New Avengers Game Making "Tremendous Progress," As Dev Announces Big-Name Hires

Crystal Dynamics is staffing up for its upcoming projects, which include a new Avengers game and reportedly another Tomb Raider title. The studio hired 15 people in January, it was announced today, including those from Naughty Dog and Visceral Games.

As rumored, Shaun Escayg, the creative director and writer of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, is now the creative director on the untitled Avengers project. Additionally, Crystal Dynamics hired 27-year EA/Visceral Games veteran Stephen Barry to become the director of production on the Avengers title. Barry was the director of product development at Visceral Games, where he worked on titles like the Dead Space series.

"We're committed to delivering an incredible, completely original Avengers experience to our gamers, and that means we are always looking to add amazing developers to our existing best in class studio talent," Crystal Dynamics co-head Scot Amos said.

As for the other new hires, their names were not disclosed, but Crystal Dynamics said they worked in various design and managerial positions on titles like Star Wars: Battlefront and Batman: Arkham Origins. According to Crystal Dynamics co-head Ron Rosenberg, the new Avengers game is making "tremendous progress" as the studio builds what it hopes will be "something all Marvel fans will be proud of."

"Their AAA experience adds to an already deep roster, making us well-positioned to deliver on the ambitious goals we've set for ourselves with The Avengers project," Rosenberg said. "It's a stellar addition of many people who fit incredibly well into our wheelhouse of building game experiences we all love."

Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal are working together on the new Avengers title, which was first announced--but not detailed--a year ago this week. Square Enix, which owns Crystal Dynamics and Eidos, signed a multi-game deal with Marvel, and the Avengers project was the first to be announced. A teaser trailer (watch it above) shows Thor's hammer, Captain America's shield, and Iron Man's hand, though it looks like they all have seen better days. The tagline "reassemble" suggests they have been scattered. They will probably be brought back together to save the planet because they are very good at that.

"The Avengers project is being designed for gamers worldwide and will be packed with all the characters, environments, and iconic moments that have thrilled longtime fans of the franchise," Square Enix said at the time. "Featuring a completely original story, it will introduce a universe gamers can play in for years to come."

A new Tomb Raider game has been confirmed, but we do not yet know if it is the rumored Shadow of the Tomb Raider. It's also unclear how many of the new hires at Crystal Dynamics are working on the Tomb Raider game or potentially other projects at the studio.