Pokémon GO was a worldwide phenomenon when it launched in 2016, enticing people who barely know the intricacies of Pokémon training to sign in and give it a try. While much of the player base has dwindled since then, the game maintains its phalanx of die-hard players—myself included.
With this past weekend’s D23 announcements came an unexpected one—that Disney will be teaming up with Pokémon GO creators, Niantic, for a Marvel-themed AR game along the lines of Pokémon GO. They even included a teaser trailer to hype up the crowd.
Titled MARVEL World of Heroes, the game will allow players to create their own super hero identity and origin, then send them out to patrol the real world to fight crime.
As they progress through the game, they’ll be given the chance to team up with iconic super heroes like Spider-Man and Captain America to fight super villains and, in true Phase 4 fashion, save the Multiverse.
You can read the official synopsis of the game below:
In MARVEL World of Heroes, players can create their own unique Super Hero identity and origin story. Players will need to patrol their neighborhoods to foil crimes, complete Super Hero missions, and thwart interdimensional threats. As players level up, they will unlock equipment and abilities, and will team up with Marvel Super Heroes such as Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America and others to battle iconic Super Villains and save the Multiverse from cosmic and earthbound threats. MARVEL World of Heroes is scheduled to launch globally in 2023.
Niantic has a long history of AR mobile games, with Pokémon GO being merely their flagship. They also designed and launched the now-defunct Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, which allowed players to live out their dreams of becoming a Hogwarts-based wizard. Their latest offering is Pikmin Bloom, another Nintendo franchise which focuses on growing and raising sentient plant-creatures called Pikmin.
It’s an interesting move for Disney to team up with Niantic for this game, but one that makes the most sense. After all, if you’re going to dive into unfamiliar territory, you’d want to work with a company who pioneered that industry.
While I can’t guarantee that MARVEL World of Heroes will replace my Pokémon GO playing (Wizards Unite didn’t maintain my interest), I’ll certainly be diving into it on launch day. My only hope is that they use more of Marvel’s more obscure characters in roles, like Sleepwalker, Cloak & Dagger, and Jubilee from the X-Men. We’ve already got enough games starring Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Captain America.
MARVEL World of Heroes is slated for a 2023 release, but fans interested in the game can pre-register on the World of Heroes website. You can also follow the official Twitter account to stay up to date on the game’s news.
