After several delays and cancellation concerns, Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra just got a major update from the studio – one that is both good and bad news for fans hoping to suit up as Captain America and Black Panther in a triple-A action title: the game is still happening (it’s even playable) but we’re not going to see it until at least 2027. The title centers on, as the name suggests, the foundational year of Marvel’s most villainous organization and allows players to take-on the role of at least two iconic heroes. However, arguably the most-exciting aspect of the still in-development title is who is behind it: Uncharted series architect, Amy Hennig. Hennig remains one of the most influential narrative storytellers in the industry – so the idea of a Marvel game, set during World War 2, starring Cap and T’Challa, written by Hennig remains a very exciting prospect for fans.
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The news comes via an IGN interview with Paramount Games Studio’s exec Shawn Kittelsen. Kittelsen spoke about the challenges of taking-on such an ambitious project and ensuring they deliver for fans.
“It’s a game. It’s happening. It’s playable […] I can go through and play the build. We’re continuing development on it, but Amy and the team have big ambitions for the level of quality that they want to hit.”
So that’s the good news, it’s happening, it’s playable – and the team wants to make a great game for fans.
But here’s the bad news.
When asked when Marvel gamers will get to play Rise of Hydra, Kittelsen wouldn’t commit to a firm release window but relented: “I don’t think it’ll be 2026.”
Kittelsen spoke at length about all of the development challenges that have led to the title’s many delays and cancellation worries. He claims the team is comparatively small for such a large game and the original development timeline was overly ambitious – but Paramount Games Studio made a conscious decision the quality of the game was more important than meeting a self-imposed timeline. After all, the game isn’t just an important Marvel project, it’s also an important entry at Hennig’s studio: Skydance New Media.
That all said, even if the project was close-to-ready for players, Marvel already has a high-profile game project launching in 2026: Marvel’s Wolverine. Wolverine is a Sony exclusive, so it’s understandable why non-PlayStation fans would have been rooting for a 2026 Rise of Hydra release but, given the amount of development resources that have poured into both titles, it would have been very unlikely that either studio (nor Marvel) would have wanted a competitive face-off.
After all, Square Enix is still recovering from the critical and commercial disappointment of their triple-A online service title, Marvel’s Avengers – which did not turn a profit despite releasing at the height of MCU Avengers fever and starring just about every mainline Marvel hero. The since delisted game is proof that a blockbuster license isn’t a guarantee of success – if the experience itself underwhelms.
That all said, this is still one of the coolest scenes in a Marvel video game:
We’re definitely rooting for Hennig and the team – especially after the cancellation of Hennig’s previous project based on a massive IP: Project Ragtag – an action-based Star Wars project that was ultimately canned when Electronic Arts shut down Visceral Games.
Forum Conversation: Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra is playable! But has it missed its chance?
Go to ForumI’m afraid it won’t make it, but I’ll definitely give it a shot if it does.
The more time goes by, the more I feel like this is going to get cancelled. Really cool premise, but I’ve put this out of my mind essentially until it’s out in stores.
It seems like something that would be right up my alley, but I’m also getting worried about it. Rarely a good sign when something is delayed like this.
Although, it did take Pragmata 6 years to come out and that turned out okay, so I’m holding out hope until we see more.