We're in the endgame now for Marvel's Avengers. After a tumultuous two-and-a-half year run, developer Crystal Dynamics has announced it will cease support for the action-adventure video game.
Following Update 2.8 on March 31, 2023, no new content or features will be added to Marvel's Avengers. All official support for the game will end on September 30, 2023.
In the announcement post, the development team 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.
The good news is that both single- and multi-player gameplay will still be available even after official support ends on September 30th. But for how long after is the question that Crystal Dynamics couldn't answer.
"The changes we are making to how the game functions will ensure as long a life as possible," the developer wrote. "However, after September 30, 2023 we can’t guarantee that we will be able to address issues that occur due to unforeseen circumstances."
The game will continue to run as is until March 31. Update 2.8 will contain the game's final balance changes and will also turn off the cosmetics Marketplace. Credits will no longer be purchasable and all remaining Credit balances will be converted into in-game resources to aid ongoing adventures.
Additionally, all of the game's Marketplace, Challenge Card, and Shipment cosmetic content will be made available to all players for free. As a thank you to the community, every single Outfit, Takedown, Emote, and Nameplate from the Marketplace, Challenge Cards, and Shipments will be free for all players who own the game.
We wanted to show all our players how much we’ve appreciated their support over the past few years. Gifting the full library of marketplace content is a way to thank our community by letting them experience the breadth of content in Marvel’s Avengers.
As for those who supported the game over the years by purchasing Credits or cosmetics, there are no plans to offer special refunds as a result of the Marketplace closure. Marvel's Avengers will remain available for purchase digitally until September 30, 2023 and at retailers while supplies last.
The once highly anticipated Marvel's Avengers launched in 2020 to mixed reviews and disappointing sales. Although the story and combat in the game was praised, numerous bugs and glitches marred the overall gameplay experience. A lack of content at launch and questionable microtransaction systems led to player frustration. In the years since launch, Crystal Dynamics has released multiple post-launch content updates and several additional playable characters, including Clint Barton, Kate Bishop, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Jane Foster, and Bucky Barnes.
It's definitely been a rocky road for Marvel's Avengers. I think many of us were surprised to see it last this long given its commercial failure. It was fun to play in spurts but ultimately Marvel's Avengers -- a title with so much hype and promise -- will best be remembered as the game that could have been.