Marvel's Avengers have finally found the one enemy they can't beat -- the free market. According to video game analyst David Gibson, developer Square Enix has lost approximately $63 million on the AAA superhero game.
Gibson says that Square Enix did not comment on how many units were sold, but noted that volumes were planned to make up 60% of sales. It was also implied that Square Enix spent between $170m-$190m on the game in total, including marketing.
Marvel's Avengers focuses on Earth's Mightiest Heroes reassembling five years after a tragic accident, with Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel joining their ranks. The Avengers soon find themselves battling Advanced Idea Mechanics and its lead scientist George Tarleton, who becomes the infamous supervillain M.O.D.O.K. The game will feature DLC with other Marvel heroes, including Spider-Man as an exclusive character for the PS4 version of the game.
Marvel's Avengers received mixed reviews, with praise given toward its story and criticism toward its gameplay and bugs in the system. Square Enix has been working to iron out the bugs in the game, which led to the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series S/X versions being delayed to 2021. The delay is "to ensure that we give our team the time to deliver a next-gen experience showcasing all that this game is meant to be," according to Square Enix.
Developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix, Marvel's Avengers is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia and PC.
Source: Heroic Hollywood