Marvel’s Midnight Sunswas a commercial flop, according to Take-Two’s CEO Strauss Zelnick. The card-based tactical role-playing game with heavy interactive narrative elements was developed by Firaxis Games, the minds behind theXCOMandCivilizationseries.Midnight Sunswas released in December 2022 and was met with critical praise but little enthusiasm from audiences.
Marvel’s Midnight Sunsearned itself a favorable Metacritic score of 83, but only a 5.6 from its users. Players were put off by the game’s technical issues at launch. Many were flummoxed by its narrative elements that had players navigate an all-star lineup of Marvel heroes throughsome fairly mundane slice-of-life interactionsthat some did not see as befitting of the larger-than-life stories the characters are usually a part of across media.
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Take-Two CEO Srauss Zelnick told Jason Schreier of Bloomberg thatMidnight Sunsunderperformed commercially, but hopes the critically-praised Marvel title will have the same long tail with retailers asXCOMandCivilization. Zelnick suggested it’s possible thatMidnight Suns' December release window could take some blame, as it pit the game in direct competition with other anticipated titles likeThe Callisto ProtocolandHigh on Life.Though,The Callisto Protocolunderwhelmedboth critics and audiences alike and is also considered a commercial flop for its publisher Krafton.
Midnight Sunswas heavily discounted across all platforms only a month after release, in what can now be interpreted as an early indicator that sales numbers weren’t as strong as anticipated. AsMarvel’s Avengerspublisher Square Enix found out, attaching the Marvel brand name to a game doesn’t automatically translate to the same kind of wild commercial success as it does with its film and television wings.Guardians of the Galaxyalso fell shortof sales expectations despite critical praise.
Despite sluggish sales, Firaxis continues to release new content and characters. January 23 saw the release of The Good, The Bad, and The Undead,aMidnight SunsDLC pack. The content pack includes new story missions and a new playable character in fan-favorite Deadpool. Players who’ve purchased a Season Pass have a Venom-centric DLC to look forward to after that, followed by a DLC pack focused on Morbius. The final planned DLC pack will feature Storm. All DLC packs are slated for release sometime in 2023.
Marvel’s Midnight Sunsis available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S with PS4, Switch, and Xbox One versions also in development.
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