A report recently revealed that, before Marvel went to PlayStation, it approached Xbox for a Marvel Games partnership that could have led to a number of Xbox-exclusive Marvel titles, similar to what PlayStation has developed with Insomniac's Marvel's Spider-Man series. After Xbox declined this offer, Marvel Games approached Sony, which led to the successful Marvel's Spider-Man and its spinoff, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Insomniac was third-party at the time, but was purchased by Sony soon after the success of Marvel's Spider-Man, with more exclusive Marvel titles now in development.
After the commercial and critical success that both of these games, it's hard to imagine Microsoft wouldn't do things differently if it was given the chance to go back and get this offer again. PlayStation seems poised to keep expanding its stable of exclusive Marvel games, with another Spider-Man sequel in the works and Marvel's Wolverine now also in development. Xbox is at least not getting left in the dust, with the soon-to-be-released Marvel's Midnight Suns coming to the console. In addition to this, the well-received Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy developed by Eidos Montreal recently came to Xbox Game Pass. Despite this, it's fun to speculate what could have been if Xbox got to develop its own stable of exclusive Marvel games.
Xbox Game Studios currently has a lineup of 23 development studios, some of which would be a dream to see paired up with certain Marvel heroes. Xbox's diverse teams create a variety of games, from live service titles to narrative-driven single-player adventures. With this variety, Xbox Game Studios could've made their own sort of Marvel universe with many different characters and game genres.
Daredevil And Arkane Would Have Been A Perfect Match On Xbox
A studio acquired when Xbox purchased Bethesda, Arkane is best known for its work on the Dishonored series and the stylish shooter, Deathloop. However, Daredevil would be a great fit with Arkane mostly thanks to its experience with the Dishonored franchise. The stealth elements from this game, as well as its morality system, could've been a great fit for Marvel's Man Without Fear.
In Dishonored, disgraced Royal Protector Corvo Attano uses newfound powers to sneak around the nation of Dunwall. One of the powers, Dark Vision, gives Corvo the ability to see through walls and get a visual representation of sound. This sort of vision could be adapted to immerse players in how the blind hero Daredevil sees the world, along with possibly adding visual representations of other senses like touch. Another prominent ability in Dishonored 2 is Far Reach, an ability that allows a player to use a grappling hook to move around cover. This ability could be emulated by Daredevil using his billy clubs to swing from building to building, similar to Batman: Arkham City's Daredevil mod.
Another factor that sets Dishonored apart from other games is its chaos system, going from low to high depending on whether players choose to dispatch enemies lethally or nonlethally. This sort of system would be perfect for almost any superhero game, changing the public's opinion of the hero depending on the actions they take. However, the system is especially perfect for Matt Murdock, who has skirted a fine line between justice and vengeance in his many adventures.
Xbox Exclusive Blade Game By Ninja Theory Could've Been Excellent
Ninja Theory is best known for its breakout game Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 will have improved combat, a feature that could elevate it even above the original game. Because of Ninja Theory's experience developing this type of swordplay combat, they would be an excellent fit to develop a Blade game.
Blade has been depicted with various weapons throughout his time in Marvel Comics, from daggers and stakes to katanas and flamethrowers. This wide arsenal would likely lead a Blade game to be more closely aligned to an action game than the more narrative-based Hellblade. However, Ninja Theory has experience with other games in the action genre. One particularly prominent one is DmC: Devil May Cry. The Devil May Cry franchise is well-known for its diverse arsenal and demonic enemies, so Ninja Theory's experience with this franchise would be a valuable asset when developing a Blade game.
Double Fine & Doctor Strange Would Have Been An Xbox Wildcard
One of Xbox's smaller studios, Double Fine is hot off the heels of the award-winning sequel Psychonauts 2, with worlds like a Casino Hospital being praised by critics. Other unique levels in this game include a cooking game show, a bowling alley city, and a version of Disneyland's It's A Small World ride if it was a story told by an evil dictator. Double Fine's world and level design make the studio a fantastic choice to design a multiverse and mystical combat for a Doctor Strange game.
Especially after the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Doctor Strange is a character that is heavily linked with the multiverse. While the movie just scratched the surface of what the multiverse could be, Double Fine could have used its world design expertise to create a fun and engaging experience. With so much source material to work with, Double Fine could have created a fantastic multiverse with lots of beautiful worlds, quirky characters, and creative bosses like Psychonauts 2's Lady Luctopus.
In addition to Double Fine's expertise with world design, the studio could adapt Psychonauts' combat to Doctor Strange as well. In Psychonauts, the main character, Raz, doesn't use physical attacks. Instead, he uses his psychic powers to project punches, slow time, and throw objects. These psychic powers could easily be adapted to fit Doctor Strange's expertise in the mystical arts. Combine that with inventive boss design, and players could have gotten an excellent Doctor Strange and Dormammu showdown in the Dark Dimension.
Xbox's AAAA Studio Could've Done Black Widow & Not Perfect Dark
Called the industry's first AAAA studio, The Initiative would be an interesting developer to see tackle a Black Widow game. At The Game Awards 2020, The Initiative revealed a trailer for a reboot of the Perfect Dark series. If a partnership between Xbox and Marvel Games came to fruition, though, it could've been interesting to see the studio tackle Black Widow instead.
However, with Perfect Dark still reportedly years from release, this may be a partnership better left in speculation. As of right now, the only look players have gotten at the game was that cinematic reveal at The Game Awards. Even if this project did go into development as a Black Widow game, players still might have never seen it.
Xbox not acquiring exclusivity for Marvel's Spider-Man was a missed opportunity for the company. Marvel's Spider-Man ended up being one of the most acclaimed PlayStation 4 exclusives and was a system-seller. Xbox studios might have also developed games based on characters like Daredevil and Doctor Strange. Instead, PlayStation now seems to be the home of Spider-Man and Wolverine, even if those characters may make occasional appearances on Xbox through third-party titles like Marvel's Avengers and Marvel's Midnight Suns.