This is presumably where Xbox Game Pass comes into play. Marvel’s Avengers, since its initial console and PC release, has jumped on PlayStation Now’s streaming subscription service, so there is precedent for the game eventually making its way to Game Pass. However, considering Xbox Game Pass is much more popular and successful compared to PlayStation Now specifically, things could be very different for Avengers on Game Pass. Both in the short-term and long-term, Xbox Game Pass could help boost Marvel’s Avengers initial popularity and enduring success. However, that success is heavily contingent on how Avengers shapes up in the future.
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Avengers’ Post-Launch Has Struggled
Unlike obvious comparisons to games like Cyberpunk 2077, Marvel’s Avengers had a relatively successful launch. Admittedly there were a few performance issues ironed out shortly after launch, though not nearly as comparable to Cyberpunk 2077’s launch issues. Thousands of players flocked to the game at launch, though it wasn’t even a month later where reports of Avengers player counts were dropping dramatically. The problem wasn’t necessarily due to technical issues at launch, as players often cited (and continue to cite) fundamental issues with the game’s live service design: Unenticing loot-driven progression, and a repetitive endgame with little mission variety.
The only thing that Cyberpunk 2077 and Marvel’s Avengers used to have in common was the hope that a major DLC update/expansion would serve to revitalize the game, akin to what The Taken King did for Destiny. Avengers in particular was poised to receive a huge boost with War for Wakanda, which released back in August of this year. While the new campaign and titular hero addition was interesting for a short while, War for Wakanda still did nothing to alleviate the loot and endgame issues Avengers still continues to struggle with. Greater accessibility and new players can only help the game so far until Crystal Dynamics enhances or overhauls the gameplay loop.
Xbox Game Pass Could Be A Short-Term Boon For Avengers
Xbox Game Pass as a vehicle for accessibility and sucesss needs to be paired alongside a renewed approach to further developing Marvel’s Avengers as a live service game. If Avengers maintains the same pattern of releasing huge story updates, without addressing loot and progression issues, struggling to foster and maintain player count will be a consistent problem for Crystal Dynamics. War for Wakanda being a free update was a good first step, but additional stories cannot take nearly as long to be added to Avengers, especially without any significant gameplay changes as well.
Of course, this is all determined by the notion that Crystal Dynamics will continue to support Avengers well into its life as a live service game. Marvel’s Avengers needs to refresh its core gameplay loop of missions and objectives in the post-game, alongside loot changes, in order to bring back more players. One of the main criticisms of progression in Avengers was the fact that the loot progression was not at all justified by the equipment players could find. Continually iterating on that same loop will more than likely make the addition to Game Pass all for naught. Even if it’s easier for new players to jump in, that doesn’t mean they’ll stay if they find the same issues.
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The Long-Term Benefits of Avengers On Game Pass Remain To Be Seen
On the flip side, assuming Marvel’s Avengers can make the necessary changes and overhaul the gameplay loop into something that encourages replayability, then Xbox Game Pass will only benefit Avengers moving forward. Greater availability goes a long way to sustaining a positive player count; more players, more people playing. It’s simple in concept, but execution is where Avengers is currently struggling the most. Part of that is due to development taking longer than expected, likely due to issues with the pandemic and resources, but it’s causing key features and content updates on the roadmap (Patrol Mode, Wakanda Raid, etc.) to be delayed indefinitely.
Avengers could easily bounce back, assuming Crystal Dynamics is working towards a complete and total revamping of the game as it exists currently. The addition to Xbox Game Pass could be a preemptive move to prepare for the future of Marvel’s Avengers, making the game widely available for when the time comes to unveil the next content roadmap. Until then, however, there may not be a whole lot of long-term benefits with Avengers being added to Xbox Game Pass until Crystal Dynamics has more to share for the future of the game. In the short-term, hopefully Xbox Game Pass will at least net the game a small boost of new players in the meantime.
Marvel’s Avengers is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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