Marvel’s Forgotten Mass Effect Clone Couldn’t Escape the Avengers’ Failure

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy offered a character-focused, single-player take on the team, with a story that balanced cosmic stakes and personal relationships. Released in 2021, it earned strong reviews but was overshadowed by the poor reception of Marvel’s Avengers, and its commercial performance fell short of Square Enix’s expectations.

Players control Star-Lord, direct the other Guardians in Mass Effect-style combat, and make dialogue and gameplay choices that shape interactions. The game had reached more than eight million players by November 2022, though that figure includes people who may have accessed it through subscription services. Developer Eidos-Montréal was sold to Embracer Group in 2022 and has since faced several rounds of layoffs.