Marvel's Avengers Team Knew That Winning Fans Over Would Be Hard

Marvel's Avengers has had a rocky road since its initial reveal, in large part because fans of the comics and movies were not happy with how the characters looked when they were first shown off. Players took issue with the character models and the costume designs, and the team at developer Crystal Dynamics took note. [Update: The Avengers game has been delayed until September 2020.]

In a new interview with Gamesradar+, creative director Shaun Escayg has spoken about the challenge of showing off these character designs after the Marvel Cinematic Universe has established the current Marvel aesthetic so fully for most fans. "I mean, we knew we had that challenge, right?," Escayg says. "We're going up against a 10-year history of movies. And you know, people forget really quickly, but when the first movie came out, they had the same problem. People were upset with the way these heroes looked. So we knew going in that we would always have that struggle." But he says that the focus was more on their "original storyline," and making sure that they "stay true to that DNA of the characters in the comics."

Studio head Scot Amos has previously talked to us about how the costumes have changed since the game's initial reveal. The designs were noticeably different a few months after we first saw them, with designs that are a bit closer to what we've seen in the films. However, the main character of the game, Ms Marvel, has not made her way to the cinematic universe yet. That's set to change when her Disney+ show launches next year.

There are some other interesting facts brought up across the interview. Escayg says that the appearance of next-gen consoles in 2020 was not of particular concern to how this game was made, and makes it clear that the game will not cross over with Insomniac's Spider-Man, although there's the possibility of bigger collaborations in the future. "Any collaboration with great studios excites everyone at Crystal [Dynamics]. How do we make this bigger? How do we make this much more engaging for the fans and continue to do so?"

Marvel's Avengers will release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on May 15, 2020.