With the Marvel Cinematic Universe raking in billions at the global box office, making an online game based on the billion-dollar cinematic franchise’s source material should be a lucrative tenure. But, it appears that EnaD Global 7 doesn’t intend to see things through. After being leaked in November via an investors presentation, EG7 has canceled the Marvel MMO following a “re-evaluation of the development risk profile, size of investment, and the long-term product portfolio strategy for the group.” Now, images of the defunct Marvel MMO have popped up online, courtesy of one of the people who designed it. It’s not clear what EG7 had in mind for the Marvel MMO, but it wasn’t without potential. The development was led by Daybreak Studios’ Jack Emmert, who previously worked on City of Heroes. In addition, Daybreak has extensive experience working on MMOs with DC Universe Online and The Lord of the Rings Online. Coincidentally, this isn’t the first Marvel MMO to be canceled at Daybreak. As per EG7’s earlier presentation, the current iteration of the Marvel MMO picks up from a canned version of the game that had been in the works at Daybreak until 2019. According to EG7, the company will divert the roughly $50 million investment originally for the game’s development into “multiple, smaller size projects” and “new game opportunities” based on its own IPs as well as for providing continued support for its games like DC Universe Online and The Lord of the Rings Online. Interestingly enough, EG7’s recent announcement comes just after Square Enix revealed the financial strain caused by Marvel’s Avengers and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. It would not be the most surprising thing if EG7 and Daybreak pressed pause on the Marvel MMO after figuring out the logistics of getting the game out and sustaining it for years. If it’s any consolation, there are still several other games based on Marvel Comics in the works such as Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Wolverine and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 as well as Firaxis Games’ Marvel’s Midnight Suns and Amy Hennig’s untitled Marvel game.
