Who’s Making The Best Marvel Games?

Telltale Games has become known for its plot-driven, episodic gaming releases over the last several years. Most recently the company helped to produce The Walking Dead: Michonne mini-series and Minecraft story mode, but they’ve also put out titles like The Wolf Among Us, Tales From The Borderlands, and even a Game Of Thrones series. And now according to a report by IGN, Telltale will be taking on the biggest name in entertainment today. They’re partnering with Marvel for a console and PC series expected out in 2017.

This is gigantic news for everyone who’s fallen in love with Telltale’s style, as well as for untold thousands of Marvel fans who’ve been longing for a fresh console series. The mere fact that it’s coming directly from Marvel and Telltale virtually assures that it’ll be popular. But unfortunately it’s also at least a year away, and as we wait for more news and details about the project, an interesting question has naturally arisen: who’s been making good Marvel games over the decade or so that the films have dominated Hollywood?

The quick trigger answer might be that no one’s really been making massive Marvel series. To some extent, this is a reasonable response. There hasn’t been a big, adventurous console/PC release to capitalise on the limitless enthusiasm that exists for the films and its characters. However, there are a few developers that have consistently churned out solid Marvel titles, even if none amount to grand console experiences.

Traveller’s Tales Games

Traveller’s Tale Games (also called simply TT Games) is at the core of a pretty interesting partnership producing some of the most beloved Marvel titles. TT Games’ collection of titles includes pretty much all of the LEGO video games that have become so popular in recent years. Among these games are LEGO Marvel Super Heroes and LEGO Marvel’s Avengers (the latter being released just this year). What makes TT Games’ involvement so interesting is that they’ve partnered with Warner Bros. to make these games. At least in film, Warner Bros. has linked itself pretty closely with DC Comics, but their work with TT Games has been equally focused on both comic companies. The LEGO titles, despite their kid-friendly nature, are also the closest we’ve gotten to full-fledged Avengers adventures.

Playtech

Playtech has been something of a behind-the-scenes developer of a pretty broad selection of Marvel games specifically made for online casino sites. One of their more intriguing selections is found within Betfair’s table games. Rather than harp on a single character or team, there is an all-encompassing Marvel Roulette offering that features heroes from across the comic giant’s universe, such as Spider-Man and Wolverine. Elsewhere on the platform, though, you can find titles devoted to some lesser-known characters, such as Blade and Elektra. And while these are casino games at their core, each uses its character (or characters) to celebrate film and comic history alike, and to create an atmosphere that elevates the experience.

Gameloft, Kabam, & Netmarble

Granted this is three developers rather than one, but these three have worked with Marvel to put out some of the best superhero-related gaming titles out there. Looking through Marvel’s mobile apps, you’ll find three titles—Spider-Man Unlimited, Contest Of Champions, and Future Fight—that you may have heard of or tried yourself on your phone or tablet. These games were developed by Marvel with the help of Gameloft, Kabam, and Netmarble, respectively, and have combined to give the Marvel heroes a very strong influence in mobile app gaming.

That about sums up meaningful modern Marvel games. The hope is that the new Telltale series outshines them all, but in the meantime these companies have developed some pretty good options.