Gameplay Footage of Canceled Iron Man Game Leaks Online
Nearly 97 minutes of gameplay footage from Avalanche Studios' canceled open-world Iron Man game has surfaced online, offering a first substantial look at a project that Disney and Marvel abandoned in 2012. The footage, which appeared on org on August 24, was reportedly captured from a PlayStation 3 development kit, as reported by The Times of India.
The leaked material is from a different Iron Man game than the one EA's Motive Studio has been developing since 2022. The Avalanche project was built in Stockholm and had never been publicly shown before the footage emerged.
The Times of India reported that the footage consists of eight videos identified as dem1 to dem6, and two versions identified as "e3," with a total run time of 96 minutes and 56 seconds. The development kit kicks off with a custom Iron Man theme and features "TM & © 2012 Marvel" beneath the hostname "devtool."
The gameplay shows Iron Man taking off from open water and flying toward targets across a large environment. One sequence shows a target 3,360 meters away, with the character flying over desert mountains that resemble the setting in "Just Cause 2". On the ground, one mission takes Iron Man through a base filled with shipping containers and floodlights. Completing part of the sequence triggers a "SAM Site Destroyed!" notification.
The armor shown in the footage uses the red-and-gold design from the Iron Man movie. The videos also show the character combining flight with ground combat and repulsor attacks. The "e3" labels appear to indicate builds prepared for a demonstration, although the uploader has not confirmed what those labels refer to.
The game was described as featuring Arkham-style melee combat, repulsor blasts, and the ability to take off and fly freely around its world, according to The Times of India.
The uploader is reportedly a collector of development kits and described the videos as recordings made from a restored build on one of their PS3 development kits. The Reddit post that circulated the footage also linked the uploader to other recently surfaced development files, The Times of India reported. Neither Avalanche Studios nor Marvel has commented on the newly surfaced footage.
Why Avalanche's Iron Man Game Was Canceled
Avalanche co-founder Christofer Sundberg first discussed the canceled Iron Man project publicly in an August 2022 interview with MinnMax, as cited by The Times of India. According to Sundberg, Disney approached the studio behind Just Cause, and the project remained in development in Stockholm for about two years.
Sundberg said Disney wanted the development schedule shortened by a year. That would have required Avalanche to hire 70 to 80 additional developers, leaving the studio without another project for those employees once development ended. Sundberg said accepting the shorter schedule would have "broken the studio completely." The game was canceled around 2012 because of what Sundberg described as "company politics."
Motive Studio Confirms Leaked Footage Is Its Iron Man Game
Separately, EA's Motive Studio confirmed that gameplay footage of "Marvel's Iron Man" recently leaked online is indeed from its title currently in development, as reported by InvenGlobal.
On August 29, Motive Studio released a new image via its official X (formerly Twitter) account alongside a message stating, "Well, that didn't go as planned. But now you know, and we've got a lot more to show you. See you when we're ready." Rather than denying the leak, the studio chose a direct approach by lightheartedly acknowledging it.
The posted image features the silhouette of the Iron Man suit against a dark background. Framed with a brightly glowing chest area that appears to be the Arc Reactor, the angular shoulder line and other details suggest it is the same suit design seen in the previously leaked video of roughly 2 minutes and 30 seconds, according to InvenGlobal.
Previously, on August 28, an unfinished video spread across online communities such as Reddit, featuring scenes presumed to show high-speed flight, aerial and ground combat, and suit customization. At the time, EA and Motive Studio did not officially respond to the authenticity of the footage. While the X post confirmed that the leaked video is an actual development build, specific schedule details or future reveal plans for Marvel's Iron Man have not yet been disclosed, InvenGlobal reported.
EA has not released gameplay footage or announced a release date for Motive Studio's Iron Man. The studio said in 2023 that the game was being developed using Unreal Engine 5, while EA reaffirmed the project after canceling Black Panther and closing Cliffhanger Games, according to The Times of India.