Roughly three years after its initial release, Marvel's Avengers Reportedly Ending Updates Next Year
Marvel's Avengers Will Be Delisted On September 30, 2023
According to a blog post from Crystal Dynamics on the Marvel's Avengers website, Update 2.8 will release on March 31, 2023, after which no new content or features will come to the game. It will be six months later that Marvel's Avengers is delisted on September 30, 2023, at which point the game will no longer be purchasable on digital storefronts. The game's delisting doesn't mean, however, that Marvel's Avengers will become unplayable. Crystal Dynamics assures players that both single- and multiplayer functionality will continue beyond September 30, though any issues that may arise cannot be addressed.
Marvel's Avengers' Cosmetics Will Be Free For All Players
Crystal Dynamics is likely turning most of its attention toward the new Tomb Raider game announced in 2022 and the Perfect Dark reboot that's being developed in partnership with The Initiative, but it will be leaving Marvel's Avengers players with a parting gift. Alongside the release of Update 2.8, all cosmetic content from Marvel's Avengers' Marketplace, Challenge Cards, and Shipments will be made available for free. According to the aforementioned blog post, that means every "Outfit, Takedown, Emote, and Nameplate" will be free for everyone that owns the game.
Games being delisted isn't necessarily a surprise, but it typically happens to older titles for a myriad of reasons. Marvel's Avengers being delisted is a bit odd, but at least the game's servers will remain online for the foreseeable future. Although the game's microtransactions drew quite a lot of ire, Crystal Dynamics making cosmetic items free for everyone is an irable final gesture akin to Google Stadia refunding all purchases before shutting down. Though unconfirmed, it's entirely possible that Crystal Dynamics' new direction under Embracer Group simply has the developer moving away from live service ventures like Marvel's Avengers, instead focusing all of its resources on projects.
Sources: Marvel's Avengers, Marvel's Avengers/Twitter
