D23 Disney Expo: 8 Marvel & Star Wars Gaming Reveals to Expect

D23 is nearly here, and with it comes the first Disney & Marvel Games Showcase. The streaming event will be a celebration of what is to come for Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel when it comes to the world of interactive entertainment.

In recent years, Disney has retooled their video gaming strategy, allowing a variety of developers to pitch their dream projects within the various universes that the House of Mouse holds as a part of its vast portfolio. The fruits of this labor have been plentiful with games like Marvel’s Spider-Man and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order headlining this renewed effort from the Hollywood giant.

The Disney & Marvel Games Showcase is set to air on Friday, September 9, at 4 pm ET being hosted by Kinda Funny’s Blessing Adeoye Jr. and is set to feature plenty from fan-favorite franchises like Marvel, Star Wars, and so much more.

So with the big event sitting close on the horizon here are the games fans can expect to see.

The Near-Locks

1.) Marvel’s Midnight Suns

The most imminent Marvel gaming project comes in the form of Marvel’s Midnight Suns. The upcoming strategy RPG is set to hit consoles sometime early next year (after being pushed out of September 2022) and will surely at least be mentioned at the Disney & Marvel Showcase.

Developed by veterans of the genre Firaxis Games (of XCOM fame), Midnight Suns follows a group of Marvel heroes headlined by Doctor Strange, Iron Man, Wolverine, and Spider-Man, as they look to take out a villainous supernatural force. The game will be a bit of a departure for Marvel Games, showing off what the super-powered universe could look like as a straight strategy RPG. And as the title is seemingly the closest on the calendar, now would be the perfect time for another glimpse at what fans can expect.

2.) Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

After being announced earlier this summer at Star Wars Celebration, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is primed for another marketing beat at the D23 gaming extravaganza. The game is set for a March 2023 release date, with a pair of books tied into the adventures of series protagonist Cal Kestis being recently unveiled as well.

Back in May, fans got a brief glimpse of the Jedi: Fallen Order sequel with an entirely CG trailer. So, if Survivor were to reappear at D23, a vertical slice of gameplay would likely be the thing that developer Respawn Entertainment brings for fans to ogle at. Again (like Midnight Suns), this is another game that is coming up quickly, so now feels like the perfect time for more information on the title.

3.) LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga DLC

As is the case with most gaming showcases these days, the Disney & Marvel Games event will not be exclusively about things fans haven’t played yet, but could also potentially offer up some tidbits on games that have already hit store shelves. One of the most likely of these to appear at D23 is LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.

The brick-based intergalactic adventure feels primed for some DLC now six months post-release. Since The Skywalker Saga’s early April debut, the title has become one of the best selling games of the year. So, having already accumulated a fairly expansive list of extra downloadable characters, a full-on expansion for the title could fit perfectly into Disney’s release calendar. Some DLC that rounds out the Skywalker Saga, allowing gamers to play through the events of Rogue One and Solo would feel like an apt addition to an already superb title.

4.) Marvel’s Avengers

Another game that has some DLC that could be talked about on Disney’s D23 stage is Marvel’s Avengers. Despite the game’s troubled tenure up to this point, Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix have continued to support the game albeit in a very slow drip-feed fashion. However, a new update is on the way with Bucky Barnes (aka the Winter Soldier) having already been announced to be coming to the shared-world RPG.

Now, no release date for Bucky (and the new content he will come with) has been given, but with an expected September debut, the Disney & Marvel Games Showcase feels like the most obvious place to reveal the exact specifics.

5.) Amy Hennig’s Unannounced Marvel Game

One of the only 100% locks for Disney’s debut gaming event is Amy Hennig’s unannounced Marvel game. The former Naughty Dog creative director was announced earlier this year to lead a team Skydance Games, with her title being something in the Marvel universe.

Not much is known at the moment about the title, but Hennig’s comments on the “ensemble” nature of the game have led many to speculate that it could potentially be a Fantastic Four or X-Men game. But fans won’t need to wonder for much longer as they are guaranteed a “sneak peek” of the title in the coming days.

The Likely

6.) Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is not only one of the most anticipated Marvel games on the way but one of the most-hyped video games overall. The follow-up to 2018’s Spider-Man and 2020’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales will pick up where the last games left off with Peter Parker and Miles Morales seemingly teaming up to take on the likes of Kraven the Hunter and Venom.

The only thing fans have seen from Insomniac Games’ upcoming super-powered adventure was a brief teaser from last Fall. But that initial sneak peek did end with the release year of 2023, so now would be an opportune time to get that promotional train started if, in fact, the title is still coming sometime in the next 12 months.

7.) Ubisoft’s Open-World Star Wars Game

After having been first confirmed over a year ago, Ubisoft’s open-world Star Wars game has been radio silent. The only thing fans know at this point about the title is that it’s being developed by Division studio Massive Entertainment and will utilize the studio’s Snowdrop engine.

Ubisoft is going to have to pull the curtain back on this open-world adventure at some point, and it feels like it could be that “one more thing” last announcement at the Disney & Marvel Games Showcase.

8.) Kingdom Hearts 4

Those with little or no knowledge of the Kingdom Hearts franchise may be wondering what the Disney/Final Fantasy crossover RPG series has to do with Marvel or Star Wars. Well, after Kingdom Hearts 4 was announced back in June, speculation has been rampant on the potential of both Marvel and Star Wars worlds showing up in the upcoming sequel.

While nothing Marvel-related has been shown off yet, a brief glimpse of what looked to be the forest moon of Endor from Return of the Jedi did show up in the game’s initial tease. So, if these two fan-favorite franchises are coming to Kingdom Hearts this could be the time to show that off.

The Pie-in-the-Sky

Marvel’s Wolverine

Amongst the titles that could potentially be at Dinsey’s first gaming showcase, but feel a little less likely than others is Marvel’s Wolverine. First introduced alongside Insomniac Games’ other upcoming Marvel title Spider-Man 2, it probably doesn’t make a lot of sense for the pair to show up again in the same live stream, but that is not to say it couldn’t happen.

Wolverine is further out than Spider-Man 2, but Insomniac have proven they can work fast, and if a studio were to be promoting two comic book video games at the same time and have them released fairly close together, they would be the ones to do it. So don’t expect to see Marvel’s Wolverine, but don’t be surprised if Logan were to make an appearance.

Knights of the OId Republic Remake

If this showcase were have happened at the beginning of the Summer or earlier in the year, the Knights of the Old Republic remake would have likely been a lock. But now as developer Aspyr Media has put the game on ice and the future of the project is seemingly in question, it feels like seeing it again any time soon might be a bit of a pipe dream.

But it could still happen. After Asypr stepped away from KOTOR it was reported that another studio was picking up the pieces and continuing work on the project. If the highly anticipated remake were to appear at D23, it would likely be in a very minimal capacity with just a confirmation that it is still happening, but even that could get up out of their seats.

Star Wars Eclipse

Another Star Wars project rave with turmoil is Quantic Dream’s Star Wars Ecplise. The upcoming action-adventure title was announced back at last year’s Game Awards. However, it has run into a couple of bumps in the road in recent months as the studio struggles to hire for the project after years of allegations of a toxic workplace.

But even with some now thinking Ecplise is more than five years out, that still means it is happening. So, another brief glimpse at the title could be in the cards for the D23 festivities is Disney and Quantic Dream feel they want to quell some fears.

Black Panther

Now, of all the pie-in-the-sky Marvel and Star Wars games that could be a part of Disney’s incoming stream, Black Panther feels like the one that could most likely be there. There has been no official confirmation that a Black Panther game is even happening, but back in July, Giantbomb’s Jeff Grub did say an “open-world single-player” Black Panther game was on the way from a new studio at EA headed up by former Monolith Games talent.

Word is the game is still very early in development, but the cat (or in this case panther) is seemingly out of the bag at this point, so why not confirm that it is happening? As DC has Monolith working on a Wonder Woman game, a Black Panther game from former Monolith employees feels it could be the perfect counter-punch for Marvel and Disney.

Marvel and Star Wars on Gaming’s Big Stage

While those games are some of the most likely contenders (as well as some that may seem like a bit of a pipe dream), they are just a handful of what is going to be shown off at the Disney & Marvel Games Showcase at D23. Franchises like Avatar are Disney Animation set to join in on the fun.

But it is those surprises that make events like this, and whether they are Marvel Star Wars or just general Disney related, there are sure to be some jaw-dropping moments when the House of Mouse takes the stage on September 8 at 4 pm ET.