Final Fantasy’s Creators Are Making An Avengers Game

The studio-publisher behind mega-franchises that include the Final Fantasy and Tomb Raider properties is joining hands with Disney subsidiary Marvel to make a bunch of games based on the media conglomerate’s comics characters.

Square Enix just tweeted that it’s signed up with Marvel for “a multi-game partnership,” leading with something it’s calling “The Avengers Project.” I’m reading that as an Avengers game for starters, but not necessarily Avengers games alone thereafter. The official press release appears to confirm this, calling the deal “a new multi-year, multi-game licensing agreement to develop and publish original games based on beloved Marvel Super Heroes, beginning with The Avengers.”

Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Iron Man and more, it’s a safe bet they’ll all be here in what’s being called “a completely original story” designed to “introduce a universe gamers can play in for years to come.”

The trailer is pure teaser, meant to make spines tingle while telling us nothing about the game itself. Well, almost nothing: It sounds like the initial Avengers collaboration will be developed by Tomb Raider mainstay Crystal Dynamics, best known in recent years for revitalizing the Lara Croft saga of archaeological action-adventures, alongside Eidos Montreal, the Square Enix studio behind the recent Deus Ex games.

With the “play in for years to come” angle, are we talking some sort of online MMO? Alas, it sounds like this is all the info we’re getting for at least the next 11 months. Additional details about The Avengers project and any other games won’t be announced until 2018.

Write to Matt Peckham at matt.peckham@time.com.