Disney & Marvel Games Showcase Recap

Nearly a month ago, the Disney & Marvel Games Showcase was announced as a streamed event for the D23 Expo. While there was an idea about some of the games that would be there, brand-new announcements were also expected. We have the breakdown of everything shown during the 23-minute presentation below.

Starting off the event was a 30-second world premiere trailer for Tron Identity. Not much can be gleaned from the identity disc-focused trailer, but it does reveal that it’s being developed by Bithell Games and it’s expected to release in 2023.

A cursory glance at the game’s Steam page shows that it’s a visual novel. It’ll take place on a new server of programs and follow the character Query, who is trying to solve a mystery related to a break-in. Player decisions will change how the game unfolds and which of the many endings you’ll get.

Next up was Disney Illusion Island for the Nintendo Switch. Set in the world of Monoth, players can quest solo or with their friends in four-player couch co-op. The characters available to play are Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy.

If you enjoy the humor and visual style of The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse, as well as puzzle platformers, this will be a title to keep an eye on. The release date is yet to be announced for now, but we can expect it to release sometime in 2023.

Even though the game was recently delayed, we were still expecting to see something new for Marvel’s Midnight Suns. A new trailer seemed to focus on the game’s various mechanics, from the card system in a battle to the benefits of sparring with the different heroes.

The biggest reveal for the trailer was the game’s new release date on December 2nd, 2022. Although it had previously been set for October 7th, the delay into “later this fiscal year” left a vague five-month timeframe. A delay of two months certainly isn’t as bad as some were expecting. It’s worth noting that as previously announced, the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch versions will still be coming out at a later unspecified time.

That may have been it for the game itself, but there will be more to see from the world of Marvel’s Midnight Suns. Starting on October 31st, the first out of a set of prequel shorts will be available to watch on YouTube. This intro teaser merely shows off animated versions of all the playable characters, as well as the main antagonist Lilith.

The description for the teaser on YouTube gives more context: “Marvel’s Midnight Suns Prequel Shorts [are] a set of five short videos that reveal how Lilith became the Mother of Demons, and how Super Heroes like Blade, Magik, Ghost Rider[,] and Nico Minoru came together to form the core of the Midnight Suns.”

Next was a trailer for the turn-based mobile game Marvel Strikeforce. Starting on September 13th, players will be able to recruit Red Hulk, who for story reasons will be recruited by Apocalypse as his latest Horseman of War.

Continuing with the mobile titles was a release date trailer for Marvel Snap, which had only had a closed beta test before now. Along with a quick overview of the game itself, we now know that the game will release on October 18th.

A video update was also provided for the upcoming Return to Monkey Island. Set for release on September 19th for PC and Nintendo Switch, we were given a quick overview of what to expect from Dominic Armato, the voice actor of the series’ main protagonist.

The next handful of games shown celebrates various Disney properties in their own way. First was a Villains trailer for the mobile RPG Disney Mirrorverse. On top of the villains already introduced, we got a look at Hades from Hercules and a tease of Jafar from Aladdin. Various villains will be dropping into the game later on in October.

Following up on this was a new look at the kart racer Disney Speedstorm. While the first half was a cinematic trailer showing off a Monster Inc track, the second half showed gameplay with a cast of beloved Monsters Inc characters.

Disney Dreamlight Valley may have just been released a week ago, but there’s already news about what will be added. Coming this fall is a content update based on Toy Story and it will allow players to see Andy’s room from the view of his toys. Woody and Buzz Lightyear will also be joining. The early access version of the game can be played by purchasing the founder’s pack or through the most recent wave of games added to Xbox Game Pass.

Those who are excited to return to the moon of Pandora might be happy for a developer update of Avatar Reckoning. The mobile MMORPG shooter will feature customization of your avatar warrior and of the weapons they find. Single-player, PvE, and competitive PvP content will be available as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-duwSMIgNMU

The upcoming narrative-based action game from Skydance New Media was likely the most anticipated game in this showcase. There isn’t a lot to go off of and there isn’t even a name, but it will take place during World War II and feature four playable heroes at different points in the game’s story.

Two of those will be Captain America and previous Black Panther Azzuri (T’Challa’s grandfather), while the other two will be American soldier/Howling Commandos member Gabriel Jones and a Wakandan spy named Nanali. Both the outside world (or at least Paris) and Wakanda seem to be the focus, with the war itself and Hydra representing the conflict.

Closing out the presentation was a reveal for Marvel World of Heroes. Developed by Niantic, the game is a new mobile AR that allows players to create their own superhero and team up with their favorite heroes from the Marvel universe. Marvel World of Heroes is expected to launch in 2023.

Lastly, there was some news and updates for games without a dedicated trailer throughout the showcase. Such as the new characters were revealed for Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, including Cassian Andor from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Reva from Obi-Wan Kenobi. Some gameplay was shown for Aliens: Dark Descent and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. An announcement for Gargoyles Remastered was also thrown in the middle of the presentation. To catch up on everything, check out the entire showcase below.