The Q3 2021 investor presentation from Enad Global 7 has some intriguing information, mostly about Daybreak’s portfolio, the crown jewel of which is an upcoming Marvel MMORPG.
Dimensional Ink Studios, the firm behind DC Universe Online, is working on a next-generation action MMORPG. Wccftech originally reported on this in early 2020, owing to an interview with CEO Jack Emmert, previously of Cryptic Studios and the designer of City of Heroes.
While Emmert couldn’t reveal much at the time, we did hear that the impending Marvel MMORPG already had a functional prototype. The executive stated that Dimensional Ink Studios intended to use next-generation platforms (presumably referring to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X, in addition to PC) so that developers could ‘look at gameplay and systems that make more sense for the future, rather than what MMOs might have been like five or ten years ago.’
Emmert remained tight-lipped on the financial strategy, simply stating that he believes in the free-to-play approach. Interestingly, he couldn’t guarantee for certain that Daybreak would publish the game at the time, owing to the freshly achieved independence from the parent business. However, we’re very confident EG7 wouldn’t have this project listed on its product schedule if it wasn’t currently the case.
Acting CEO Ji Ham (formerly CEO of subsidiary Daybreak) stated in the live-streamed portion of EG7’s presentation that the Marvel MMORPG is the largest and most interesting project in development among all of Enad Global 7’s portfolio. However, it will not be released anytime soon. Indeed, Dimensional Ink’s continuous work on DC Universe Online hints at a possible release date for the Marvel MMORPG.
According to a slide in the presentation, the “Unannounced MMORPG” would be a “Marvel IP based massively multiplayer online game” directed by Jack Emmert, who was formerly the lead on City of Heroes and presently leads the DC Universe Online team. But the Marvel MMORPG is classified as a long-term project. As a result, it’s reasonable to predict the game won’t be launched until at least 2024.
Following the success of Marvel’s Spider-Man on PlayStation 5, Marvel Games collaborated with Crystal Dynamics to create Marvel’s The Avengers, and earlier in 2021, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
Another new title in development at XCOM creator Firaxis Games, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, was recently pushed back from March 2022 to the second half of the year.
In a social media announcement, creative director Jake Solomon indicated that the production team required additional time to improve the game’s quality.
“We know many fans were looking forward to playing the game originally next spring, and this decision did not come lightly,” he said.
“We decided to push our launch because we need more time to make this the best game possible. We believe in our creative vision for Marvel’s Midnight Suns and want to do justice in delivering an unforgettable adventure”.
Lord of the Rings Online, which recently received the Fate of Gundabad update, is Daybreak’s other mainstay. EG7 is reiterating its prior pledge to update the old MMORPG’s aesthetics, modernize the experience, and release it on consoles. This will be done, of course, to profit from Amazon’s impending Lord of the Rings TV series, especially since the new Lord of the Rings MMO was canceled owing to a contractual disagreement between Tencent and Amazon.
Other notable games in EG7’s pipeline include single-player tactical FPS I.G.I. Origins and large-scale first-person tactical military shooter ’83, both developed by Antimatter Games (the studio behind Rising Storm, of which ’83 is allegedly a spiritual successor) and filed under the long-term category.
For next year, EG7 is planning to release 5v5 PvP voxel multiplayer FPS Block N Load 2 and co-op multiplayer FPS Evil v Evil, which will be based on a supernatural vampire fantasy setting.
