Marvel’s a huge franchise, and while there are tons of TV shows, movies, and games to enjoy the Marvel universe, not a whole lot of them sport mature themes and elements. According to Marvel Games VP Bill Rosemann, however, Mature-rated Marvel games aren’t out of the question, but it all boils down to the characters explored in the story.
- More MP1st Reading: Hogwarts Legacy Performance, Fidelity Modes and VRR Support Announced for PS5, Xbox Series X|S
In a recent interview, Rosemann elaborated on the topic of mature themes and stories in Marvel games. “It’s something we’ve talked about and it comes down to character, being authentic, appropriate, and power and responsibility,” he states. “We have the power, we have the characters. [Our] responsibility is to do it right for the character, the audience, and Marvel itself.”
Marvel is full of heroes, villains, and stories, and the comics certainly have quite a few mature themes to explore. When it comes to TV, movie, and game adaptations, however, the company has been a little more careful with the stories that they bring to life. As Marvel is a franchise that’s enjoyed by people of all ages, children included, we don’t often see Marvel stories that lean heavily on gore, violence, or dark undertones, such as with The Punisher.
Rosemann also notes that when considering a darker character for a Marvel video game, they consider various questions involving gameplay.
We sit down and talk about what’s the player fantasy? What do you expect from this character? Who is the audience? If we were going to go down that path, how do we responsibly create it, market it, sell it? With everything, it’s all about the rating, the comics, the games. Marvel’s past is filled with stories of all different ratings. It’s about if we stay within that rating, is it correct for the character?
So while Marvel still may not be as gung-ho about exploring more mature storylines, we at least now know that it’s a discussion that occurs behind the scenes, at least when it comes to video games. Hopefully, we’ll get to see Marvel games take a more serious tone with the upcoming Wolverine game announced last year.
Source: ComicBook