Marvel has always had a pretty prominent presence in the video game industry, with X-Men being one of the first popular arcade beat-em-ups, and Spider-Man alone having a wealth of titles produced over the last few decades. But while Marvel video games released continuously throughout the 1980s, 90s, and 2000s, they are currently seeing a big spike in quality, with Insomniac leading the charge with Marvel's Spider-Man and hopefully the upcoming Wolverine. Insomniac isn't alone, however, as developers like Firaxis are also rushing to the frontlines, with Marvel's Midnight Suns set to be the next big release.
A few weeks ago, a Disney and Marvel Games Showcase was announced. Slated to air on September 9, this showcase is set to make some big announcements about upcoming, unannounced Disney and Marvel games as well as those that have already been released or revealed. Along with the likes of Disney Dreamlight Valley and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, the Disney and Marvel Games Showcase will reportedly give some more information on Marvel's Midnight Suns, though it's a little unclear what that information could be.
The Current State of Marvel's Midnight Suns
After months of leaks and speculation, Marvel's Midnight Suns was finally unveiled on August 21, 2021, and the initial trailer looked fairly promising. With a thrilling cover of Metallica's 'Enter Sandman' playing in the background, fans got their first look at Midnight Suns' roster, featuring both characters that modern day fans would be familiar with like Doctor Strange, Iron Man, and Wolverine, and some lesser known characters like Robbie Reyes' Ghost Rider and Blade.
Though no actual gameplay was shown, the penultimate titlecard in the trailer confirmed that Firaxis, the studio behind XCOM, was developing the game, leading many to believe that it would also be a turn-based tactics game. The final screen also confirmed that a March 2022 release date was set, which Marvel's Midnight Suns obviously wouldn't hit.
Just a month later, Marvel's Midnight Suns would give its fans an extended look at its gameplay, which showed characters using a card-based ability system. Fans were pretty divided on this trailer, as though the gameplay didn't look dissimilar to Firaxis' previous works, it didn't quite have the same level of fluidity or strategy, instead just showing characters standing still and firing off a few blasts of energy at their opponents. Soon after this trailer, Marvel's Midnight Suns would be delayed and given an October 2022 release date.
Since then, Marvel's Midnight Suns has received a slew of trailers, with a handful of those giving a few more details about the game's story and teasing some more iconic Marvel character appearances. Over the last few months, each of Marvel's Midnight Suns' characters have been receiving their own designated trailer, showcasing their unique set of abilities and their specific role in combat. These trailers have given fans a much clearer indication of just how Marvel's Midnight Suns will end up playing, and for many, they've convinced them to give the game a chance, with these trailers highlighting more of the strategical elements on offer.
However, despite a consistent stream of information suggesting that the game is coming along nicely, Marvel's Midnight Suns has just received another big delay. Now, as opposed to launching on October 7 2022, Marvel's Midnight Suns has been pushed back to next year, with no specific release date stated. It was also stated that past-gen versions of the game won't be arriving until well after the current-gen iterations, leaving quite a few fans disappointed.
What To Expect From Marvel's Midnight Suns At The Showcase
Marvel's Midnight Suns is in a bit of an awkward spot right now. Following the announcement of its recent delay, paired with a portion of the fan-base still not meshing with the card-based gameplay, it's fair to say that audiences are a little skeptical of Midnight Suns. But hopefully, this Disney and Marvel Games Showcase can swap things around.
Despite just receiving a sizable delay, Marvel's Midnight Suns is confirmed to be showing up at the Disney and Marvel Games Showcase, though exactly what it's showing hasn't been detailed. It seems fairly likely that Firaxis will release another trailer for the game, this time showing general audiences exactly how the card system functions in moment-to-moment gameplay. This hypothetical trailer could also provide a quick overview on all the characters confirmed so far, giving fans a taste of just how much content is actually in the game from the get-go. This would hopefully clear up a lot of the confusion surrounding Marvel's Midnight Suns, and show those that haven't really been following the game's recent showcases exactly what Firaxis is offering.
Firaxis could also use the upcoming Disney and Marvel Games Showcase to confirm a new release date for Marvel's Midnight Suns. Right now, it's only confirmed that current-gen versions of the game will release sometime before March 2023, so it could be possible for Firaxis to announce an exact date. However, this seems pretty unlikely, as Midnight Suns only received its delay a few weeks ago at the start of August. On a pessimistic note, it could also be announced that past-gen versions of Midnight Suns are being canceled, as that's been somewhat of a trend for recently delayed games like Gotham Knights. Of course, this is just pure speculation, and it does seem fairly unlikely that past-gen versions of Marvel's Midnight Suns would be axed. Hopefully, the game's presence at the event brings more good news than bad.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.