Marvel’s Avengers developer Crystal Dynamics is already gathering playtesters for a new, secret project. Crystal Dynamics had already made a name for itself by developing the Legacy of Kain series and the Tomb Raider reboot games before releasing Marvel’s Avengers in late 2020. With this team-based, live-service superhero action title, publisher Square Enix hoped to capitalize on the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and games like Marvel’s Spider-Man and the Batman: Arkham series, but this ultimately wasn’t to be.
As far back as Marvel’s Avengers’ pre-release build-up, the game had caught significant backlash for its character designs and the touted live-service model - the latter of which raised concerns that Marvel’s Avengers would feature pay-to-win mechanics. This would only grow as Marvel’s Avengers launched to a lukewarm response from players, culminating in the announcement that support for Marvel’s Avengers will end later this year. The latest Marvel's Avengers update that was released late last month was its last, and made all of the game’s cosmetic items completely free of charge on top of two final skins for Iron Man and Thor.
It seems like Crystal Dynamics is already working on its next project ahead of Marvel’s Avengers’ impending demise, and is looking for players to test it out. As reported by PCGames late last week, Crystal Dynamics has sent out email invitations to fans who filled out a recent Legacy of Kain survey to participate in an upcoming playtest. This playtest will be done remotely, with the email requiring would-be participants to have a PC or Mac with a web camera, microphone, and Microsoft Teams installed. A representative from Crystal Dynamics would confirm that these invitations are genuine but declined to comment on exactly what the playtest in question is for.
The fact that this invite is aimed at fans who completed last October’s Legacy of Kain survey suggests that this project could be a new installment of the cult-classic vampire action-adventure series. There hasn’t been a new Legacy of Kain game since 2003’s Legacy of Kain: Defiance, though a free-to-play multiplayer spin-off titled Nosgoth was planned before being canceled in 2016.
Embracer Group, which bought Crystal Dynamics (and with it, the rights to Tomb Raider and Legacy of Kain) from Square Enix last May, expressed interest in raising Legacy of Kain from its nearly two-decade-long slumber in the wake of last year’s survey. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the project Crystal Dynamics is gathering playtesters for is indeed the follow-up that fans have been waiting for since 2003. Only time will tell what Crystal Dynamics has in store for players now that Marvel’s Avengers is over, but it seems like the storied developer is already working on its next big title.
Marvel's Avengers is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: PCGames