The Marvel brand is currently in a bit of a tough spot. After a rocky Phase 4, and a not-so-great start to Phase 5, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently losing a lot of steam, and the rest of the Marvel universe is starting to feel those effects. Firaxis' recentMarvel’s Midnight Suns, for instance, wasn’t quite the heavy-hitter that publisherTake-Two Interactivewas hoping it would be.
In a recent interview with industry veteran Jason Schreier, Take Two’s CEO Strauss Zelnick admitted thatMarvel’s Midnight Sunsdidn’t really live up to expectations sales-wise, despite reviewing very well across the board. But whileMidnight Sunsmay not have set the gaming world on fire like titleslikeMarvel’s Spider-Mandid, it is a good game, and Firaxis shouldn’t feel afraid to return to their turn-based strategy roots in the near-future.
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Midnight Suns' Underperformance Shouldn’t Herald the End of XCOM
By all accounts,Marvel’s Midnight Sunsis a very good game. Taking a plethora of Marvel heroes, both well-known and obscure, and throwing them into a story filled with demons and magic,Midnight Sunsdelivers a compelling story, and one that’s incredibly unique for a modern Marvel property.Midnight Sunsalso features some of the tightest gameplay Firaxis has ever put on a disc, with each hero getting an array of unique abilities that can be combined together to deliver a satisfying spectacle of attacks. But the unfortunate truth is that the turn-based strategy genre just isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Theturn-based strategy genreis still a fairly niche one in the grand scheme of things. While series likeFire Emblem,Steel Panthers, and Firaxis' ownXCOMall have their own dedicated and passionate fan-bases, they still pale in comparison to the likes ofCall of Duty,Grand Theft Auto, and other juggernaut franchise releases. Right now, there are certain genres that will just naturally outperform others, even if they have an incredibly popular IP associated with them.Marvel’s Midnight Sunslearned this the hard way.
But while Firaxis couldn’t quite convince general audiences to jump on board withMidnight Suns' turn-based gameplay, that doesn’t mean the studio should just give up on the genre altogether. Over the last few decades, Firaxis has positioned itself as one of the best turn-based strategy developers out there, and while that niche may not be great for big-budget, licensed projects likeMarvel’s Midnight Suns, it does work well for Firaxis' other series, particularlyCivilizationandXCOM.
Thankfully,Midnight Suns' underperformance in the sales department doesn’t seem to have phased Firaxis too much, as the studio has already announced thatCivilization 7is now in full development. And though no details have been confirmed so far, it’s likely thatCivilization 7will carry over much of the same gameplay elements as its predecessors, including all of its turn-based strategy elements. The turn-based strategy genre may not have been the right fit for a Marvel game, at least not one released at the end of last year in a period dominated by thrilling action games, but it is and always will be a perfect fit for franchises likeCivilizationandXCOM. And when it comes to series likeCivilizationandXCOM, Firaxis doesn’t need to do much persuading to get players on board, as both franchises already have loyal fan-bases that are desperate to jump into another installment as soon as they possibly can.
Marvel’s Midnight Sunsis out now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, with PS4, Switch, and Xbox One versions coming later.
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