Marvel’s free-to-play MMORPG will be coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One later this spring, Marvel and Gazillion Entertainment announced.
Now titled Marvel Heroes Omega, the game draws inspiration from dungeon crawling action RPGs such as the Diablo series. Marvel Heroes Omega features one of the largest casts in any Marvel related title with over 100 characters, pulled from all corners of the comic’s universe. Players can select from among their favourite Marvel superheroes, making their way through the game’s nine-chapter story campaign. Marvel Heroes Omega allows players to fight through hordes of enemies while navigating through famous locations taken from Marvel’s lore such as Hell’s Kitchen or the realm of Asgard and face off against some of Marvel’s most infamous super villains. As with many online games, players can join forces and play together in order to tackle the game’s missions, enjoying thousands of hours’ worth of end-game content.
Marvel Heroes officially launched in 2013 as a free-to-play MMO exclusively on PC. In order to help further fund and support the game, Marvel Heroes uses micro-transactions. Most of the items available that can be bought with real money can also be purchased through currencies earned in-game. Players progress with iconic characters, levelling them to unlock passive stat increases and gain power points, used to further increase the effectiveness of the character’s unique abilities. Several updates since the game’s launch have re-balanced the game’s progression systems. In June of 2014, the game was renamed Marvel Heroes 2015 and introduced raid encounters, a first for action RPGs. The game was renamed once again in January 2016 to Marvel Heroes 2016. Initial reviews of the game were mixed upon release, praising the game’s story but criticizing its combat and limited customization. Relaunched versions have gained more positive reception, improving on many of its original flaws.
American Developer Cryptic Studios originally began working on a Superhero MMO using a license from Marvel with the working title Marvel Universe Online. The project was changed during development in 2008, using a new IP instead. A year later, Gazillion Entertainment signed a 10-year deal to develop Marvel Entertainment games. Marvel Universe was renamed to Marvel heroes and development began as an action RPG instead of Cryptic Studio’s original idea.
A closed beta for the console release of Marvel Heroes Omega is planned with no date announced yet.