Given the generally positive reception of DC Universe Online and the undeniable profitability of most Marvel IPs, this cancelation may come as a major shock to fans. Helmed by Daybreak Game Company, the same studio behind DC Universe Online and other recognizable outings such as Planetside 2 and Everquest, the Marvel MMO was seemingly in good hands. However, EG7 cites the increasing investment cost as a notable reason for its cancellation; while it’s not put in layman’s terms, it seems like development costs were beginning to outstrip the title’s projected profitability.
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This certainly isn’t out of the ordinary, as the server maintenance and constant updates players would expect from an MMO wouldn’t be cheap, and games in the genre are canceled or phased out routinely. Avid Blizzard fans may still remember the troubled Titan IP that never came to fruition, and Daybreak itself canned Everquest Next back in 2016 over fears that the game simply wasn’t fun enough to maintain a solid player base.
Though they occupy separate genres and were being handled by completely different teams, the impact of the Square Enix-developed Marvel’s Avengers live service game may have played a part in the Marvel MMO’s cancelation. Despite launching with quite a bit of fanfare in 2020, new content drops are few and far between in 2022, and, though a new Iron Man skin was recently added, there’s not been anything particularly game-changing for some time. Billed as a blockbuster title meant to receive constant updates for years to come, the game’s less-than-stellar reputation may have hampered other Marvel game productions, though that’s just speculation at this time.
This isn’t the first time an MMO based on Marvel properties was canceled. Some may remember way back in 2008 when news broke that a Cryptic Studios-developed Marvel game had been canned. Cryptic Studios went on to develop Dungeons and Dragons Neverwinter, but it’s interesting to think about what might have happened had the team’s other MMO ambitions panned out. Regardless, it seems as if Marvel fans will be waiting in perpetuity for an MMO based on their favorite heroes.
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Source: EG7
