D23 Expo 2022 is officially underway in Anaheim, California with panels underway for animation and gaming throughout Friday’s festivities. During the first-ever Disney & Marvel Games Showcase, a variety of new titles were revealed as well as updates to games that were previously announced.
New Games
- Disney Illusion Island: Join Disney’s Fab Four — Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy — on a quest to explore the mysterious islands of Monoth and recover three books to save the world from disaster. From Disney and Dlala Studios, the game will debut exclusively on the Nintendo Switch system in 2023.
- TRON: Identity: From the creators of John Wick Hex, this new visual novel adventure follows a detective program tasked with solving the mystery of an unprecedented crime. Players will step into the Grid with a mysterious new server in the TRON universe as the detective, Query. By making critical decisions and choosing allies carefully, you uncover more secrets than you bargained for. Inspired by the TRON franchise, the puzzle mystery game from Bithell Games arrives on PC and console in 2023.
- Gargoyles Remastered: Gargoyles Remastered will bring the classic 90s SEGA Genesis game to modern consoles and PC with updated visuals and controls in collaboration with Empty Clip Studios.
- Marvel/Skydance New Media Project: First announced late 2021, Skydance New Media and Marvel have revealed what their collaborative project will be. The narrative-driven, ensemble adventure game will take players on a WWII-era adventure featuring a young Steve Rogers — aka Captain America; T’Challa’s grandfather and the era-appropriate Black Panther Azzuri; Gabriel Jones, a U.S. soldier and member of the Howling Commandos; and Nanali, the leader of the fledgling Wakandan Spy Network.
- MARVEL World of Heroes: Developed in collaboration with Niantic and Marvel Entertainment, this AR mobile game will allow players to create their own superhero identity and team-up with their favorite Marvel characters in the real world. The game launches globally in 2023.
Launching This Year
- Return to Monkey Island (September 19): Intrepid hero and mighty pirate Guybrush Threepwood sets off on a new swash-buckling adventure through the Caribbean in a thrilling return to the series. The game releases on PC and Nintendo Switch on September 19 — International Talk Like a Pirate Day.
- MARVEL SNAP (October 18): The highly anticipated game will launch globally on mobile and PC October 18 and will revolutionize the game experience, unleashing the entire Marvel multiverse into a fast-paced card battler. The game comes from Nuverse, Second Dinner, and Marvel Entertainment.
- Marvel’s Midnight Suns (December 02): A brand-new gameplay trailer for the game revealed a December 2 release date for Windows PC, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. In addition to the release date, Marvel’s Midnight Suns Prequel Shorts were announced — a set of five short videos that provide backstory on the formation of the Midnight Suns. The first video will premiere on October 31 via the Marvel Entertainment YouTube channel.
New Updates
- Disney Dreamlight Valley: A new realm was revealed for the game, which is available now in Early Access, based on Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story. Arriving in the Valley later this year, this new addition will bring beloved characters Woody and Buzz Lightyear to the game along with new quests inspired by the series.
- Disney Mirrorverse: When Halloween season arrives, players will be able to unlock new Guardians including the powerful Hades and more villainous surprises in the divergent Disney and Pixar universe based game, which is available in the App Store and Google Play.
- Disney Speedstorm: An exclusive look at the planned update for the upcoming game showed off new racers from Disney and Pixar’s Monsters Inc. including Sulley, Mike Wazowski, Celia Mae, and Randall, along with with a new track — “The Factory”. The game launches soon on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.
- MARVEL Strike Force: Red Hulk will smash his way to the game, which is available in the App Store and Google Play, on September 13.
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga: The all-new Galactic Edition launches on November 01 with 13-character packs including six new packs, adding fan-favorites Cassian Andor, Reva, Captain Rex, and more. The Galactic Edition will be available on Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
First Looks
- Avatar: Reckoning: A sneak peek of this mobile MMORPG shooter gave a glimpse of how players will create their own Avatar and set out to discover new areas of Pandora across multiple game modes. The game is coming soon to mobile devices.
- Aliens: Dark Descent: A first-look at the gameplay for this tactical squad-based action game showed how players will command Colonial Marines as they investigate a Xenomorph outbreak. The game arrives next year on PC and consoles.
Saturday at D23 Expo 2022 will showcase panels from Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm. Stay tuned with Nerds & Beyond for updates.
