Crystal Dynamics have released Marvel’s Avengers update v2.8.2 which is now available to download on all platforms. The developers – also known for their work on the Tomb Raider franchise – believe this to be their final update for the game before they pull support completely in September.
A little over 3 years since the hugely anticipated superhero sim launched, Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics confirmed that the game would receive no additional content and would eventually be removed from sale.
Paradoxically, there’s been no better time to play the game. Following the recent 2.8 update, nearly all cosmetics are available for free via the in-game marketplace. This includes a huge roster of comic and film-inspired costumes for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, as well as flashy takedown finishers. Previously, these in-game items came with a hefty premium price tag – just one of the reasons it failed to maintain a thriving audience.
Marvel’s Avengers Update v2.8.2 Patch Notes
Reassemble Campaign & Avengers Initiative
- Update 2.8.2 addresses the issue preventing founders – any player who has earned an Achievement/Trophy prior to April 1 – from receiving Iron Man’s ‘Variable Threat Response Battle Suit.’
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- Some players aren’t able to receive this Founders’ Gift if they migrated from PS4 to PS5 and didn’t earn any Trophies before April 1. Update 2.8.2 offers this workaround:
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- Load the PS4 version of Marvel’s Avengers, and equip the Variable Threat Response Battle Suit. Then, migrate your PS4 save to PS5. If you do this, the next time you log in on the PS5 version, the Outfit will be unlocked.
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- On other platforms, the Founders’ Gift may appear as locked for players who deleted their original save file and are playing on a new save file. Restarting the game will unlock the Founders’ Gift for these players.
- We have removed all Hero Card-related objectives to fix the issue where Update 2.8’s removal of Hero Cards prevented the completion of certain mission chains.
For many months, Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics had attempted to revitalise their big budget superhero game. However, despite a stream of free content updates in the form of new playable heroes, locations, and missions, it did little to pave over its more fundamental flaws.
Since going hands on with an early build of the game, it felt like a singleplayer action awkwardly stretched to fit the multiplayer mould its publisher demanded. Square Enix wanted to create the next Destiny or The Division but it simply didn’t work. Marvel’s Avengers succeeded in assembling a cast of heroes with diverse powers and playstyles within a fun albeit repetitive co-op brawler. The formula could have worked if not for a lack of interesting multiplayer content, convoluted progression systems, and missing features such as online cross-play and a “join-in-progress” option.
On the other hand, the game’s free content updates were a nice shot in the arm. Sharpshooters Kate Bishop and Hawkeye joined the Avengers cast not long after launch with Black Panther helming his own free expansion – War for Wakanda – in 2021.
Since then, however, the arrival of new heroes felt less significant. The PlayStation-exclusive Spider-Man content came and went with little fanfare, followed up Jane Foster whose moveset and powers closely mimicked that of Thor. The Winter Soldier was the last character added, though reports suggest that Crystal had planned for more, including Captain Marvel, She-Hulk, and Ironheart. Although they will never be playable, it would be great for the developers to share their cancelled plans with the fan community.
It’s a sad yet predictable end for Marvel’s Avengers. With the paywalls about to be removed, we’d recommend diving in and giving it go before official support ends. That singleplayer campaign is still worth a playthrough.
Source: Marvel’s Avengers
