Marvel's Avengers gets Winter Soldier this month

Remember Marvel's Avengers? Square Enix's live service game gets its long-expected addition of Bucky Barnes, AKA the Winter Soldier, on 29th November.

Bucky's moveset is described as having "echoes" of Avengers core characters Captain America and Black Widow, alongside "all-new animations, a new full skill tree, and heroic abilities all his own".

The character will be voiced by Friday Night Lights' Scott Porter, who previously voiced Bucky in Lego Marvel's Avengers.

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November's update will also add a new endgame activity - Cloning Lab Omega-Level Threat - which will let you face off "one last time" against the revived MODOK in a multiplayer fight for four high-level heroes of at least Power level 175. Rewards include gear to help you level to 185 - the game's new cap.

Will this be Marvel's Avengers last character addition? Square Enix hasn't said, instead hinting at only "ongoing revisions and tuning" to existing heroes in the update it has planned to follow after.

After a rocky release, Marvel's Avengers has slowly drip-fed players with new activities and a handful of fresh characters - though the game has only launched two new heroes this year (Bucky and Jane Foster).

The game also now finds itself in the odd position where its publisher - Square Enix - no longer owns its developers - primarily Crystal Dynamics, and to a lesser extent Eidos Montreal.

Square Enix sold both studios - as well as the now-shuttered Square Enix Montreal - to Embracer for $300m, in what was widely-seen as a bargain basement deal. Both development houses are now busy on new projects of their own - and collaboration work with Microsoft studios.

Crystal Dynamics is helping Microsoft build the next Perfect Dark game, as well as in early development on its next Tomb Raider game. Eidos Montreal, meanwhile, is reportedly very early in development on its return to Deus Ex, and helping Microsoft develop its Fable reboot.

How long will Marvel's Avengers support continue? Square Enix is yet to say.