Since its announcement in early 2017, Square Enix and developers Crystal Dynamics have been completely silent on their Avengers game. We know very little about it (if that), and all logic suggests that it’s going to be a while yet before we hear anything concrete. But a new job listing on Crystal Dynamics’ website might have clued us into what we can expect from a certain aspect of the game.

The listing is looking to recruit a narrative director to help Crystal Dynamics make “memorable, emotional, and cinematic experiences”. The various duties and responsibilities mentioned in the job ad seem to suggest that narrative is going to be a strong component of the game. One responsibility in particular mentions designing “an emotional gameplay experience that remains consistent to the game’s creative vision”.

Of course, it should be noted that nowhere in the ad is The Avengers mentioned by name, so it’s entirely possible that this could be for an entirely different project, but given that that is the game that Crystal Dynamics have been focusing their resources on for a while now, it’s likely that this is indeed Avengers.

We’ve been able to glean some bits and pieces of details about the game over the last couple of years thanks to scraps of information and speculation here and there. It’s possible that the game is an online-focused third person title, which will also have in-game stores for monetization, while some reports have also suggested that it’s going to be a next gen game (which seems like a certainty at this point). One way or another, we do know that it’s going to be “very ambitious”– what exactly that means is still up in the air right now.

Square Enix announced an Avengers game what seems like forever ago now, and we have still not even seen a single peep of it. The current Marvel Cinematic Universe arc is about to come to an end with the upcoming Avengers: Endgame, and an entirely different Marvel crossover title will have been announced and released in the upcoming Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, but we won’t have seen a single screen from the upcoming Avengers game.

That may be because it’s a next generation game. In a job listing at Crystal Dynamics (the studio developing The Avengers), for an external lead producer, it is implied that the game they are working on is for next generation consoles. The external lead producer will “work with external partners to build next-gen game releases”; the same job listing explicitly references current generation consoles as current gen elsewhere, so it’s clear that this isn’t just a case of someone referencing the PS4 or Xbox One as next gen in 2019.

Assuming this is the case, we probably aren’t playing the game until next year at the earliest. Might it still be cross-gen, however, and also be available on current machines too? That remains to be seen.

Information has been scant – if that – on Square Enix’s Avengers project ever since it was first unveiled with a cryptic teaser trailer years ago. We know that it’s going to be developed collaboratively by Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal, and we know that Square Enix is pumping a lot of resources into it (which makes sense, given the property), but beyond that, there’s not much else we know about it.

Shaun Escayg, who’s the creative director of the game, recently took to Twitter to share an update about the project- sadly, it was a pretty vague one as well. He called the game a “very ambitious” project, but didn’t go into much detail.

That it’s ambitious is pretty much a given. That said, Escayg did said that more information on the game would be shared when the developers were ready to do so- which could mean anything, to be honest. But hey, it’s better than nothing.

Some other tidbits on the Avengers game that we’ve accrued in the past (that may or may not be true) are that it’s a cover based online-focused shooter, and that it’ll have monetization elements involved. Neither of these things is confirmed, so take it with a grain of salt, but you can read more about them through the links.

Thanks everyone for all of your interest in The Avengers Project. We’re hard at work on this very ambitious game, and are excited to share more when the time is right.#reassemble @CrystalDynamics

— Shaun Escayg (@ShaunEscayg) December 15, 2018

Geoff Keighley is promising the world with The Game Awards ceremony this year, and it looks like he might just end up living up to his claims. We already know Obsidian will announce their next game at this year’s awards show, and that Anthem will get a new trailer there.

Now, in what might be the biggest get for the show so far in its entire history, it sounds like Anthony and Joe Russo, the directors of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, as well as TV shows Arrested Development and Community, and, of course, Avengers: Infinity War as well as the upcoming Avengers 4 (whew, talk about an impressive resume) will also be at the event, to present… something.

We can assume it’s not a trailer for Avenger 4, because it’s extremely unlikely that would debut at The Game Awards. My assumption would be that the Avengers game being worked on by Square Enix will be revealed at the show at last by these guys—but that’s just a guess. Who knows, really?

We’ll find out next Thursday, on December 6, when The Game Awards 2018 air.

We are excited to welcome Joe and Anthony Russo (@Russo_Brothers) directors of Avengers, to the #TheGameAwards next week. Don't miss the stream live everywhere around the world on Thursday night. #WorldsWillChange pic.twitter.com/8Trh0rszcJ

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) November 29, 2018

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy was a great game that re-energized the franchise and delivered one of the tightest experiences it had delivered in a few years, while also showing us what a viable future for the series might be. Now, sadly, it turns out that the man behind the game, Shaun Escayg, a seven year veteran of Naughty Dog, is leaving the studio.

He will be joining Square Enix instead, to help them work on their new Avengers game, which is technically announced, but without any details. He’s supremely talented, as his work on The Lost Legacy demonstrates- so I am sure he will do well at Square, too.

Meanwhile, his sudden rise to prominence with The Lost Legacy shows us that Naughty Dog is full of talented people- while not having Shaun is worse than having him on board, at the same time, there are so many talented people there beyond just Neil Druckmann (himself supremely talented) that this should not cause any disruption to their future projects.

Seven years ago I joined the talented team at @Naughty_Dog on a project still in its infancy, The Last Of Us. Well, the rest is history. Left Behind, Uncharted 4 were fleeting and Uncharted The Lost Legacy pushed my creative growth even further- I will miss all my dogs.

— Shaun Escayg (@ShaunEscayg) January 3, 2018

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At this point, we do know that Square Enix has won the rights to produce large scale AAA video games based on Marvel’s The Avengers property (incidentally, a great win for them). We also know that they have tasked their studio Crystal Dynamics on working on this title.

And now, thanks to some job listings made by Crystal Dynamics, we may have an insight into what we can expect from this upcoming game- as NeoGAF has noted, Square Enix has made multiple job listings for Crystal Dynamics, asking for people experienced in ‘cutting edge online experiences’, and ‘cover based third person shooters’ (the latter job listing directly references Avengers, too, so we know it is for that). Moreover, this seems to fit in with Square Enix’s earlier statement about games as a service becoming the model for mainstream games in the future.

While The Avengers would definitely need to be an action game, and presumably a third person game (so you can actually see the characters you are playing as), I don’t know how I feel about it being a cover based multiplayer shooter- but hey, maybe they could make it work, right? The game is due out some time next year, so hopefully we know what Square Enix has in the works for us some time soon.

Marvel Games has been quite busy lately with Insomniac’s Spider-Man heading to PlayStation 4, Square Enix’s Avengers game and Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite (which is also due out this year).

Each game is functioning as its own separate entity as opposed to promoting any current shows or moves. Speaking to GameSpot, senior vice president of games and innovation at Marvel Jay Ong, the company has many other games in development. These will be heading to consoles, mobile and even VR.

Marvel Games has become a core pillar for the company and is charged with crafting unique experiences with the established universe. Ong said that, “You know, Spider-Man’s costume in the [2017 Spider-Man] game, for instance, is original, right?.

“It’s neither the theatrical costume nor is it from the comic books. The white spider design is totally original. We’ve come a long way.”

What are your thoughts on more Marvel games in the coming year, that too separate from the main universe? Let us know in the comments.

Yesterday, Square Enix surprised everybody when they announced that they had struck a multi game deal with Marvel to make games based on Marvel properties. However, not a whole lot more details were shared then- today, however, Square Enix and Marvel have both chipped in with some more tidbits on the upcoming initiative.

“The Avengers project is being designed for gamers worldwide and will be packed with all the characters, environments, and iconic moments that have thrilled longtime fans of the franchise. Featuring a completely original story, it will introduce a universe gamers can play in for years to come. More details on The Avengers project and other games will be announced in 2018,” Square Enix said.

“By partnering with Crystal Dynamics and Eidos-Montréal, we are now working with two of the industry’s most talented and respected game development studios to bring Marvel stories to life in ways our fans have never experienced,” Marvel Entertainment Senior Vice President, Games & Innovation Jay Ong said.

“The Avengers project is a perfect example of how Marvel is making games a key part of the landscape for Marvel storytelling, alongside comics, television and film. We can only do this by matching our greatest Super Heroes with the world’s top developers, such as the creative minds at Square Enix.”

Finally, Square Enix Americas and Europe CEO Phil Rogers said, “Marvel’s diverse, innovative universe has created millions of longtime fans, including all of us. It’s exciting to bring together Square Enix’s award-winning development studios with Marvel’s extraordinary storytellers to establish a new entertainment powerhouse. This collaboration of passion and talent will craft epic, imaginative experiences allowing gamers to live out their Super Hero dreams like never before.”

All of which sounds great- I don’t know if I can wait till 2018 for more information, however!

The Avengers may be white hot as a franchise thanks to the first film and the upcoming Age of Ultron (set to release in May 2015), but it’ll be some time before a proper video game on the same comes along.

Marvel’s head of games TQ Jefferson spoke to IGN about the same and stated that, “The Avengers game will come when we have the right partner, that has the right vision, that has the time to develop a strong, competitive triple-A title and wants to do it right.”

Marvel won’t settle for anything less than a compelling story and fun gameplay. Because that’s what gamers would want. “Gamers, they know better. They’re not going to flock to something that’s sub-par.” The company is also quite committed to quality after the awful Thor and Captain America games.

“We got a bloody nose on both of those. We would rather not have a game than to just sign something to have something out on time.”

Thoughts on the same? Let us know in the comments.

What is Avengers Initiative? We’ll let the PR decode that one for you:

“Avengers Initiative burst onto the mobile scene on September 6, 2012 as Marvel’s first episodic game created exclusively for mobile devices. The first installment of the series centers on the Incredible Hulk, fittingly one of the most groundbreaking characters of the Marvel Universe.

“With visual and combat controls suited for consoles but fit for a finger, players adopt the Hulk identity to confront the barrage of super-powered criminals who have escaped from a top-secret S.H.I.E.L.D. holding facility. The Avengers Initiative project promises more story, gameplay and free content over the coming months.”