Only seven months after it was announced, Daybreak Games' Marvel themed MMO has been shelved in favor of the other free-to-play MMOs that the company develops. Little is known about how the Marvel MMO would have played, but if DC Universe Online is anything to go by, then the game would have given Marvel fans hours of superhero mayhem to indulge in. The game would have let players create their own hero and explore a universe themed after one of the largest, and most profitable, IPs in the world right now. Sadly, Marvel fans will never be able to experience this title and instead will have to wait for more self-contained games like Marvel's Spider-Man 2.
The cancellation of Daybreak Games' Marvel MMO is just one ill-fated Marvel themed MMO in a long line of shuttered MMOs. Marvel has never seemed to crack the code on what makes an addicting MMO that players will keep coming back to. While DC fans have been able to experience their universe through DC Universe Online, Marvel has been struggling to deliver a similar experience. The IP has been able to deliver some quality single-player titles with Marvel's Spider-Man and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, but the online space has always worked against it and Marvel fans have not gotten the expansive online community that they deserve.
Marvel Super Hero Squad Online
Marvel Super Hero Squad Online was a free-to-play MMO that was geared towards a younger audience. It was based on the Marvel Super Hero Squad action figure line and animated TV show. The game launched in 2011 and was developed by The Amazing Society alongside Gazillion Entertainment. The title was not super advanced, but it provided decent fun for those who wanted it. However, the servers were shutdown in 2017 and Gazillion Entertainment closed down later that same year.
The game had players collecting different Marvel heroes to form their Squad. They were then able to select one of their Squad members to play as in various games and activities. As they played, their hero would increase in power and unlock animated emotes that were used in the social hubs Players would have to gather currency to purchase new heroes, and some heroes were locked behind a paywall. Each hero looked like a Super Hero Squad action figure, and there were numerous heroes to collect.
The gameplay of Marvel Super Hero Squad Online was beat-em-up style in which players would fight hordes of enemies to get to a final boss. They would do this in various zones inspired by Marvel Comics. Zones like The Daily Bugle, Asgard, and The Baxter Building were all present. The game also offered a collectable card game and an arcade filled with various mini-games. It was heavily geared towards younger Marvel fans, but it also provided some decent fun for older ones.
Marvel Heroes Omega
Marvel Heroes Omega was the second free-to-play MMO developed by Gazillion Entertainment and took a different approach than Marvel Super Hero Squad Online did. The game launched in 2013, and then was constantly relaunched under new names as the years went by. It had players follow a brand-new Marvel story and was enjoyed by many Marvel fans. However, it would meet the same fate as Marvel Super Hero Squad Online and be shuttered in 2017.
Unlike the previous game, Marvel Heroes Omega went for a more ARPG feel. Players would control one of many iconic heroes and do battle against various enemies. As they progressed through the game, their heroes would level up and players were able to plunge power points into different talent trees. Each hero had three different talent that were all themed after the hero. For instance, Hawkeye would have a tree for Archery, Fighting, and Trick Arrows. By the time the game closed, there were 63 playable heroes that players could collect along with a multitude of cosmetic options for each.
The story of Marvel Heroes Omega brought in almost all the iconic Marvel heroes that fans have come to expect. They would have to fight off the armies of Doctor Doom, HYDRA, Loki, and even Ultron. They would be able to battle almost all of their favorite villains, and the game even offered large scale raids that players would have to team up to accomplish. The game had almost everything that fans wanted in a Marvel MMO besides the ability to create their own heroes, and almost everything was unlockable without spending a cent which helped elevate the quality of the game for many players.
Daybreak's Marvel MMO
The most recent Marvel themed MMO did not even see the light of day. Daybreak Games announced its Marvel themed MMO in late 2021, and it was just recently canceled in May 2022. The developer has extensive experience making free-to-play MMOs, and it has already made a comic book based MMO with DC Universe Online. However, the Marvel MMO was said to be too big and the resources would be better spent elsewhere. Marvel fans are now left to only hypothesize just what the game could have been like.
Recently, there have been some screenshots of the character creator that would have been present in the ill-fated MMO. Unlike past Marvel MMOs, this one would have let players create their own personal Marvel superhero in an art style similar to that of a Pixar movie or Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Players would have had a lot of control over the look and feel of their character, and would have even been able to select their role in the universe. They would have been able to join the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Avengers, or SHIELD which would have most likely affected how they progressed through the game.
The cancellation of Daybreak Games MMO is just another blow for Marvel fans who have been waiting for an exciting MMO to sink hours into. The only other online Marvel game that they can turn to is Marvel's Avengers, and that has not been received very well. Maybe one day Marvel will have a strong MMO filled with content for players to explore, but for now all Marvel fans can do is wait and see.