A new rumor suggests that Firaxis Games' Marvel-themed strategy project will allow players to create their own superheroes... and may not feature any licensed characters.

According to journalist Jeff Grubb on a Giant Bomb livestream, the "Marvel XCOM" game will implement a character creation system and is technically classified as an "original property." This specification is due to the game not making use of any existing Marvel characters.

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"The reason that it might still be [considered] a new property even though it’s a Marvel thing is that… this is not going to pick up any existing franchise in the [Marvel Cinematic Universe], it’s not even going to be existing characters," says Grubb. "So it’s not going to have any existing MCU characters, but it should take place in the wider universe."

"I do think that the character that you’re playing will be a customizable superhero, or at least the team might be customizable, so it’s still going to have XCOM in that way, but that’s why it’s not going to be taking place in any existing lineage of franchises," elaborated Grubb.

As with all rumors, it's worth taking this all with a pinch of salt. While the game may not incorporate any characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Grubb's phrasing does leave the door open for characters who have yet to be adapted for the big screen.

Related: XCOM: Legends Is An Original Take on the Series' Turn-Based Strategy, Exclusive to Mobile

Grubb continues on to say that Firaxis Games' latest project will focus on the supernatural elements of the Marvel universe. "I don’t know if that necessarily means like Blade, but I do think there will be vampires in it, and I don’t know if it means mystical Marvel [characters]… but I think you might see enemies of that type that you’re fighting," said Grubb.

Despite all the rumors swirling around the "Marvel XCOM" game, developer Firaxis Games and publisher 2K Games have yet to announce the project. Its existence was revealed by a leak from an insider citing a source close to the development team, later corroborated by Jason Schreier, a notable video game journalist.

Firaxis Games is largely known for developing the Civilization series but successfully rebooted the XCOM franchise in 2012 with XCOM: Enemy Unknown. It has subsequently released two more games in the modern franchise, including XCOM 2 in 2016 and XCOM: Chimera Squad in 2020.

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Source: Giant Bomb, via VGC