Why Marvel’s games are about more than fan service

Marvel has one of the healthiest content businesses in the world with its films, movies, and comics. But the company approaches gaming a bit differently than those other creative mediums.

Unlike previous console generations, the big-budget game featuring Captain America and Spider-Man is rare. Today, gaming in the Marvel universe (and across many classical properties with the recent exception of Star Wars) is primarily about iOS and Android devices. During a fireside chat at the GamesBeat Summit in Sausalito, California on Wednesday, Marvel Entertainment executive vice president and general manager for interactive and digital distribution Peter Phillips explained that the goal is to engage audiences by giving them more ways to participate in the ongoing adventures of characters they love. Marvel’s development partners, like Kabam and D3 Publisher, are making money using this strategy in the $36.9 billion mobile-gaming industry, and fans are gobbling up the apps. Contest of Champions, Kabam’s fighting game, is No. 9 on the Android grossing charts in the United States, and developer Netmarble’s Marvel Future Fight is No. 30. And that success is due in large part because Marvel treats gaming as a licensing business, which is different from how it treats some of its more traditional creative works.