Marvel’s Avengers: Why Black Widow Was the Most Challenging Character to Work On

We recently sat down with the head of Crystal Dynamics to talk about Marvel’s Avengers, but we were surprised that it was Black Widow that proved to be the most difficult. Crystal Dynamics head Scott Amos sat down with us during NYCC 2019 to talk about what exactly about Black Widow made her so difficult to translate. 

At first, Amos and the team thought she would be an “easy” character to bring to life with all of their experience with another badass by the name of Lara Croft. “But it wasn’t,” he explains to us in our sit down interview. “We had to re-imagine all of the things about her melee combat system, the kind of weapons and gear that she would use, the kind of technology she would have.” 

When we spoke with Amos earlier in the year at PAX West, he also mentioned that it was a challenge to make Black Widow “theirs” versus players seeing an echo of Scarlett Johanssen’s portrayal. With over a decade of MCU enjoyment, that separation was something that the team bore in mind throughout the entirety of development. 

But just because they had the most trouble with Widow doesn’t mean the rest of the heroes were easy peasy lemon squeezy. He also talked about the “flyers” like Tony Stark and Captain America and how making sure their navigation remained fluid and enjoyable. Amos mentions that perhaps the most challenging part of all was making sure the entirety of the in-game movement felt flexible and free while making sure all of the playable characters felt unique and totally different than another character. 

Want to learn even more about the upcoming game and how our opinions have changed since the E3 reveal? Check out our hands-on impressions right here to learn more. 

Marvel’s Avengers officially arrives on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on May 15, 2020. Are you excited for Square’s unique take on the Marvel-verse separate from the MCU we’ve come to know and love throughout the past decade? What are you hoping for most out of the new adventure? Hit us up with your thoughts over @PrimaGames on Twitter to tell us what you think!

For more about Marvel’s Avengers: 

“Marvel’s Avengers begins at A-Day, where Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Widow, and Thor are unveiling a hi-tech Avengers Headquarters in San Francisco — including the reveal of their own helicarrier powered by an experimental energy source. The celebration turns deadly when a catastrophic accident results in massive devastation. Blamed for the tragedy, the Avengers disband. Five years later, with all Super Heroes outlawed and the world in peril, the only hope is to reassemble Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

“Marvel’s Avengers features a cinematic story, complete with the high-octane action that Crystal Dynamics is known for. Featuring regular content updates, the game will take players on an epic journey delivered over multiple years. This is what’s next for the Avengers.”