Marvel's Avengers Developers Explain How They Handle Fan Criticism

Marvel's Avengers made its big debut at E3 this year, and while there was plenty of buzz about the game, not all of it was good buzz. After the first glimpses of Crystal Dynamics' ambitious story were shown some fans took to social media to let their thoughts be known about character models, lack of MCU likenesses, costumes, and more. Since then Crystal has shown off more from the game and settled some of those initial fears or at least explained why certain choices were made. We recently had a chance to go hands-on with the game, and while we have plenty to say about our time with it, we also wanted to talk to the studio about how it deals with fan criticism and how that (or if that) affects their development of the game. Thankfully Crystal Dynamics Senior Brand Director Rich Briggs was on hand to address that for us.

"It's got to be a balance. Right? We absolutely have a vision for where we want to take things," Briggs said. "We're also always listening to our fans. So I think the nice thing is that it's always coming from a place of passion. People have grown up with these heroes. Whether they've grown up reading the comics or watching on TV, or experiencing them from the movies, everyone's bringing their vision of how they think these heroes should be. And sometimes, as you said, that results in people saying, 'no, this is how it should be, or that's how it should be."

"I love seeing the passion," Briggs said. "I love reading all the comments because at least it means people are looking at it and saying, 'yes, I care about these heroes'. And I think the proof is in the pudding. When people get their hands on the game, when they see... and that's why we're talking to you guys about things like Kamala Khan, and AIM, and how the game really opens up."

"We're seeing a lot of those same fans who after E3 were saying, 'No, no, no.' They're like, 'Well okay. Hang on. Yeah, all right. I like what I'm seeing here.' So it's always a journey. I think at the core, we've got a vision and we're going to stay to that vision, but we love the engagement and the passion that our fans are bringing to it."

Crystal Dynamics executive their vision for the Tomb Raider franchise, and I think we can all agree that paid off in spades, so we're eager to see what they can bring to Marvel's premiere superhero team once the final game is in our hands.

You can find the official description for Marvel's Avengers below.

"Marvel's Avengers combines an original story with single-player and co-operative gameplay in the definitive Avengers gaming experience. Assemble into teams of up to four players online, master extraordinary abilities, customize a growing roster of Heroes, and defend the Earth from escalating threats. Featuring regular content updates, Marvel's Avengers will take players on an epic journey delivered over multiple years. This game is what's next for the Avengers."

Marvel's Avengers hits PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia on May 15th, 2020.

Are you excited about Marvel's Avengers? Let us know what you think in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MattAguilarCB for all things Avengers!