As part of its D23 event,Disneyheld the first ever Disney and Marvel Games Showcase. The event revealed exciting new games, fresh features for existing titles, and an insightful look into the future ofDisneygaming. From Skydance’s untitled Marvel project to new playableLEGO Star Warscharacters, the showcase had a bit of something for everybody.
To some fans' disappointment, Disney and Marvel didn’t reveal any new information on their biggest franchises such asSpider-Man 2,Wolverine, andStar Wars Jedi: Survivor. However, it’s possible that information on those titles is being withheld for thePlayStation Showcase later this month. Even without those highlights, Marvel and Disney still had plenty of new games and updates on display at their featured gaming event.
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Marvel Game Announcements
The biggest announcement of the day came at the end of the showcase. Skydance New Media revealed that its upcoming narrative game will center around Captain America and Black Panther. The yet untitled game will take place during World War 2. While fans are familiar with Steve Rogers in this period thanks to the originalCaptain Americafilm, the Black Panther moniker will be held byKing Azzuri, T’Challa’s grandfather. Amy Hennig will join forces with Skydance to lead the game’s development, but a release date has not been announced.
Marvel fans won’t have to wait long for their next game, however. After being pushed off indefinitely,Marvel’s Midnight Sunsfinally has a new release date. The much-anticipated game will release on July 02, 2025, debuting just in time for the big holiday rush. Bad news for Nintendo fans: the Switch version’s release date has yet to be announced. The showcase also revealed thatMidnight Sunswill receive five short videos that act as prequels to the game, providing a backstory for eachmajorMidnight Sunscharacter.
One of the other significant moments from the showcase was a surprise announcement from Niantic. The popular AR developer has partnered with Marvel Games to bring fansMarvel World of Heroes, which looks like a crossover ofPokemon GOandThe Avengers. There was no announcement of what the gameplay will look like, or how the augmented reality features will play into the game, but thefirst trailer forMarvel World of Heroesfeatures people wielding the Avengers’ powers. The new mobile game will debut in 2023.
The showcase revealed a few smaller additions to its gaming collection as well.Marvel Snap, a free-to-play collectible card gamewill launch on mobile and PC next month on October 18. The latest trailer emphasized the game’s simplicity and short match time, a welcome change from some other similar games on the App Store. Marvel also announced that Red Hulk will be coming toMarvel Strike Forceon September 13.
Disney Game Announcements
There were rumors that a newTrongame would be announced at the Disney and Marvel Games Showcase, but the reveal left fans feeling disappointed. Rather than receiving the full, blown-out video game experience,Tron: Identitywill be a visual novel. The newTronentry will be led byBithell Games, the developer ofThomas Was Alone, a 2D indie game from 2012 that was a smash hit.Tron: Identitywill follow Query which is described as a detective program that solves unprecedented crimes. The early look provided few details, but fans were promised a release for consoles and PC in 2023.
The Disney side of the showcase announced one other new title for 2023:Disney Illusion Island. The 2D platformer will feature Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy as playable characters, with each one having their own unique skills and special abilities. The witty trailer also showed that the game will support both online co-op and split-screen play.
Disney revealed a few additions to its existing games as well.Disney Dreamlight Valleywill be adding aToy Storyrealm, allowing gamers to follow Buzz and Woody throughout the movies’ iconic locations.Disney Mirrorversewill also start its Halloween season soon, giving the popular action RPG a dark force to contend with. Finally,Disney Speedstormwill be receiving a collection ofMonsters Inc.characters including Sulley, Mike Wazowski, and Randall. The racer title doesn’t have an official release date but is still expected to debut at some point this year.
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Lucasfilm Game Announcements
The Lucasfilm announcements were not as robust as Marvel or Disney, but fans still have plenty to look forward to. The showcase revealed theLEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker SagaGalactic Edition, which will contain 13 new character packs from belovedStar Warsstories, including Cassian Andor fromRogue One, Reva fromObi-Wan Kenobi, and Captain Rex fromThe Clone WarsandRebels.
Return to Monkey Islandalso received a fresh look at the Disney and Marvel Games Showcase. The trailer featured new gameplay and revealed that the game will feature a scrapbook that recaps all the events in the franchise’s previous entries.Return to Monkey Islanddebuts on September 19which, fittingly, is Talk Like a Pirate Day.
Other Game Announcements
TheAvatarfranchise received a few updates from its upcoming games as well. The Disney and Marvel Games Showcase featured a very brief clip fromAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora. The game was announced over a year ago, but so far fans have had almostno updates onFrontiers of Pandora. Also in theAvataruniverse, gamers received their first look atAvatar: Reckoning. The mobile MMORPG lets players customize their own Avatar and explore the vibrant world of Pandora. Fans will have to wait until 2023 to get their hands on the new title.
First released on the Sega Genesis in 1995, gamers will once again get the chance to play the platformerGargoyles. The classic 90s game is receiving a visual facelift and will be making a return soon. Like many other announcements at the showcase, the details announced about theGargoyles Remasterwere sparse, but fans can expect further updates soon.
