Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is real, coming in 2019, and a Switch exclusive

The Game Awards have given Marvel fans a pretty big surprise tonight: the announcement of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, coming exclusively to Nintendo Switch in 2019.

In case you're not familiar, the Ultimate Alliance games were isometric action-RPGs that pulled together heroes and villains across the Marvel multiverse to face down world-ending threats like Dr. Doom and Galactus.

The first game arrived in 2006, with a sequel released three years later. These two titles were re-released on PS4 and Xbox One in 2016, but this is the first time we've gotten a peek at an honest-to-goodness sequel. It won't be developed by the same team, but will instead come under the supervision of Team Ninja, developers of Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden, and Nioh.

Considering how beloved the originals were (plus a bit of a pop culture consciousness boost from the MCU), Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is sure to be on many a player's radar come 2019.

What's curious is that the game is advertised as being a Switch exclusive. No word on why that decision was made or if it's permanent, but Nintendo fans ought to be happy at least!

We'll be bringing you more announcements and reveals from The Game Awards 2018 as the night goes on, so keep watching!

Sam Prell

Sam is a former News Editor here at GamesRadar. His expert words have appeared on many of the web's well-known gaming sites, including Joystiq, Penny Arcade, Destructoid, and G4 Media, among others. Sam has a serious soft spot for MOBAs, MMOs, and emo music. Forever a farm boy, forever a '90s kid.