Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics have confirmed that Marvel's Avengers will be receiving a whopping 18GB day-one update. If you buy the digital copy of Avengers, you'll have to download and update the game with the day-one patch before being able to play. Users who buy the disk version of the game will also have to connect to the internet at least once to download the update before they can start playing.
According to Square Enix, the patch will introduce several updates and refinements to the Marvel's Avengers experience. The update consists of fixes and tweaks that were gathered from player feedback to the beta. The developer has been actively fixing issues with the game that popped up during the beta phase, but there's a long way to go before Avengers can become stable across all platforms. The update will also add localization files for the game's 15 supported languages. These localization files also include dialog, which most likely accounts for the update's 18GB download size.
Crystal Dynamics also cited the ongoing pandemic as the reason for the big size of the day-one patch. "As hard as we tried, there were several updates and refinements that we could not get into the game, but plan to address with the Day One Patch to ensure everyone has the same great experience at launch," the developer said.
Besides the day-one patch, Square Enix also has plans to add Hawkeye to the Marvel's Avengers roster soon after release. Hawkeye will be part of the game's presumable long-list of free DLC characters. The Marvel's Avengers story and characters will continue to expand beyond the initial campaign.
Here's what you can expect from Marvel's Avengers at launch:
- A Full-length campaign featuring an original Avengers narrative
- Six Heroes, each with 50+ skills to upgrade + gear/outfits to unlock
- 80+ War Zones/Drop Zones to play with friends or your AI Avengers
- Regularly updated Priority HARM Challenges & Priority Missions
- Later game mission types like Hives and Villain Sectors
- 50+ enemy types to master
- And in the future, new playable Avengers like Hawkeye, as well as new story content and regions – all at no additional cost
