Today, Gazillion Entertainment unveiled the official name for the upcoming Marvel Comics Massively Multiplayer Online game. The MMO, previously titled "Marvel Universe," has been officially named "Marvel Heroes" and as of Comic-Con International in San Diego, the free-to-play online game is slated for a 2012 release.

"Marvel Heroes," much like Gazillion Entertainment's "Super Hero Squad Online," allows players to take on the roles of established Marvel heroes such as Deadpool, Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Nova and Squirrel Girl. This is a stark departure from other superhero MMOs like DC Universe Online (which went free-to-play in October) where players create their own characters and share a universe with established heroes. Back in April, Marvel and Gazillion announced that "Avengers" scribe Brian Michael Bendis would be scripting the online game. "The reason that I was so desperate to be a part of this is that I'm a big believer that the Marvel universe is more than just this fantasy universe, it's kind of a lifestyle for a lot of people," Bendis said in April. The writer also confirmed that the game would feature all of the Marvel Comics universes including 616, Ultimate, Supreme Power, film and novel worlds.

While no concrete gameplay revelations have been made yet, Gazillion has released the design for Spider-Man in "Marvel Heroes," the first of many to get the MMO treatment. The game will be available on PC with console versions to be determined.

Stay tuned to CBR News for more on "Marvel Heroes" as it develops.