Marvel’s Avengers heads to Xbox Game Pass — except for exclusive Sony content

By Otto Kratky September 28, 2021

Xbox Game Pass is constantly growing its library of new games, and in just a couple of days, it’s landing another whopper. Starting on September 30, Game Pass subscribers can download Marvel’s Avengers to their devices. However, considering the platform-exclusive plans the game has for some of its future content (read: Spider-Man), this entire deal seems a little awkward.

Marvel’s Avengers will be available on Game Pass for PC, console, and Cloud on September 30 and will feature every bit of the game’s content to date. Game Pass subscribers can access all of Marvel’s Avengers story campaigns, post-launch heroes, and bonus content as soon as it’s available. Naturally, that also includes the game’s recently launched War for Wakanda DLC, which gives players access to Black Panther and the character’s own story.

Hulk smashing in Marvel's Avengers. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

To sweeten the pot a bit, developer Crystal Dynamics has also announced that a quad XP event will be taking place from September 30 to October 4, giving new players a solid chance to level up their favorite heroes.

While the addition of Marvel’s Avengers to the Xbox Game Pass library is pretty sweet for the service’s subscribers, it raises some issues when you consider that one of the game’s most highly-anticipated pieces of content isn’t out yet and won’t even be available on Xbox consoles. Spider-Man is finally swinging into the game later this year in a new hero event, but only for PlayStation users. Anyone playing the game via Xbox Game Pass won’t have that opportunity, and having the game go live on that service before PlayStation users get their exclusive content is just a bit strange.

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Otto Kratky is a freelance writer with many homes. You can find his work at Digital Trends, GameSpot, and Gamepur. If he's…

Gaming

Marvel’s Avengers to be delisted in September as support winds down

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Crystal Dynamics has confirmed that it will stop working on Marvel's Avengers, with the final significant update coming March 31 before official customer support ends on September 30.
In a blog post on the game's website, Crystal Dynamics says that the "decision was made in conjunction with our partners that now was the right time to make this change," and that "no new stories, features, or Heroes will be added to the game" going forward. It added that Spider-Man will remain a PlayStation exclusive character. Thankfully, the post also confirms that both single-player and multiplayer will still be available to play in Marvel's Avengers after September 30. Update 2.8, which releases on March 31, will disable the purchase of Credits and convert remaining Credit balances into in-game resources for players alongside some other balance updates. There will be no refunds to players who have spent money on the game, though.

As is to be expected with an update like this, the developers are also making content previously only available behind a paywall free to players. That means all Marketplace, Challenge Card, and Shipment cosmetics will be free for players to redeem after March 31. If you haven't picked Marvel's Avengers up yet, you'll need to do so by September 30, as it will be removed from digital storefronts then.
Marvel's Avengers was just never able to find its footing despite its use of a great IP. Hyped up as the next great live service game ahead of its release, the game was plagued with problems upon its launch in September 2020, and post-launch support has been slow and delay-filled. Rumors suggest that the team working on this game has only gotten smaller and smaller as Crystal Dynamics has moved on to projects like Tomb Raider and Perfect Dark, so the game never really had a chance to come back from a rocky launch like Destiny or No Man's Sky did.
Ironically, even this closure announcement didn't go smoothly, as the entire website for Marvel's Avengers went down when Crystal Dynamics tweeted a link to the news at 5:30 p.m. ET today. A follow-up tweet from the game's account says "high traffic" caused those issues.
Marvel's Avengers is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

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The best Xbox exclusives of 2022: 6 Game Pass greats that saved Microsoft’s quiet year

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The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S's second year on the market was rough. While the consoles continue to sell well and Xbox Game Pass is still a great deal, the delay of Redfall and Starfield into 2023 decimated the Xbox consoles' first-party 2022 lineup. While the lack of heavy-hitting AAA titles might initially make a list like this seem frivolous, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S still had quite a few compelling exclusives.

Many of these games are highly experimental, pushing the boundaries of narratives in video games. All of the titles launched on Xbox Game Pass on day one, highlighting the strength of that subscription service. If you have an Xbox Game Pass subscription or are just wondering what 2022 Xbox exclusives are worth playing, these seven console exclusives stand out.
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Xbox Game Pass adds Lego Star Wars and a former Switch console exclusive

Promotional art of Lego Star Wars The Skywalker Saga.

Xbox Game Pass is getting 11 new games in December, with some out on the platform starting today. The list includes The Game Awards nominated Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and Eastward, which was previously a console exclusive on Nintendo Switch.

Microsoft's gaming service tends to add two batches of games every month, so this new batch makes up the first half of its December releases. Starting today, players can already download Eastward, The Walking Dead: The Final Season, and Totally Reliable Delivery Service.