Why 2026 Is the Perfect Time for a Marvel MMO Before Avengers: Doomsday Lands

Why It Matters

A Marvel MMO would fill a clear market gap and monetize blockbuster film hype, offering publishers a multi‑year revenue stream and deeper fan engagement.

Key Takeaways

• Marvel MMO market gap despite existing free‑to‑play titles
• Avengers: Doomsday release fuels superhero gaming demand
• Previous Marvel MMO cancelled over cost, now viable
• Live‑service fatigue creates opportunity for fresh, narrative‑driven MMO
• Battleworld concept aligns with MMO faction and event design

Pulse Analysis

The convergence of blockbuster Marvel cinema and a maturing online‑gaming ecosystem makes 2026 an ideal launch window for a Marvel‑themed massively multiplayer online game. With Avengers: Doomsday slated for release later this year and Secret Wars slated for 2027, fan anticipation is at a peak, creating a ready‑made audience eager for interactive experiences that extend the narrative beyond the silver screen. Publishers can leverage this hype to drive early‑access sign‑ups, pre‑orders, and cross‑promotional tie‑ins that boost both game and film revenues. Early beta access could also serve as a testing ground for balance and content pipelines.

Previous attempts, such as the 2022 Dimensional Ink Marvel MMO, faltered mainly due to budget overruns and uncertain ROI, underscoring the need for a leaner development pipeline. Meanwhile, NetEase’s Marvel Rivals has proven that free‑to‑play Marvel titles can attract 200,000 active players, demonstrating appetite for superhero live‑service games. However, the market shows signs of live‑service fatigue, with players seeking deeper narratives and meaningful progression, a gap a well‑designed Marvel MMO could fill by integrating seasonal events and faction‑based storylines.

For publishers, a Marvel MMO offers a multi‑year revenue engine through subscription tiers, cosmetic microtransactions, and licensed merchandise tied to cinematic releases. By aligning in‑game events with movie premieres—such as a Battleworld invasion concurrent with Doomsday’s climax—developers can sustain player engagement while amplifying cross‑media storytelling. If executed with robust server architecture and community‑driven content updates, the title could set a new benchmark for franchise‑driven MMOs, reshaping how superhero IPs monetize beyond traditional film and single‑player game formats.

Why 2026 is the perfect time for a Marvel MMO before Avengers: Doomsday lands

Daryl Baxter · Posted: Feb 13 2026 3:00 PM ET

I’ve always been a Marvel fan, ever since the mid‑1990s. Waking up to find the main TV playing shows like Spider‑Man, Iron Man, X‑Men, and many more, with their guitar themes and early CGI, was incredible to see. It meant I was always on the lookout for games that tried to replicate that Saturday‑morning feeling, and some did.

Neversoft’s Spider‑Man game from 2000 was a massive highlight, and as the years passed, I came to enjoy others like X‑Men Origins: Wolverine and plenty more Spider‑Man games. But during the mid‑2000s, I came to discover plenty of MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) titles, like Star Wars: Galaxies, The Matrix Online, and City of Heroes.

Being part of a community where we could all share interests and go on quests was incredibly fun, but the fact that there hasn’t been a Marvel MMO has always surprised me. With Avengers: Doomsday coming later this year, followed by Secret Wars in 2027, I’m making the case that now is the perfect time for one.

A Tale of Two Marvels

Both Marvel Rivals and a Marvel MMO can easily co‑exist.

First, there’s an elephant, or a Hulk, in the room, in the form of Marvel Rivals. The free‑to‑play 6v6 third‑person shooter is only just a year old at the time of writing, but it’s already made a big impression with players. Developer NetEase Games reported roughly 200,000 active players as of this month and is one of the most popular games on Steam.

However, Marvel Rivals and an MMO can easily coexist. Just because there’s already one free‑to‑play Marvel‑based game doesn’t mean all opportunity has been cut off. Marvel Rivals is a game set on completing missions in bursts, and that’s it. A Marvel‑based MMO can be something else entirely.

Imagine the scene: once the game starts up, you get to create a superhero. They can jump in single bounds or sling from one building to another, albeit only in a limited fashion. They could be a human or an alien, and you can freely explore the Marvel world. You can buy a home that eventually has an underground base, and you can meet friends and new people now and again to level up.

Another goal would be working with established Marvel heroes on certain missions, which could result in some rare loot that’s tradable for other items or for currency. But with this being Marvel, the in‑game world has potential to change up dramatically.

Every month, a live event could occur, similar to those held in Fortnite that mark the end of a season. This could involve villains like Dr. Doom, Galactus, Venom, and others taking over the map, with players needing to work together to foil their plans, ending that chapter.

It sounds alluring, but this game could also learn from what’s come before, including a cancelled Marvel MMO from 2022.

Back from the Future

A panel from the Secret Wars comic.

At Dimensional Ink Games, Jack Emmert—known for previous MMOs like City of Heroes and DC Universe Online—was leading a team to develop a Marvel MMO. This was announced in late 2021 and then cancelled shortly after, allegedly due to cost concerns. Thanks to an online portfolio by artist Ramiro Galan, we can still form a rough idea of what this MMO was going to be.

Players could create a character and choose one of four factions: Avengers, Fantastic Four, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the X‑Men. Characters could be customised with costumes and powers, with some outfits offering boosts to certain stats. It sounded great, but with its 2022 cancellation, one can’t help but feel that the time is right for it to return.

In addition, NCSoft’s City of Heroes, a fantastic game I used to play back in 2005, could be another source of inspiration for this Marvel MMO. There you could also create your own superhero, but form clans as super‑groups, similar to the Avengers or Guardians of the Galaxy. Sidekicks could be created, much like Dr. Strange’s Wong.

You don’t need to look back at City of Heroes through a rose‑tinted lens—NCSoft granted a licence to the community‑run server Foundation in 2024, giving the game a new lease of life, 12 years after its demise. Called City of Heroes: Homecoming, you can play the game as it was back in 2005.

When you combine these games with the obvious onslaught of Avengers: Doomsday coming later this year, it feels almost like common sense for a Marvel MMO to rise like a Phoenix, taking inspiration from superhero games of the past. Especially if the two upcoming movies follow the Secret Wars storyline of the comics from 1984. In that story, superheroes from multiple universes are brought to a “Battleworld” by a character called the Beyonder.

That could be a great premise for a Marvel MMO, as it can involve fans in the storyline of the two movies while teaching them how the original storyline played out. The way that “Battleworld” is fought—many factions and intertwined missions—makes it perfect for a game.

Nevertheless, there are concerns that players may be starting to experience live‑service fatigue, with games like Fortnite and League of Legends dominating the space. But a Marvel MMO could be a great way for a company to alleviate this with what they could offer: new trailers, exclusive content, and, above all, a community where everyone can be the hero they’ve always wanted to be.

Ultimately, the time is right for a Marvel MMO to arrive on consoles and PC. Doomsday is coming, so it makes sense for players to join the fight in other ways. Time to assemble online.