Amy Hennig’s Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra will be published by Plaion, which is owned by controversial video game company Embracer.
The narrative-driven adventure featuring Captain America, Azzuri, the Black Panther of the 1940s, Gabriel Jones of the Howling Commandos, and Nanali, a Wakandan spy embedded in Occupied Paris, does not yet have a release date beyond a vague 2025 window. But we do know that Plaion, which counts Deep Silver as one of its brands, will publish it.
Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra hit the headlines earlier this year after an eye-catching trailer revealed as part of Epic Games’ State of Unreal event at GDC. It’s in development at the Skydance Games team, which is led by Hennig (Uncharted) and co-president Julian Beak.
Plaion boss Klemens Kundratitz commented: “We are proud to partner with Skydance Games and industry legend Amy Hennig on what is one of the most anticipated AAA games currently in development. This partnership between two ambitious independent companies is a testament to Plaion’s ongoing mission to become a global force in video game publishing.”
Beak said Skydance believes Plaion to be “the perfect publishing partner” for the game. “For our studio’s debut title, we’re crafting an original Marvel story directed by Amy Hennig,” Beak said. “We’re thrilled to have found a global publisher that shares our ambitious vision for the project.”
Hennig’s Skydance team is also working on an untitled Star Wars game, which has yet to be fully revealed.
Embracer has endured a torrid time of it recently, with thousands of staff laid off, multiple studios closed or sold off, and various video game flops, such as Starbreeze’s co-op shooter Payday 3. In June, Embracer shut down Alone in the Dark developer Pieces Interactive after the game failed to meet expectations. It sold the likes of Borderlands developer Gearbox Software and Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic remake studio Saber Interactive ahead of announcing a split into three separate companies. Specifically on Plaion, it reportedly rejected a Red Faction sequel pitch from the Embracer-owned developer of Galaxy On Fire and Chorus before it was hit by layoffs.
However, Plaion, via sub-brand Deep Silver, has published some successful video games in recent years, such as Dead Island 2. It is also set to publish Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 later in 2024.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
