Marvel Gaming Universe Plan Revealed, Aimed to Mirror MCU's Success, Lacked Funding

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has transformed entertainment with its interconnected films and TV shows, weaving a cohesive, long-running narrative. In contrast, Marvel video games operate independently, with no shared universe. For instance, Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man games are entirely separate from Eidos-Montreal’s Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. Upcoming titles like Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, Marvel's Wolverine, and Marvel’s Blade also lack any narrative connection.

Disney once envisioned a Marvel Gaming Universe (MGU) to unify Marvel video games, much like the MCU did for films and TV. So, why didn’t it happen?

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On The Fourth Curtain podcast, host Alexander Seropian and guest Alex Irvine, both involved in the MGU concept, shared why it never materialized.

Seropian, a co-founder of Bungie, known for Halo and Destiny, later led Disney’s video game division until 2012. Irvine, a seasoned Marvel games writer, recently contributed to world-building, dialogue, and character backstories for the hit Marvel Rivals.

Reflecting on his Marvel work, Irvine revealed details about the abandoned MGU.

“When I began working on Marvel games, the plan was to build a Marvel Gaming Universe, mirroring the MCU’s structure,” Irvine said. “It never came to fruition.”

Seropian clarified that the MGU was his brainchild, but Disney executives didn’t fund it.

“At Disney, I pushed for tying these games together,” Seropian said. “This was before the MCU’s rise, but the project didn’t secure funding.”

Irvine, who worked on the acclaimed Halo ARG I Love Bees at Bungie, elaborated on the MGU’s vision.

“We had exciting ideas for how to make it work,” he said. “Coming from ARGs, I thought it’d be amazing to include ARG elements—a shared hub where all games connect, allowing players to move between them. We could tie in comics, original content, anything. But, as Alex noted, funding fell through, so we just made standalone games.”

Why did the MGU fail to gain traction? Irvine suggested its complexity deterred Disney decision-makers.

“We grappled with questions like, ‘How does the MGU differ from the comics or movies? How do we ensure consistency?’ Those complexities overwhelmed some at Disney, who weren’t eager to tackle them,” Irvine explained.

It’s intriguing to ponder what the MGU could have been. Had it been funded, Insomniac’s Spider-Man games might have shared a universe with Square Enix’s Marvel's Avengers and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, with characters crossing over or stories building toward a grand, Endgame-like event.

Looking forward, questions linger about Insomniac’s Marvel's Wolverine. Will it share a universe with Marvel's Spider-Man? Could Spider-Man or other characters cameo in Wolverine?

Ultimately, the MGU remains a missed opportunity in gaming history. Perhaps, in another reality, it thrives…