3DJuegos is going to Baltimore, United States, to see the latest advances of what hopes to be the great superhero production of the year: Marvel Midnight Suns. Taking advantage of the visit to Firaxis, we chatted with the creative director of the game and one of the referents of contemporary turn-based strategy: Jake Salomon.
Jake Solomon is the man behind XCOM contemporary and after the new production of Firaxis: Marvel Rising Sun, of which 3DJuegos has told some secrets and curiosities of development. Pre-production began five years ago, a few weeks after the release of the latest expansion for XCOM 2, The Chosen: “I had to keep the project with Marvel secret for a few months until we finished XCOM 2 – War of the Chosen! And it was a very complicated task!”, he acknowledges us from the Firaxis offices in Baltimore, United States, “I really wanted to shout it from the rooftops ‘guys, we’re going to make a Marvel game!’ but no, you had to keep it a secret. People kept asking what the next project was going to be and I had to keep quiet. When the team found out it was a really exciting moment for everyone.”
Like many other comic book and video game lovers, Solomon is delighted with Marvel’s licensing management: “I love how Marvel is approaching their brands. I would like to highlight what they told us when they looked for us: they were looking for creators who liked how they worked and who liked the games they made and they knew that those same ones would be the ones who would make the games they liked with their characters, “he specified, ” there are many different Marvel games today, many and very good, but when they come to you you think you have to do something different and differential and, for that, you have to know how to fit it into its universe. It’s exciting to do it, and to be part of the group of studios that have made games for Marvel and help you make it happen it is a privilege for the whole team“.
Does Solomon have a favorite among the new wave of Marvel games released? “I’m staying Spider-Man,” he replies instantly, “I couldn’t believe it when I played it. My feeling playing it is that they had perfectly captured the character and had a fantastic selection of villains to hunt down.” Like so many other studios that have worked with Marvel in recent times, Salomon highlights the ease of dealing with the company: “It’s a very simple relationship and the truth is that I didn’t expect it to be so. I mean, like you said, Marvel is one of the most valuable licenses on the planet right now and they could be very protective of their licenses if they wanted to. We had a lot of crazy ideas for Midnight Suns like creating an original superhero that’s fully editable because we basically wanted you to start the game with someone representing the player as their avatar instead of taking on another familiar hero. Marvel’s reaction to our idea, and I swear to God he’s been that way from the beginning, is that ‘it sounded wonderful’.”
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He specified that Marvel, “of course, they protect the brand and there is a lot of work behind the development of a new Marvel hero, with a background that has to be worked on, from his appearance to his origins. Where does he come from? What is he like? Work with Marvel it’s great. We have a lot of ideas and we give it a lot of thought because we are true Marvel fans and that it is easy for us to treat their creations with respect and affection helps”. Is it scary to bring a new character to the Marvel universe? “It’s been hard for us, but also for Marvel.“says Solomon, “from the beginning, when we told them that we wanted to give players the opportunity to create their own character, we have been together in the journey of the creation of the son of Lilith.
We had a bunch of crazy ideas for Midnight Suns like creating a completely editable original superheroJake SolomonWhat can you tell us about Lilith? Solomon is not shy about assuring that “I love Lilith, and the interesting thing about working with a character like her is that he has a great comic book background to work with. He has a lot of history and he played a big part in the history of the Midnight Sons. It is also incredibly powerful.What prompted Firaxis to launch into Marvel’s magical and esoteric territory was the circumstance of trying to explore something that Marvel wasn’t exploring in movies and series five years ago. Today everyone knows what the Darkhold is and who are characters like Agatha Harkness or Mephisto, was Firaxis disappointed not to have such a differentiating element? Not at all, in fact, Solomon has taken it very philosophically.
“I guess Marvel’s opening up to the darker universes it will do nothing but help us actually. Now people know more about the Darkhold and the esoteric part of Marvel, and if they want more they can come to Midnight Suns to learn more mysterious stories, so yes, I think it will be positive.” He remembers for 3DJuegos that “I laughed when Wandavision released and when the new Doctor Strange came out, but when push comes to shove, actually, I think it’s going to help us.” Will the decision to lean on a card game system also help the game? recognized that the main inspiration of the game was Sly The Spyre, but there’s much more to Marvel’s title than just an homage to an indie sensation.
Did you understand the reaction of some XCOM fans when the cards came out? “I understand the first impression the fans had“, acknowledges 3DJuegos, “but it is still a turn-based strategy game. The difference is that he uses cards for abilities. I think any XCOM fan who gives it a chance will understand when they get behind it. It is a form of add a random factor to the game, but I think we’re in the same zone as XCOM.” He wanted to ensure that the XCOM brand and its gameplay is in the right hands: “I love XCOM. I doubt there is anyone on earth who loves the series more than I do for obvious reasons, but I also love Midnight Suns and I think they are family games with each other.”
An interesting framework opens with the Midnight Suns. One as imposing as the one in Injustice? The Netherrealm fighting game began as a video game and ended up mutating into an epic series of comics that recounted the adventures of its characters with great success. Would Salomon like to see history repeat itself with Midnight Suns? He crosses his fingers for us and assures us that “as a fan of comics my hope would be be able to contribute in any way to the company’s comics. It would be wonderful and interesting because our main character, Hunter, is very customizable, and maybe that’s the tricky part of bringing the story to comics. But if we could contribute in any way to Marvel it would be a dream.” Remember: you will be able to play it on the day October 7 on PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X | S and PC.
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