EA and Marvel scrap development deal

By Robert Purchese Published 29 January, 2008

But could Superman beat Batman?

Marvel and EA have ended their agreement to make games based on the comic book licence, GamesIndustry.biz reports.

The partnership was first announced in 2004 and allowed EA to cobble together games featuring Marvel characters despite rival publishers owning the rights to other famous faces from the comics, such as Activision with Spider-Man.

EA was also given free reign to design new characters that Marvel would then spin-off to other media.

The first fruit of this deal was the poorly-received Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects game released in 2005. EA Chicago was also said to have been working on a Marvel fighting game, but the studio was closed down late last year.

"EA and Marvel have jointly agreed to discontinue development of the Marvel titles under the EA Games Label. This was a business decision based on EA's portfolio strategy," a spokesperson for the publisher told GameTap.

But could Batman really beat Superman in a fight, Eurogamer reader?

Fact batters fiction because it has been trained by GamesIndustry.biz.

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About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (41) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Sami #1 4 years ago

    Well according to Frank Miller, he has done on a fair few occasions! ;)

  • Spanky #2 4 years ago

    > But could Superman beat Batman?

    Only morons pose that retarded question! Batman has no chance against superman, he'd smear the batcave with him and his twink bottom boy.

  • bad09 #3 4 years ago

    Hey Spanky what if Batman had kryptonite eh??? Doesn't matter Spidey would kick both their arses!

    But seriously, this is good news! I was dreading another Nemesis disaster! Now if only Capcom could get that license back......
    Edited by 2 at 29/01/08 @ 15:51

  • dolphan #4 4 years ago

    Umm, Dark Knight Returns?

  • mechamonkey #5 4 years ago

    Batman carries kryoptonite in his utility belt at all times just in case. He has subdued Superman several times.

    In other news EA LOL.

  • MBar #6 4 years ago

    allowed EA to cobble together games

    Agree!

    Now to read on!

  • MBar #7 4 years ago

    Only morons pose that retarded question! Batman has no chance against superman, he'd smear the batcave with him and his twink bottom boy.

    Oh please.

    Batman: "Hey Supes, hold this green rock for me for a sec, will ya?"

    Duperman: "Argh!"

    Batman: "lol. nub."

  • Monkey_Chops #8 4 years ago

    Depends on which writer you're going with. If it's Miller, then Batman would win. But if you read Greg Rucka's stuff on Countdown to Infinite Crisis, you'd find that Superman could easily destroy Batman.

  • Triggerhappytel #9 4 years ago

    Umm, Dark Knight Returns?

    ...Is a really crappy, really overrated graphic novel.

  • kingmob #10 4 years ago

    Superman gave Batman a kryptonite ring ages ago so Bats could use it if Supes ever went apeshit.

  • kincaide #11 4 years ago

    Superman and Batman are from the DC stable - so why is this question even being asked? ;-)

    Spiderman vs Wolverine would be a better question for example

    And Hulk vs Thing

  • L42yB #12 4 years ago

    @MBar -

    Batman: "Hey Supes, hold this green rock for me for a sec, will ya?"
    Superman: "How about I melt your brain with my laser vision from way over here?"
    Batman: "Aargh!"
    Superman: "lol. nub."

  • bluem4gic #13 4 years ago

    About fucking tme! Why they gave to EA no one knows

    Please Marvel hear my cries let Capcom make Marvel Vs Capcom 3

  • Waffleaber #14 4 years ago

    Thor vs Hulk is a better Marvel match up.

  • L42yB #15 4 years ago

    Hulk vs Wolverine and Hulk vs Superman

    HULK WINS!!! :D

    http://su perherouniverse.com/superheroes...

    OK OK, the fight against Superman was kinda a tie...

    But you can't beat the HULK. He just gets bigger and angrier everytime you hurt him... the only way to stop him is to calm him down!
    Edited by 1 at 29/01/08 @ 16:33

  • penhalion #16 4 years ago

    Marvel should either:

    A: Do the game themselves (who better than the creators to know their creations and audience)
    B: Oversee development with a house like Capcom or Konami.
    C: Stick to movies and comics.

    Incidentally; anyone from here going to be at GDC this year? I met a few posters last year and it was cool to go for a few drinks afterwards. Sadly most aren't going to make it to SF this year and I'm not sure if I'll make the Paris one later.

  • Triggerhappytel #17 4 years ago

    kincaide - "Superman and Batman are from the DC stable - so why is this question even being asked? ;-)

    Spiderman vs Wolverine would be a better question for example

    And Hulk vs Thing"

    I sincerely hope that closing comment was made tongue-in-cheek...

    =D

  • RexRunti #18 4 years ago

    So it's decided that Batman would win as he has pocket full of kryptonite (aka Jimmy Olsen blues) unless Supes got the drop on him. How about Batman vs Wonder Woman eh?

    And to keep this thread mildly game related who made Marvel Ultimate Alliance then?

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #19 4 years ago

    Theoretically, in a straight fight, Superman would win, obv, but generally speaking Batman - being smarter - often has the upper hand for a variety of reasons (Superman never kills, even when under mind control, apparently). So in most situations where they've fought, Batman has, more or less, emerged on top.

    I think the same would apply if he fought most DC heroes, including Wonder Woman.

  • MBar #20 4 years ago

    Batman: "Hey Supes, hold this green rock for me for a sec, will ya?"
    Superman: "How about I melt your brain with my laser vision from way over here?"
    Batman: "Batmirror."
    Superman: "Aargh!"
    Batman: "lol. nub."

    edit: Yes, I realise that wouldn't kill Superchump, but Batman would then throw some Kryptonite dust or something at him. Wait, I mean Bat-Kryptonite.
    Edited by 1 at 29/01/08 @ 17:16

  • MBar #21 4 years ago

    Theoretically, in a straight fight, Superman would win, obv, but generally speaking Batman - being smarter - often has the upper hand for a variety of reasons (Superman never kills, even when under mind control, apparently). So in most situations where they've fought, Batman has, more or less, emerged on top.

    I overheard some guy in work basically go over this argument, stating rather feverently that Batman would win because he will do anything to get the job done, including killing people.

    I backed away quietly.

  • Fitzmogwai #22 4 years ago

    The Ambush Bug would win. Every time.

  • hulahoops #23 4 years ago

    Superman gave Batman a kryptonite ring ages ago so Bats could use it if Supes ever went apeshit.

    Is it me or was that a slightly, well, gay way to go about business? Wouldn't it have been easier to just give him a lump of the stuff rather than fashioning it into a ring and presenting it like some kind of civil super ceremony?
    Edited by 1 at 29/01/08 @ 18:04

  • Spanky #24 4 years ago

    Since when was Batman smart? They just pull than nonsense out as some sort of get out clause. Superman is super everything, including super-smarty so batman really can't compete, only in the minds of chronic masturbators like Frank Miller and Morriss does batman seem to be anything other than a toff furry. All he is is a moron playboy who hangs around with young boys in there pants in public, even jonathan king isn't that stupid. Makes me fucking sick that you lot can look up to a paedo like that, but some people also worship michael jackson.

    For shame! :D

  • DAN.E.B #25 4 years ago

    This is very good news!
    Marvel is a brilliant licence.......... EA is terrible.

  • Feanor #26 4 years ago

    Destroy all Aliens, especially super"man".

  • AOFanboi #27 4 years ago

    Depends on which Hulk. Ultimate universe Hulk (Ultimate Human series)? Can only be beat by STOP HITTING HIM so the anger/stress subsides and he turns into puny Banner.

    - He's adapting. This is mad. He just grew a thicker skeleton and a new array of deep musculature right in front of us.
    - He just adapted to a 92-atmosphere environment. How is that even possible?
    (Ultimate Human #1)

  • dudefella #28 4 years ago

    Batman has beaten Superman.

  • cdeller #29 4 years ago

    hold on - this is about Marvel - how did we get onto DC??? lol

  • Monkey_Chops #30 4 years ago

    Superman has beaten Batman in the past, too. Jesus, does everyone think DKR is the only time they've been in a scrap?

  • Master_Miller #31 4 years ago

    Jesus, I bet Rob reegrets that tagline now.

  • CrumpetBoy #32 4 years ago

    But you can't beat the HULK. He just gets bigger and angrier everytime you hurt him... the only way to stop him is to calm him down!

    Hulk versus Enya.

  • Nookyalar #33 4 years ago

    That last question was sure to raise a few heckles! You naughty person Rob!

  • cw- #34 4 years ago

    Batman and Superman, being DC characters, wouldn't have been in any EA/ Marvel games anyway.. so we'd still be waiting to see who would beat who!


    Even though Superman would clearly win, as cool as Batman is, he has no super powers.. just ace toys and a utility belt!

  • mexalen #35 4 years ago

    CrumpetBoy, your comment just made my day.
    Sucks the day is over, and I'm going to bed now...

  • AOFanboi #36 4 years ago

    There were some Marvel/DC crossovers back in the day - like a Hulk/Superman boxing match in some Annual thingy. But they are of course exceptions.

    Hell, sometimes it's hard enough for the writers to make characters cross-over between books in the same universe, "cross-series" stuff like 0H and Civil War notwithstanding. Frank Miller wrote a great Spiderman/Daredevil/Dr. Strange/Doom story that was excellent though. And you have "guest spots" like when Dream visited the JLA in the first Sandman TPB, or the various characters Alan Moore had Swamp Thing meet in his revered revival of that character.

  • Hillbeach #37 4 years ago

    Superwho vs Batwho?
    They dont belong in the Marvel stable.....what kind of gamer wasnt also a comic nerd?

  • xAx #38 4 years ago

    wolverine vs aliens

  • mechamonkey #39 4 years ago

    I'd just like to say that Marvel Ultimate Alliance and the earlier X-Men games were absoluely brilliant. Thats how you do marvel games.
    Edited by 1 at 30/01/08 @ 09:52

  • Sucram #40 4 years ago

    DC vs Marvel, whoever wins, we lose.

  • mexalen #41 4 years ago

    @Sucram: In a comicbook store, nobody hears you scream...