Marvel's Avengers Has Failed To Recoup Its Development Costs So Far

Marvel's Avengers was met with a fairly mixed reception from fans and critics when it released back in September, and it seems that feedback has ultimately resulted in relatively low sales at launch.

According to a recently translated Square Enix results briefing (thanks, IGN), the company found that sales of Marvel's Avengers have been lower than initially predicted and have failed to recoup the game's development costs:

"The HD Games sub-segment posted an operating loss as initial sales of 'Marvel’s Avengers' were lower than we had expected and unable to completely offset the amortization of the game’s development costs. In the second half of the fiscal year, we hope to make up for slow initial sales by offering ample additional content to grow our sales."

The report also saw company president Yosuke Matsude explain the reasons why the game hasn't performed as well as it could have, along with his belief that sales will ultimately increase:

"In addition to the amortization of that game’s development costs, another significant factor associated with the title was the fact that we undertook a major advertising campaign at the time of its launch to make up for delays in our marketing efforts resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a certain amount of development costs still to be amortized in 3Q, but we want to recoup it by growing our sales going forward."

Numerous post-launch content is planned for Marvel's Avengers over the coming months and the developer has previously stated it is confident it can "make the best game possible for [the] community".

Last week, developer Crystal Dynamics announced that the first additional character will be added on December 8 in the form of Kate Bishop, with Hawkeye confirmed for early next year. Outside of the two new additional characters, Spider-Man has also been confirmed, but is tied to PlayStation as an exclusive character.

An Xbox Series X|S patch was originally intended to release this year, however, the team has decided to push the release until 2021 "to deliver a next-gen experience showcasing all that this game is meant to be."

Are you still playing Marvel's Avengers or looking to pick it up? Let us know in the comments below.

[source ign.com]