Marvel’s Avengers Player Decline Causing Multiplayer Problems

It seemed like one of this year’s biggest games had it made. Marvel’s Avengers could capitalize on the power of a major development studio and huge IP. If you’re a fan of the MCU, then this game felt like a huge opportunity. Unfortunately, a lot of people are struggling to find staying power in the title. Just months after its release, the Marvel’s Avengers player decline is so substantial that it’s causing multiplayer problems. The fact of the matter is that players don’t find enough to bring them back in this game. For a game with heavy reliance on multiplayer as a selling point, this is a kiss of death. Crystal Dynamics plans to release more content, but it may be too late.

Marvel’s Avengers Player Decline is Causing Major Problems

Image Credit: Square Enix

When the first delay came to the game, fans knew these things happen. Then, as more information came out about the game, things looked more problematic. Overall, there’s a lot to love about this game. The feel of the characters is a lot of fun. Who doesn’t want to live out a Marvel hero fantasy? The problem is really in the repetitiveness of the gameplay. With no new content really coming in a substantial way so far, the game grew stale fast. So fast, in fact, that the player count dipped below 1,000 this week. That makes it tough to match-make online, so players had trouble finding games.

For reference, that big of a drop off is really bad. Doom Eternal, which launched in March, still stays above 1,000 players even during a weekday. The trouble in Crystal Dynamics’ eyes is non-existent. In a statement to Kotaku, studio head Scot Amos says the best is yet to come. Amos stated, “we are listening. We are making fixes, improvements, and additions as fast as we safely can to make Marvel’s Avengers the game we all aspire it to be.” Furthermore, Amos and the studio are “confident that we’ll see PC players (as well as those on Xbox One and PlayStation 4) return to the game as we add exciting new late-game content and demonstrate that we continue to be focused on improving the game.”

What Happens When This Dropoff Occurs?

Image Credit: Square Enix

If you’re privy to online multiplayer games, then let’s take a walk down memory lane. Remember Anthem, the BioWare failure that immediately fell apart upon launch? That game dropped below 1,000 people, as aptly pointed out by Forbes, in roughly the same pattern. The dropoff, among other things, sent Anthem into an unredeemable loop of failed attempts to regain the player’s trust. It’s too soon to tell if the same will occur with Marvel’s Avengers. This is too big of an IP to simply disappear. That said, it’s been a rough going lately for the game. After the announcement that Marvel’s Avengers Spider-Man would only come to PS4/PS5, it seemed the game lost some steam.

The concern surrounding Marvel’s Avengers player decline isn’t an overreaction. This could be a huge flop for Square Enix if things don’t turn around. Hopefully for the studio and fan base, things get better. For now, we can only hope that the same mistakes made on other games in the industry don’t plague this title.

Featured Image Credit: Square Enix

Taylor is the Gaming Editor of Comic Years and a lifelong fan of video games. He holds two degrees in Political Communication and wrote a Master's Thesis on resistance movements, race, and the exploitation of college athletes. His wife and two Toy Australian Sheppards keep him sane.