Marvel to set up publishing division?

News

Tim Ingham Jan 29 2008, 3:09pm

Comic giant breaks links with EA; own games division coming next?

Marvel Comics has cleared the way to set up its own video games publishing arm, after terminating its licensing deal with EA after only one game.

Industry analysts have suggested to MCV that the US firm could be set to take its own slice of the publishing market, following years of outsourcing its franchise rights to EA and the likes of Eidos, Activision and Sega.

Earlier today, GameTap received confirmation that EA’s deal with the company had come to an end following a mutual decision.

"EA and Marvel have jointly agreed to discontinue development of the Marvel titles under the EA Games Label,” an EA rep told the site. “This was a business decision based on EA's portfolio strategy."

The only fruit of the partnership, first agreed in 2004, was 2005’s Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects.

MCV sister site Develop has been told by multiple sources in the past that the comics giant has expressed a wish to be more involved in the games market, in a similar way to how it created Marvel Studios for more control over films based on its properties.

Major licensed properties from Marvel still set for release this year include Sega’s Iron Man, which is due out in May.