It's the news everyone who's seen the Avengers movie has been waiting for – there's a game tie-in coming. Well... kind of. Ubisoft has just announced Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth, set to launch on Xbox Kinect and the Nintendo Wii U in the autumn.
However, while the game is based around the characters from the hit film, there's no connection with the movie plot itself. Instead Battle For Earth follows the comic book's Secret Invasion storyline and is set to feature 20 different characters, including Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America and Thor, as well as a selection of other "fan-favorite" super heroes and super villains from the Marvel Universe.
Development duties have gone to Ubisoft Quebec, previously responsible for PowerUp Heroes and the Black-Eyed Peas Experience as well as some work on the Assassin's Creed series. The emphasis will, of course, be very much on "motion-controlled gaming". Possibly throwing Captain America's shield? Stamping on things and shouting 'Hulk mad!'? Pretending to hit things with a hammer? Frankly the possibilities are limited. Sorry, limitless.
The Avengers movie is rare in that it hasn't been accompanied by a direct game conversion – the recent Thor and Captain America flicks both received tie-ins courtesy of Sega. However, this is not a first – a loose adaptation of the Dark Knight movie was in development at EA's Pandemic studio, but the project was never released and the studio was closed in 2009.
There will no doubt be more info on Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth at E3 next month...
