One of the most surprising announcements to come out of E3 2021 wasGuardians of the Galaxy, a single-player, story-based action-adventure game starring everyone’s favorite group of galactic heroes. In development atShadow of the Tomb RaiderandDeus Ex: Mankind Divideddeveloper Eidos Montreal,Guardians of the Galaxywill be the second Marvel Comics game published by Square Enix. With the launch ofMarvel’s Avengersin August of last year, and given the success of theMarvel Cinematic Universe, the idea of a shared universe of Marvel games is very exciting.
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Square Enix’s Marvel Game Universe
The creation and success of theMarvel Cinematic Universechanged the film industry forever, creating a whole new type of series that many studios have attempted to replicate. The copycat attempts include the DCEU, the MonsterVerse, theConjuringUniverse, the Dark Universe, and the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters. Naturally, players imagination’s went wild with the idea of a connected games universe, particularly after the announcement ofMarvel’s Avengers. The ultimate dream is to get a video game version of theMCU, and given the fact thatSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice LeagueandGotham Knightsaren’t connected, this is the first time that it’s a real possibility. Video games take significantly longer to create than films, so there’s very little room for error. Still, if Square Enix and Marvel Games were able to pull it off, the payoff would be huge.
Expanding on the idea of a connected Marvel Games universe betweenMarvel’s AvengersandGuardians of the Galaxy, a much more realistic and very exciting potential outcome would be a future expansion that combines the two.Marvel’s Avengerswill be getting its first annual expansion next month in the form ofBlack Panther: War for Wakanda, and the hope for many fans is that the expansion will find enough success to continue support with full-scale expansions each year likeDestiny 2. TheGuardians of the Galaxywould be a very enticing addition toMarvel’s Avengersfor many players, and the franchise has enough characters and story to fit its own annual expansion. To achieve this, all that Square Enix would need to do is make theMarvel’s Avengersversions of the characters the same.
After the announcement ofGuardians of the Galaxy, Crystal Dynamics released a unique and limited-time nameplate inMarvel’s Avengersfeaturing the iconic cosmic heroes, completely free of charge. On top of that, theMarvel’s Avengersnews tab featured a new banner with details about the upcoming game as an extra bit of promotion. While the notion of a connected game universe or an expansion inMarvel’s Avengersare still only fan dreams, this is the kind of real crossover that has already happened and can be expected to continue consistently in both games. Cross-promotion, potential discounts, andbonus in-game items for Marvel fansare just three possibilities in a long list of business strategies Square Enix could employ to boost sales and verify both games succeed.
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Easter Eggs In Guardians of the Galaxy And Future Crossover Potential
Finally, it’s almost guaranteed thatGuardians of the Galaxywill have plenty of Easter Eggs and nots to Marvel Comics, with at least one of them likely to reference theMarvel’s Avengersgame. Developers have included easter eggs for other games, films, or moments in pop culture for decades, sometimes to pay homage to what inspired their work, and sometimes just for fun.Marvel’s Avengersalone is full of Easter Eggs that reference everything from the existence of Captain Marvel and Jessica Jones to the iconic scene inAvengers: Age of Ultronwhere Earth’s Mightiest Heroes all attempt to lift Mjolnir.The end ofMarvel’s Avengersalready teased some cosmic villains for the future, so it’s safe to say bothWar for WakandaandGuardians of the Galaxywill be full of references.
Whether it’s a full-blown video game universe that spans multiple games and characters like theMarvel Cinematic Universe,or just a few fun Easter Eggs and in-game items here and there, Square Enix is likely going to take full advantage of its position and make sureMarvel’s AvengersandGuardians of the Galaxycrossover as many times as they possibly can. If the games are successful enough, some may even want the crossover to extend it extend to the point that the Square Enix gamesconnect withMarvel’s Spider-Man.This is highly unlikely, however, and fans should keep their expectations in check. Still, whether they are big or small, some more connections betweenMarvel’s AvengersandGuardians of the Galaxyare likely to be seen.
Guardians of the Galaxywill release on May 20, 2025, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
