NYCC 2019: Marvel Games Recap

This year, Marvel took New York Comic Con by storm showcasing their lineup of upcoming games and virtual reality experiences at the Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden. If you weren’t able to attend, don’t worry! We’ve got you covered. Here’s a recap to whet your appetite.

Marvel Realm of Champions

Marvel Contest of Champions developer Kabam was on hand to unveil their new real-time multiplayer action role-playing game, Marvel Realm of Champions. Although Contest and Realm are of two different genres (Contest is a fighting game), Kabam emphasized that they exist in the same universe, promising connected storylines and crossovers events alike.

Based on the 2015 run of Secret Wars by Jonathan Hickman, Realm of Champions asks players to pledge to a house in Battleworld, an Earth combined from an amalgamation of different Earths from alternate universes. Battleworld is divided into many territories, each with its own house. There are eight initial houses you can pledge to: House of Iron, Spider-Guild, Gama-horde, Patriot Garrison, Asgardian Republic, Temple of Vishanit, Kingdom of Wakanda, and Pyramid X. Each headed by a Baron—an alternate reality, twisted version of the Marvel heroes we know and love.

After pledging to a house, players are given a base character that can be further customized as they progress through the game. Although neither the release date nor gameplay trailer was shown, it is expected to arrive sometime next year. You can check out the trailer below:

Iron Man VR

Developer Camouflaj premiered new details on its upcoming Iron Man VR game. While they detailed the mechanics and feel of flying around as Iron Man at San Diego this year, game director Ryan Payton hosted a deep dive into the story of the game and debuted Iron Man’s main antagonist, Ghost. That name should ring a bell, as Ghost premiered on the silver screen last year in Ant Man and the Wasp. Here, Ghost is an anonymous hacker that has a personal vendetta against Tony Stark, haunting him throughout the game and reminding him of his past sins. Iron Man VR comes to Playstation VR February 28th, 2020.

Marvel’s Avengers

In August, Marvel unveiled the first gameplay trailer for their third-person action-adventure game, Marvel’s Avengers. The Avengers were caught flatfooted by The Taskmaster and his baddies on A-Day, a day celebrating the opening of The Avenger’s west coast headquarters. In the ensuing battle, the Helicarrier airship is attacked and destroyed with Captain America still onboard.

At NYCC this year, we learn that five years after the infamous A-Day, our superheroes were blamed for the destruction of San Francisco and have since been disbanded; superpowers in general have also been outlawed. A new organization, Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM), steps in to rebuild the destroyed San Francisco and fill in the power vacuum left behind by The Avengers with weaponized human robots. What could possibly go wrong?

As our favorite heroes are disillusioned and shunned by the general public, and with the Captain gone (for good?), who will step up to assemble The Avengers?

Enter Kamala Khan, better known as Ms. Marvel. A relatively recent addition to the Marvel pantheon, Ms. Marvel boasts supernatural healing abilities and the ability to shapeshift/polymorph—she can change her body into virtually anything. During the panel and reveal trailer, Kamala is emphasized as the unifying factor in assembling The Avengers and an integral part of the storyline. Marvel’s Avengers is set to release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia on May 15, 2020.

Which game are you most excited for? Tell us in the comments below.