A new cosmetic sale in Marvel's Avengers has begun in celebration of Captain America's birthday on July 4. Marvel's Avengers, an action role-playing brawler developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix, allows players to control some of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. The game features a live-service structure, meaning new playable heroes and supervillain bosses have slowly been released as free updates since the game's launch back in September 2020.
Marvel's Avengers released to mixed reception, with most criticism focused on the game's technical issues and microtransaction system. Crystal Dynamics has established an ongoing roadmap of planned future content with hopes of improving the Marvel title over time. The game's first major expansion, Black Panther: War for Wakanda, will release this August and will introduce a number of exciting additions. Fans will be able to play as Wakanda's King T'Challa in a brand-new story that involves the thieving supervillain Klaw. The expansion will feature a new playable region, the Wakandan Jungle, new supervillain bosses and a new enemy faction. Crystal Dynamics recently updated the Marvel's Avengers roadmap to include new July content, such as the ability to form teams using any combination of the game's available heroes.
In honor of American Independence Day, which serves as the fictional birthday of Captain America, Square Enix has put the Star-Spangled Avenger's in-game cosmetics on sale. The sale, which runs from July 1 to July 7, will offer up to 50% off Captain America skins, nameplates, combat takedowns and character emotes. The marketplace update also includes a brand-new skin for Cap, dubbed Ultimate Captain America, which is heavily inspired by the hero's traditional design from the pages of Marvel Comics.
Alongside the ongoing development of Marvel's Avengers, another Marvel video game, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, was recently announced. This title, also published by Square Enix but developed by Eidos Montreal, is taking several steps to distance itself from the poorly-received Avengers. The sci-fi shooter will not feature multiplayer and will instead offer a purely single-player narrative-driven adventure. Players will take the role of Star-Lord, the leader of the Guardians, who can quickly issue commands to his teammates during the heat of combat. As Star-Lord, players can use Role-playing elements to resolve conflicts within the group, and a player's chosen responses will affect Star-Lord's rapport with his team. Guardians of the Galaxy does not plan to include microtransactions, allowing players to unlock the game's entire collection of cosmetic skins through gameplay instead. This should be a breath of fresh air to players who object to spending real-world currency in the Marvel's Avengers Marketplace.
Marvel's Avengers' microtransaction system has received heavy criticism, with the game's highest-quality skins costing up to $14 USD. In-game cosmetic currency is also a limited resource, meaning players are forced to dip into their personal wealth if they want the title's newest skins. While this July 4 sale should bring some of the game's cosmetic costs down to a more manageable level, Captain America's birthday celebration is a mere bandaid on one of Marvel's Avengers' biggest issues.
Marvel's Avengers is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Source: Marvel's Avengers, Twitter