While Marvel's Midnight Suns may have been met with strong reviews from critics, that does not seem to have translated to sales. The game did not meet expectations, and ultimately proved to be a commercial flop. There is a chance that the DLC has helped push Marvel's Midnight Suns over the edge, but right now it seems like this unique superhero game was not able to attract an audience. Hopefully, this game's failure does not mean Marvel will stop experimenting with its heroes.
Putting the Midnight Sons in a strategic card-based game was a huge risk, and it led to a unique type of superhero game. While so many superhero titles chase the action-adventure genre, Firaxis wanted to do something different, and it was definitely worth it. Marvel should try to replicate unique experiences like this rather than shy away from them. Experimentation is usually a good idea, and Marvel's gaming future should be filled with experimental titles.
Marvel Superhero Games Need More Variety to Avoid Fatigue
Superheroes have dominated cinema for over a decade now thanks to the MCU, and that has also bled its way into the gaming industry, Multiple superhero projects from DC and Marvel release yearly, and there seems to be no end in sight for these adventures. 2023 alone will have around six different MCU projects and four different DC films. In gaming, there are countless more superhero titles on the horizon, and that has given superhero fans a lot to look forward to.
The world is currently in a golden age of superhero media, but it will not last forever. There are already signs at the box office that there is a diminishing audience for superhero films. While it is far from a death sentence, the lack of variety in these superhero projects has made some Marvel viewers feel superhero fatigue. After a decade of content, some viewers are looking for more than the standard superhero adventure, and the same thing may happen in the video game space.
Superhero video games tend to stay within the confines of the action-adventure or live-service genre. Games like Marvel's Avengers, Marvel's Spider-Man, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Gotham Knights, and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League have similar styles, even if there is a clear divide in quality. Many upcoming superhero games may also be action-adventure titles, or at least they are strongly rumored to be. This love for the action-adventure genre has made a lot of these titles look virtually identical to each other, and that could lead to superhero video game fatigue very quickly.
Firaxis chose to take Marvel's Midnight Suns in a completely different direction, and that really helped this game stand out from the crowd. It brought the titular team to the strategy genre and featured card-based gameplay alongside life-sim mechanics. This blending of genres helped the game blaze its own trail, and resulted in some very strong reviews. While the sales numbers did not meet expectations, the game surely did, and it will hopefully lead to even more unique experiences.
The gaming industry needs to move away from superhero action-adventure titles and begin to explore more surprising genres. Having a larger variety of titles could lead to a healthier superhero landscape and would likely go a long way in alleviating possible fatigue. Marvel's Midnight Suns may not have paid off commercially, but that does not mean the experiment should end. There are so many untapped genres waiting to be explored, and Marvel should lead that charge.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns is available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, with PS4, Switch, and Xbox One versions coming later.
