Highlights

  • Marvel Ultimate Alliance has the potential to break through and succeed where other Marvel games have struggled on the video game landscape.
  • The series started strong with the original game in 2006 but has struggled to capture the same charm and success in subsequent releases.
  • A fourth entry in the franchise could be a massive hit if it maintains the quality of the original and taps into the concept of letting players control a wide range of superheroes in a universe-spanning adventure.

Thanks in large part to the MCU, Marvel heroes are everywhere these days. Around every corner, it seems like there is a brand-new Marvel project, and besides some recent box office woes, there seems to be no slowing down this behemoth of a franchise. But while the heroes seem to dominate the big and small screen, they have struggled a bit breaking into the video game landscape. However, the Marvel Ultimate Alliance franchise could fix all of that.

Unless the game follows Spider-Man, Marvel games have not had the best luck in recent years. Marvel's Avengers faltered thanks to its live-service model, Marvel's Midnight Suns was too different to excite audiences, and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy paid for the mistakes of other Marvel games. It just seems like these games are facing an incredibly steep uphill battle with gamers, but Marvel Ultimate Alliance has the chance to break through that. So hopefully, the third game was not the final nail in the coffin.

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Marvel Ultimate Alliance Has So Much Potential to Be Great

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 May Have Killed the Series

Marvel Ultimate Alliance first began in 2006 with Activision heading up the series. It brought players to the Marvel Universe and gave them control of some of the most popular heroes within. It featured over 140 different Marvel characters, with 23 of them being playable alongside a couple of console-exclusive heroes. This made it a fantastic treat and the simple gameplay helped it shine. That blend kickstarted a whole new series of games, yet it was never really able to capture the charm of that original title.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 launched in 2009 and would end up expanding the playable roster with all sorts of new Marvel characters. However, the actual game felt inferior to its predecessor, having oversimplified the concept. That must have led to low sales numbers because the series ended up being put on hold for 10 years. Eventually, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order was released, but it seemingly failed to make the impact the studio wanted it to.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order launched in 2019 as a Nintendo Switch exclusive, which was a first for the series. It once again let players run wild within the Marvel Universe and saw them combat Thanos two months after Avengers: Endgame. It felt like it came at the perfect time, yet it seemed to pale in comparison to the original title. Along with that, the exclusivity prevented it from being as big of a hit as it could have been, with it only selling around 1.6 million copies as of December 2022. While Nintendo may consider that a success, with no news of a sequel, it feels like the franchise may be entering another hiatus.

A Fourth Entry Could Do So Much With the Marvel Ultimate Alliance Concept

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order cannot be the end of this wild ensemble series. There really is no other superhero series that lets players control dozens of superheroes across a universe-spanning adventure. As the MCU grows, the potential for heroes to take center stage in an adventure like this grows as well. And after the failings of other Marvel ensemble games, tapping into this concept further just makes sense.

As long as the fourth game can match the quality of the original, the studio could have a massive hit on its hands. Letting players save the world as some of the most iconic heroes in the world just sounds like a recipe for success. Plus, there is so much potential to expand it further with post-launch DLC that includes heroes, cosmetics, and even new stories. Additionally, if the studio really wants to ensure it is a success, then it could follow in the footsteps of the MCU. Or, it could continue telling an original tale, and let players run wild within its world. Whatever the choice may be, it feels like a must as the MCU continues to dominate pop culture.