For years, Activision published some of the very best video games to feature Marvel characters. Unfortunately, those licenses have long expired, leaving classic games like Deadpool and Marvel Ultimate Alliance largely unplayable to new audiences. However, it seems that could change sometime in the future. In a new episode of the Xbox Era podcast, co-host “Shpeshal” Nick Baker reported on a rumor that Xbox is trying to work with Marvel to offer these games again through backwards compatibility. As with any rumor, readers should take this with a grain of salt, but it would make sense following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activison Blizzard last year.
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The original Marvel Ultimate Alliance debuted back in 2006, and was given a digital re-release on PS4, PC, and Xbox One in 2016. That didn’t last long, as the game was delisted just two years later. Meanwhile, Deadpool came out in 2013, and was given a release on PS4 and Xbox One in 2015. That game was delisted in 2017, but unlike Ultimate Alliance, physical copies of Deadpool were offered, making it still playable on PS5 and Xbox Series X. Unfortunately, copies of Deadpool have become really expensive on the secondary market over the last few weeks!
Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Deadpool are both held in very high-regard among Marvel fans. It would be excellent to see one or both return, especially if Xbox can give them a performance boost the way we’ve seen with other backwards compatible games. There are always headaches associated with bringing back licensed games, but there have been indications that Xbox is looking to do just that with Activision’s back catalog; earlier this year, rumors began to circulate about Activision’s Transformers games getting a similar treatment on Xbox.
At this time, we don’t know if these games would only make a return on Xbox through the backwards compatibility program, or if we might see a bigger re-release, with Xbox offering these games on other platforms as well. Given the fact that a number of Xbox published games have come to platforms like PS5 and Nintendo Switch this year, that would seem like a possibility, but for the time being, Marvel fans will have to wait patiently and hope for the best!
Would you like to see Deadpool and Marvel Ultimate Alliance return? Are you a fan of either game? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
[H/T: HazzadorGamin]
