The
X-Men are a fictional
superhero team in
Marvel Comics'
Marvel Universe. The group debuted in 1963 in an
eponymous comic book series. Beginning in 1989, the characters appeared in
video game adaptations for
home consoles,
handheld game consoles,
arcades, and personal computers. An earlier game was planned for home computers in 1985, but the developer went out of business before its launch. The first games were released on
8-bit home platforms, and the series expanded onto handheld consoles and arcades in the early 1990s. Most X-Men games, especially those released in the 2000s, were released on several platforms. Several companies have developed entries in the franchise, including Paragon Software,
Software Creations,
Konami, and
Capcom. The titles are
action games that pit the X-Men against Marvel
supervillains, typically taking the form of
beat 'em up and
fighting games. Each game features different groupings of X-Men heroes and villains, and typically allows players to control multiple characters.