Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra has proven to be a video game with a very interesting history, to say the least. Developer Skydance New Media originally announced its collaboration with Marvel back in 2021, but failed to reveal which heroes would be a part of the adventure. In 2022, a pre-rendered reveal teaser unveiled that Captain America, Black Panther, Gabriel Jones, and Nanali are set to be the main characters, yet an official title was nowhere to be seen. At long last, a story trailer made its way online in 2024, giving us a glimpse at some jaw-dropping cinematics, along with the promise of a 2025 release date.
Unfortunately, Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra was delayed to early 2026. Furthermore, it's been nearly four years since the original Skydance and Marvel reveal, and players have yet to see a single gameplay sequence. This led to fans questioning whether the game would ever see the light of day. But after a long wait, our first gameplay look is finally here... except it wasn't meant to be seen by anyone outside the development team.
Early gameplay footage and screenshots of Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra make their way online
Gameplay footage of Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra just made its way online, and it features Black Panther fighting multiple enemies (which can be viewed here). According to MP1st, it comes from a developer who worked on the title and was taken from an early build, likely from 2022 or 2023. Additionally, several screenshots were also released, and not only do they give us a better look at the game's environments, but they also hide a few gameplay hints.
For starters, it's clear that a big focus of Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra will be on environmental destruction. The footage shows many props flying around as Black Panther quickly moves through the environment, going from beating one soldier to another. Furthermore, you can also see a stray bullet breaking a bottle into several shards. Coupled with the jaw-dropping graphics seen in the story trailer, this would all but confirm that the game won't be open-world. After all, it would be very taxing for consoles to render a huge map with great levels of intricate destruction while also looking next-gen.
It's impossible not to draw a parallel to the free-flow combat system seen in the Batman: Arkham franchise. After all, Black Panther is able to perform a combo of hits on a single enemy, while also being able to jump from one target to another. Speaking of the Dark Knight, remember how there was a dedicated button to grapple to a specific point in the environment in Rocksteady's saga? Well, it seems something similar will be in store for Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, as revealed by a screenshot, except Marvel heroes will likely jump to those vantage points.
While it's nice to finally know what Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra will be like, it's also important to question why this footage leaked. Developers rarely publish their work on active video games, unless authorized by the companies involved. Instead, it's more common for them to do so when a title was already axed, hence why there's less risk. That same scenario happened with the canceled follow-up to Batman: Arkham Knight, as developers published a video and character models related to the project.
Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra is supposed to be released early 2026 (which isn't that far away), but it's been over a year since Skydance New Media has said anything about it. Furthermore, the game has been surrounded by many questions since its inception. As such, it's normal to question whether it's still coming or not. Fortunately, The Game Awards 2025 could be the place to give us all the answers we need. If the event comes and goes without a single mention of Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra, then it's really time to get worried.