Although the upcoming Marvel’s Avengers game will focus heavily on the co-op experience, it will not allow drop-in multiplayer, which lets other players jump into games that are currently in progress. However, considering the emphasis that Marvel’s Avengers places on online play, there may be cause to believe that this feature could be added via a patch in the game’s future. Because the game has several other features designed to optimize the multiplayer experience, this cannot help but seem like a glaring omission in a time when many other co-op games do support join-in-progress mechanics.

One of the reasons players expected drop-in multiplayer is due to how similar the game looks to other titles that do feature it. For example, in Anthem, joining a game in progress happens so regularly that many players have asked for ways to avoid entering games that are close to completion or right before a challenging boss fight. In Marvel’s previous games, such as the Ultimate Alliance series, the ability to join a game in progress was integrated during console multiplayer’s infancy and was as simple as picking up a second controller and controlling any of the game’s massive cast of characters when playing locally.

More: Marvel’s Avengers’ Spider-man Confirmed As PlayStation-Exclusive Hero

According to Crystal Dynamics, Join in Progress (as the developer calls it) is not available “at this time,” which hints that it may be possible down the line. The blog post announcing the disappointing news also sheds light on the possible reasoning behind the feature’s absence in the first place: the way the game modifies difficulty. Marvel’s Avengers’s matchmaking system prioritizes “matches between players close to each other’s Power Level,” and essentially takes the average Power Level of each player and uses that to determine enemy strength. In other words, levels seem to be populated with enemies once the match begins, and throwing in players of different Power Levels mid-match could result in the matchmaking being abused. While it might be possible to bring in players of the exact Power Level as the AI character they are replacing, this would likely lead to players experiencing long wait times as the game tries to find the perfect match for them.

thor- marvel's avengers

The lack of drop-in co-op in Marvel's Avengers is just the latest of several controversial decisions to appear in the run-up to the game's release. Potential players began hurling criticism at the game as soon as it was revealed, saying that its in-game Avengers didn't look quite as good as the ones they'd grown used to from comics and movies. Complaints of more substance came later, when Crystal Dynamics announced the almost universally hated decision to make Spider-Man exclusive to the PlayStation 4 version of Marvel's Avengers.

Although it may initially seem disappointing to not have this feature available at launch, it is reflective of Crystal Dynamics’ dedication to solidifying the basics before branching out. Marvel's Avengers still features several co-op game modes and an intriguing campaign featuring classic Marvel heroes and villains. The matchmaking system the game uses also ensures that regardless of a player’s Power Level, each match will be sufficiently challenging for each participant to complete. It would not be surprising if Marvel’s Avengers did implement a Join-in-Progress feature at some point, but for now, players are going to have to assemble their Avengers beforehand.

 Next: Marvel’s Avengers Multiplayer vs. Single-Player Options Explained

Marvel's Avengers releases on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, and PC on September 4th.

Source: Crystal Dynamics