Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra from SkyDance Games has finally got a publisher, and it is Plaion. The announcement was made through a press release that Plaion, previously called Koch Media, that both companies are entering a “worldwide publishing partnership.”
At face value, this may not seem good or bad, since studios that don’t have enough games under their belt, and even some that do, often choose to work with a major publisher. Plaion is known for publishing Chorus, Saints Row IV, and The King of Fighters XV, among many others. But where fans of Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra might have concerns is the game’s publisher, Plaion, is owned by the Embracer Group.
This may be concerning for many because the Embracer Group is known for canceling games and dropping studios at a moment’s notice. A good example of that is how the developers of Saints Row, Volition, was dismantled in a mass layoff.
Not too long ago the developer of Knights of the Old Republic Remake, Saber Interactive, bought itself out from Embracer Group, ensuring that the game and the team members do not suffer any unexpected layoffs or interruptions. Fans of Star Wars rejoiced when this happened because this allowed Aspyr to keep working on the KOTOR Remake until it is ready.
Luckily, since SkyDance is still independent, no such cancelations are likely to happen, but the presence of the Embracer Group might be concerning to some. But according to SkyDance, this partnership is ideal and will work perfectly for the international release of its debut title.
Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra was initially revealed during GDC in March and puts the focus on Captain America and the Black Panther before T’Challa. The game will focus on storytelling with the latest and greatest visuals using Unreal Engine 5. We don’t have a certain release date, but the highly anticipated Marvel game is expected to arrive sometime in 2025.