Highlights

  • Marvel's Blade game announcement at The Game Awards 2023 signals a potential shift towards a more mature and darker tone for Marvel games.
  • The success of Insomniac's Spider-Man games highlights the typical Marvel tone, but the anticipation for Marvel's Wolverine and Blade shows that there is an appetite for more serious and gritty superhero experiences.
  • Characters like Blade, Daredevil, and Moon Knight have the potential to fill the void for edgier Marvel games with nuanced storytelling and intense combat scenarios.

Rumors concerning an announcement from developer Arkane Studios at The Game Awards 2023 were rampant, but the studio still managed to shock audiences when it unveiled an upcoming game focused on Marvel’s Blade. While the vampire hunter is confirmed to be featured in an upcoming MCU film, Blade’s appearance in a standalone video game is an unexpected turn of events given how Marvel games generally have a lighter tone. Marvel’s Blade may not seem to fit into the current state of the greater brand, but another upcoming game shows that a more mature future could be in store for Marvel.

The reveal of a game centered on a character like Blade who has historically been portrayed as a violent hunter of creatures of the night seems somewhat out of place, but it coincides with the growing hype surrounding Marvel’s Wolverine by Insomniac Games. It may have been revealed back in 2021, but Wolverine has only become more relevant following the success of Insomniac’s recent outing in Spider-Man 2. With the serious tone established in both Wolverine and Blade’s trailers respectively, Marvel games could be seeing a new era defined by a darker approach.

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Blade and Wolverine's Chance to Capture a Mature Audience

Marvel games in the more accessible tone of Insomniac’s Spider-Man titles are unlikely to stop coming, as their appeal to general audiences makes them a safe bet from a business perspective. The announcement of Wolverine and subsequently Blade, however, shows a willingness on Marvel’s part to take risks when it comes to darker IPs. Titles like the next Spider-Man are almost certain to bring in huge sales, but the likes of Blade could find a more niche, but dedicated fanbase among older gamers.

Marvel's Lack of Edge Has Created a Void

The exploration of a new plot concerning the Venom symbiote brought some heavier moments to Spider-Man 2, but the game still ultimately falls into a typical Marvel tone that has been popularized by the MCU films. Peter Parker faces moral conflict in a way that pushes Yuri Lowenthal’s performance to a more violent place, but it never quite reaches the depths of Marvel’s more street-level properties. Attempts like Marvel’s Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy didn’t meet the lofty expectations of their general audience appeal, but the passion some fans have for edgier characters could bring a new form of success.

Street-Level Marvel Characters Are Prime for Future Games

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The Untapped Potential of Heroes like Daredevil

While the likes of the Avengers have gotten pushed more than ever in recent years, fan outcry for less-publicized characters has only built up over time. Daredevil has appeared in No Way Home and She-Hulk through what was likely popular demand, and a game centered around the blind hero could find a place in the empty Arkham niche. Similarly mature characters like Moon Knight, Luke Cage, and The Punisher have had their reputations boosted in their own series on streaming platforms, and these IPs are all capable of carrying their games if handled by the right studio. They would fit right in with games like Wolverine and Blade, making them seem much more likely now than they did six months ago.

Mature Stories Can Take Advantage of the Medium of Gaming

The intense violence found in the world of heroes such as Moon Knight and Daredevil can naturally translate well into engaging combat scenarios, but there’s also a chance to represent the darker side of Marvel’s lore through gameplay. Spider-Man 2’s grand scenario leaves little room for player choice in its linear narrative, but the moral grey areas occupied by street-level characters can open up new routes for nuanced storytelling. It’s hard to imagine the noble Miles Morales facing a lot of internal conflict on a mature level, but a character like Logan could easily bring a violent twist to resolving situations. Only time will tell what approach Blade and Wolverine will take as more is revealed about them, but Marvel seems committed to approving an edgier direction.