It’s been a while since we had a new Iron Man game — 12 years, if you don’t count mobile or VR titles. That’s about to change, thanks to developer Motive Studio and publisher Electronic Arts.
Today, EA announced that Motive has an original Iron Man game in the works. While previous titles about Marvel’s armored superhero have been a mixed bag, Motive has already demonstrated that it can make competent Star Wars games, so perhaps another Disney franchise isn’t too big of a stretch.
EA revealed the Iron Man game, which does not yet have a name, in a press release. Motive will develop the game in association with Marvel Games, while EA will publish it. According to Bill Rosemann, vice president of Marvel Games:
“We are thrilled to collaborate with the talented team at Motive Studio to bring their original vision of one of Marvel’s most important, powerful and beloved characters. Their experience delivering both established entertainment worlds and thrilling gameplay — combined with their authentic passion for the armored icon — will fuel our quest to deliver a love letter to a legendary hero in the form of the ultimate Iron Man game.”
The ”established entertainment worlds” Rosemann is referring to are the Star Wars films. Previously, Motive worked with EA to develop Star Wars Battlefront II (the 2017 version) and Star Wars Squadrons, both of which built on an existing franchise with original stories and solid gameplay.
Critical response to the Motive Star Wars games ran the gamut from “subpar” to “workmanlike” to “excellent,” but there’s no denying that they basically worked as they were supposed to, at least after a few patches. That’s more than the last few Iron Man games can say.
As for what Motive might bring to the table for Iron Man, there’s not much information to go on yet. We know that the game will tell an original story, rather than tying explicitly into the movies, comics or cartoons. If the Star Wars games are anything to go by, we can safely assume that there will be combat, as well as some sort of flight mechanic.
Fans who enjoyed last year’s Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy game may also be pleased to hear that Olivier Proulx, the game’s producer, will also help collaborate on the Iron Man game. Guardians of the Galaxy employed a heartfelt story to liven up some otherwise just-good-enough gameplay, so it’s possible we could see the same approach again.
The upcoming Iron Man game doesn’t have a release date or price yet, but we’ll report new information as it becomes available.
