After some post-launch delays and turbulence, Marvel’s Avengers is prepared to release its first DLC Operation: “Taking Aim,” featuring Kate Bishop.
Available December 8, Taking Aim is the first free downloadable “Operation” chapter for Crystal Dynamics’ live-service brawler. Picking up where the main campaign left off, players will step in Kate’s shoes as she looks for her mentor, Clint “Hawkeye” Barton (who will be added as a playable character in the next Operation, early next year.).
As Hawkeye’s protégé, Kate wields a bow, sword, and quantum technology, with double-jumping, teleportation, and hologram decoy tricks up her sleeve. Her kit looks diverse and interesting, a big stylistic change from the core game heroes.
Kate had been investigating Nick Fury’s disappearance after the A-Day tragedy and discovers that Clint has vanished as well during her absence. Taking Aim will see her employing time travel to find him and discover the truth of the time-warping Tachyon Rifts which have been appearing in-game over the last few weeks. Discovering A.I.M.’s new machinations will drive her to work with the Avengers once again, and face off with the Super Adaptoid, a powerful new opponent with the combined powers of the Avengers.
Hawkeye’s chapter, Future Imperfect, will further play upon these time travel themes, showing a dark alternate future.
Kate is voiced by Ashly Burch, who previously portrayed Aloy in Horizon: Zero Dawn, Tiny Tina in Borderlands 2, and Chloe in Life Is Strange. The character is also set to appear in the upcoming Disney+ series Hawkeye, alongside Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton.
Marvel’s Avengers will be receiving a proper next-generation upgrade in early 2021 as well, and is currently playable in an enhanced state now on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Game owners will be able to upgrade for free and carry their save data over, while maintaining crossplay with PlayStation 4 or Xbox One players. Crystal Dynamics has a “multi-year arc” of free DLC Operations planned, akin to the arcs of a comic book series. So far only Spider-Man has been announced beyond Kate and Clint, but as an exclusive for Sony players.
The game has been troubled since launch, however; despite topping sales charts in September, publisher Square Enix appears to have taken quite the financial hit on it. Hopefully this infusion of content will help bring players back to the fold.
