Will There be an AVENGERS Game Alongside the Movie?

10 More AVENGERS We Want to See in Film CREDIT: View full size image

There may not be an Avengers game coming alongside the movie in May 2012, according to a new statement Marvel Entertainment gave to Gamespot. The game was originally being developed, or at least pitched, by THQ. When the company closed several studios, Avengers was one of the licensed titles that took a hit. When the studio shuttered, the rights reverted back to Marvel, they confirmed.

"The rights for a video game based on Marvel's Avengers IP have reverted back to Marvel. The company is in early stages of exploring potential publishing and licensing opportunities."

The THQ-developed version was never meant to hit the public eye, but concept art leaked showing Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, and Hawkeye taking on the shape-shifting alien Skrulls.

Previous games in the Avengers movie franchise were developed by Sega, but most of them received mediocre to downright bad reviews, with the notable exception of Captain America: Super Soldier.

If a new developer and publisher have actually not been chosen yet, time is running out for a game to hit upon the film's release, as the solo ones did. Most "AAA" titles have development time of around two years, sometimes more, and even licensed titles are typically in development for at least nine months. With only seven months until the film's release, an even decent game would be a tall order for any developer.

Perhaps a re-release of the 1991 Data East title Captain America and the Avengers on XBLA and PSN can be timed to the film's release instead.