplayer adventure to be redeemed. With the future of Marvel's Avengers uncertain, it may be time for the X-Men to reclaim their place as gaming icons.
Marvel's Wolverine Could Pave The Way For An X-Men Game
Back in September 2021 Insomniac Games announced Marvel's Wolverine, a single-player title starring the adamantium-clawed mutant hero. Taking place in the same universe as Insomniac's Marvel's Spider-Man game, the game has the potential to pave the way for a brand-new X-Men game somewhere down the road. Just like Miles Morales will be a second playable character in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, a sequel to Marvel's Wolverine could let players control other X-Men staples like Cyclops, Nightcrawler or Kitty Pryde. An Insomniac universe Marvel's X-Men game could therefore function similarly to Marvel's Avengers, just without all the microtransactions and live service elements.
Marvel's Avengers may soon be abandoned, and a new X-Men game would make a perfect replacement for the multiplayer Marvel title. Such a project could let players control a variety of different heroes with their own unique powers and abilities, just like Marvel's Avengers. However, the game could also avoid Crystal Dynamics' mistakes by being a narrative-driven single-player game rather than a multiplayer microtransaction market. In this way, the fall of Marvel's Avengers could return the Marvel gaming crown back to the uncanny X-Men.
