Following the reveal of Skydance New Media's untitled Marvel game starring Black Panther and Captain America, the Disney & Marvel Games Showcase closed out with another surprise world premiere. MARVEL World of Heroes is brand new game from Niantic, the developer of the massively popular Pokemon GO.
Set to launch globally in 2023, MARVEL World of Heroes allows you to become your own Marvel Super Hero. Using augmented reality, you'll patrol the real world and fight off crime using unique super powers. Despite the lack of gameplay shown, it's quite likely the core gameplay mechanics will be in the same vein of Pokemon GO.
As you complete Super Hero missions, foil crime, and fend off interdimensional threats, you'll unlock equipment and learn new abilities. The brief teaser showcased superpowers like Doctor Strange's magic, Cyclop's laser beam eyes, and Thor's Mjolnir.
Commenting on the character creation system, lead game designer Neil Melville said the game "gives a lot of flexibility for players to express different body types, gender expressions, and outfit customization."
"It is my goal that this game instills in its players feelings of freedom, power, curiosity, and cooperation, and will inspire them to make the world a better place," Melville added.
You'll even be able to team up with real Marvel Super Heroes such as Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America, and others to "battle iconic Super Villains and save the Multiverse from cosmic and earthbound threats." As the trailer ends, it appears to show off some kind of co-op social element as players are working together in a park, perhaps similar to that of Raid bosses in Pokemon GO.
Interestingly, it doesn't sound like MARVEL World of Heroes will constrict you to Earth. Melville hinted that the game "will let you travel to multiple alternate realities in the Marvel Multiverse to engage with different characters and stories in the same location."
MARVEL World of Heroes isn't due to launch until 2023; however, it will be entering a soft launch soon and will be available for beta testing in limited markets. In the meantime, you can pre-register to keep up to date with all the latest progress.
Niantic has been chasing the success of Pokemon GO since it first released in summer 2016. In addition to Pokemon, the company has developed games around Harry Potter and Transformers. Both games were met with middling reception and were ultimately canceled. Will the allure of becoming your own super hero help MARVEL World of Heroes succeed where the other games have failed?