The Marvel XCOM game will reportedly let players make their own superheroes

Firaxis’ unannounced strategy game will not include existing Marvel characters, it’s claimed

An unannounced Marvel title reportedly in development at XCOM studio Firaxis will not include existing Marvel characters and instead allow players to create their own.

That’s according to new details shared by journalist Jeff Grubb during a Giant Bomb live stream (paywall), in which he suggested the title could potentially be announced during Gamescom this month.

Publisher 2K recently confirmed it’s planning to announce a new franchise later this month, and Grubb claimed that the setup of Firaxis’ Marvel title could mean that it’s considered an original property, despite being based on the famous superhero universe.

UPDATE: XCOM developer Firaxis has announced its Marvel strategy game, Marvel’s Midnight Suns.

ORIGINAL STORY CONTINUES: “The reason that it might still be [considered] a new property even though it’s a Marvel thing is that… this is not going to pick up any existing franchise in the [Marvel Cinematic Universe], it’s not even going to be existing characters,” Grubb said.

“So it’s not going to have any existing MCU characters, but it should take place in the wider universe.”

He added: “The game is going to focus on the supernatural elements of the Marvel universe,” he said. “I don’t know if that necessarily means like Blade, but I do think there will be vampires in it, and I don’t know if it means mystical Marvel [characters]… but I think you might see enemies of that type that you’re fighting.”

The journalist went on to claim that the title would allow players to customise a team of superheroes, similarly to how players can customise their squad in the XCOM games.

“I do think that the character that you’re playing will be a customisable superhero, or at least the team might be customisable, so it’s still going to have XCOM in that way, but that’s why it’s not going to be taking place in any existing lineage of franchises. So I guess they might consider this a new property.”

The existence of Firaxis’ Marvel project was outed by multiple sources in June. A month earlier, 2K parent Take-Two said the XCOM studio would reveal “several exciting projects” this year.

“As a result of the engagement from the past as well as the success of XCOM Chimera Squad and XCOM 2 on Switch, Firaxis games had one of its best years ever,” said CEO Strauss Zelnick during an earnings call.

“We expect this growth to continue as the studio has several exciting projects in development that will be revealed this year.”