Marvel's Avengers gears up to bring in Marvel's best character, but not on PC

Even publisher Square Enix had to admit on a recent earnings call that Marvel's Avengers had been "disappointing." Ever since launch the much-hyped superhero live-service game has been beset by woes, but the biggest and most damning is just that not many people want to play it anymore. This has resulted in tension for Crystal Dynamics as it tries to somehow work out a way to keep the game viable, while reacting like a scalded cat every time the fans it does have kick up. It's been fiddling with its systems, adding characters, and recently became available on GamePass—but the future looks bleak.

Unless you're on PlayStation that is. One of the few rays of hope for Avengers' future is locked to the PlayStation version, and it still pisses me off. The specific wrangling over rights aside, it's more the fact that players on non-PlayStation platforms get less of a game (we don't get a 'substitute' hero for Spider-Man) and now one of the game's big updates is essentially just another reason never to pick it up on PC.

Iron Man battling valiantly against a load of sparks. — (Image credit: Crystal Dynamics / M3owsterChef)

Avengers patch 2.2 launches on November 30, introducing Spider-Man and a campaign built around the character, and adds a new four-player Raid for all players. It also introduces a new 'Shipments' system that will allow players to grind for premium outfits, an increase in the maximum power level across-the-board, and gear upgrading (you can recycle gear of a higher power level to upgrade a lower-tier item to that level).

The rest of the press release is just about how great Spider-Man's going to be: his "high-flying acrobatics bring an entirely new way to experience the game either solo or with friends." Marvel's best character, locked to a single platform. What a waste, and what a way to run a live service game: dividing your playerbase with the most desirable hero the game could have. No wonder some think that Marvel's Avengers just needs to be put out of its misery.

Rich is a games journalist with 15 years' experience, beginning his career on Edge magazine before working for a wide range of outlets, including Ars Technica, Eurogamer, GamesRadar+, Gamespot, the Guardian, IGN, the New Statesman, Polygon, and Vice. He was the editor of Kotaku UK, the UK arm of Kotaku, for three years before joining PC Gamer. He is the author of a Brief History of Video Games, a full history of the medium, which the Midwest Book Review described as "[a] must-read for serious minded game historians and curious video game connoisseurs alike."