Do you remember Marvel’s famous 1980s comic event Secret Wars? The one that just pit all the heroes and villains against each other for the sole purpose of helping Mattel sell a lot of action figures? The one that former Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter said got its name simply because Mattel focus groups found that kids liked the word “wars” and “secret?”
Well, Marvel announced at New York Comic-Con that they're taking that storyline and making a new mobile game about it called Marvel Realm of Champions.
Taking place on Battleworld, the location named in both the 1984 Secret Wars comic mini-series and the 2015 sequel and/or remake, Marvel Realm of Champions will allow players to build their own heroes, join one of several Marvel-inspired "houses," and battle with other players for control of the planet. The names of four of these houses have already been revealed – House of Iron, Spider-Guild, Patriot Garrison, and Pyramid X – but there are apparently more that players can join.
This version of Battleworld is apparently a pocket dimension The announcement video doesn't show much in terms of gameplay, instead showing CG cutscenes that reveal some interesting variations on established heroes, such as a holographic Ironman and a Hulk that looks like he'd be more at home in World of Warcraft.
The description of the game given by the official press release says it's a "real-time mobile RPG," but beyond that the moment-to-moment gameplay remains unclear. It's made by Kabam, the creators of the 2014 mobile fighting game Marvel Contest of Champions, so you'd think the new game would be similar in style. However, the release seems to indicate that it's not a fighting game, so its relation to the previous title is unclear.
We do know, however, that there will be player-versus-environment and player-versus-player battles, each of which will contribute to the larger conflict. The game also involves teaming up with other players in battles and strategically using character class abilities against enemies.
The exact release date for the game has not been announced, but Marvel fans can be on the lookout for it in 2020.