Square Enix has acquired a multi-year, multi-game license to develop and publish video games based on Marvel characters, beginning with The Avengers.  This first game under the new deal will be developed by Crystal Dynamics, which developed the Tomb Raider series; and Eidos-Montreal, which did the Deus Ex series. 

A trailer for the game, themed “Reassemble,” is embedded below.

The new license is notable for a couple of reasons.  The scale is larger than Marvel’s recent deals which have mostly been for one, or at most a handful, of games.  And kicking it off with Marvel’s most prized property, The Avengers, indicates that the deal has a significance that smaller deals did not.

Marvel Entertainment Senior Vice President Games and Innovation Jay Ong put the deal in perspective.  “The Avengers project is a perfect example of how Marvel is making games a key part of the landscape for Marvel storytelling, alongside comics, television, and film,” he said.