In September, Marvel's Avengers launched to mixed reviews. Players were upset at not only the bugs and glitches that plagued the game but also it's Games as a Service business model, which is how the game is expected to remain profitable post-launch. Several fixes have been released to fix the game's various bugs, with even more game fixes were announced. This has led to the delay of the promised next-gen versions of the game into 2021, along with features and extra content.
Losing these next-gen versions is a huge blow, as they were expected to carry on the next stage of the game's lifespan. The PS5 version of the game is set to feature upgraded visuals that will use the console's improved GPU to give players a much higher image quality than the PS4 version. No details were given on the Xbox Series X version, possibly because of the deal, which gives the PS4 version exclusive content, such as Spider-Man as a playable character.
Spider-Man hasn't been delayed as of yet, but another anticipated character has: Kate Bishop. Bishop was previously announced as coming to the game in October, but she has been slightly delayed and now has no announced release date. From the wording of the information given, it sounds as if she will be available before the end of the year, but things could change.
When Marvel's Avengers released, one of the game's biggest criticisms was the fact that it was designed with the Games as a Service model in mind. This took away from the game's single-player campaign and turned multiplayer into a repetitive grindfest. The Games as a Service model is designed to keep people playing a game as long as possible while also spending additional money on it.
The game only features a certain amount of heroes within it so that they can release new ones down the line as updates. A person is more likely to keep coming back to the game if new characters are slowly released over time rather than if they are available immediately. This has negatively impacted the game, as it has caused players to wait months for characters such as Kate Bishop, Spider-Man, Hawkeye and probably a dozen more famous Marvel characters that should have already been in the game.
The game's multiplayer also has problems as it forces players to replay the same missions constantly to grind for new loot. The problem isn't grinding; it's that there is nothing to grind for. Destiny 2 is a similarly designed game with raids that encourage players to grind so that they can have the proper gear and loot to play them. What equivalent does this game have? A boring boss fight with Taskmaster? Fighting generic henchmen with big health bars? This game desperately needs some new kind of endgame content which is exactly what the developers are planning on adding in a future update.
One of the planned new endgame features, Omega-Level Threats, is a new mission classification that will give special rewards and end with a huge finale. Players who want more than this will be glad to know about the Tachyon Rift missions. These missions are extremely difficult and require cooperation with other teammates to succeed. The rift missions also feature another cosmic gear, which is also a new piece of endgame content.
It's great that this game is receiving the necessary improvements, but it isn't the first Games as a Service game to suffer this issue and it certainly won't be the last. Marvel's Avengers highlights the problem with the Games as a Service model: It puts money over quality. A game with this many issues should have been delayed and was likely just released to squeeze out a few extra sales before the next-gen launch. Now developers have to deal with angry fans and negative press until the game gets into better shape. With any luck, Marvel's Avengers will become a lot more stable when the next-gen versions release next year.