It's been a year since EA Motive first announced plans to develop a single-player action-adventure game based on the character of Iron Man. But with the comic book community in a frenzy over the release of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 for PlayStation this week, Motive General Manager Patrick Klaus has offered an update on what is the studio's largest project to date.
For starters, the Iron Man game is still "early" in pre-production which is the stage it was at when first announced last year. It unfortunately also means it's still at least a few years away. But Klaus did confirm that the game will be built in Unreal Engine 5, which he said will "empower the dev team to work their magic and create something really special."
"We’re still early in pre-production and taking our time to make sure we set the best possible foundation for development. But already, we’re finding so many opportunities to explore story, design and gameplay with Iron Man, and it’s exciting to see the fantasy start coming alive," Klaus teased.
While many of the game's details are being kept under wraps, we do know that it will feature "an original narrative that taps into the rich history of Iron Man, channeling the complexity, charisma, and creative genius of Tony Stark, and enabling players to feel what it’s like to truly play as Iron Man."
Although it's being developed in collaboration with Marvel Games, EA Motive is also seeking the input of the Marvel community itself. Klaus revealed that EA has put in place a Community council made up of Iron Man and Marvel fans who will offer feedback "on pretty much everything throughout the development process." Video games based on beloved superhero characters are often hit or miss so to see EA Motive getting feedback from actual fans should at least help put some minds at ease. It also helps that the game is being developed as a single-player adventure and not a games-as-a-service title.
Development of the Iron Man game is currently being handled at the Montreal-based Motive Studio. Leading the team is Olivier Proulx, who previously worked on Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy.
With the game still so far away, no release date has been announced. We also don't know the platforms it's being developed for; although, with it still being in early pre-production, I wouldn't be surprised to see it released for the next generation of gaming consoles that come after the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.