Square Enix has unveiled the next chapter of Marvel’s Avengers, Operation: Hawkeye – Future Imperfect. The free chapter will add a new playable Super Hero and a new villain as part of the storyline, and it will be released next month on March 18th. The PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of the game will also arrive on the same day after a delay of several months.
Operation: Hawkeye – Future Imperfect will introduce Hawkeye, otherwise known as Clint Barton, as the game’s second new playable hero following Kate Bishop late last year. Picking up immediately after the events of Operation: Kate Bishop – Taking AIM, Hawkeye searches for SHIELD’s leader Nick Fury, who he believes can help him to stop the rise of AIM. In the process he discovers the Tachyon Project, where Scientist Supreme Monica Rappaccini is developing a dangerous new weapon that could have a deadly effect on the fate of humanity.
In trying to stop the weapon from reaching fruition, he finds himself stuck in a time-bending experiment where future Earth has been destroyed by cosmic forces and is now known as the Wasteland. It’s also where Maestro has set up his home. A new villain, Maestro is an older version of Hulk driven mad by the apocalypse. Unfortunately not only does he still have Hulk’s strength and abilities, Maestro also has Bruce Banner’s brains. If you want to learn more about the new chapter, check out the deep dive video below:
The new chapter will be released on March 18. On the same day, the PlayStation 5 version of the title will finally be released. After a delay so the game can be a “next-gen experience showcasing all that this game is meant to be”, the new version will arrive with 4K resolution, higher resolution textures, larger draw distances, better heroics and armor destruction, and quicker loading and streaming times. PS4 players can upgrade to the PS5 version for free, and saves and profiles can be transferred across. Those who move over to PS5 can still play with their PS4 friends thanks to cross-gen play too.
Despite debuting at number 1 on the UK sales charts, being the second highest launch of a superhero game in the US, and being the second biggest digital launch ever for Square Enix, the game has failed to be a success, with player numbers falling quickly following launch. The publisher had previously reported running at a loss due to the title, and the game still hadn’t made any profit in November. Square Enix will likely be hoping the new Operation and the release of the game on new platforms will turn its fortunes around.
