Insomniac’s Marvel Games’ Lead Developer Teases Whole New Dialogue System
Marvel’s new Spider-Man 2 & Wolverine video games will feature some brand-new technology.
Marvel’s Spider-Man came out in 2018 and was a huge hit among critics and fans alike. I loved it so much that I spent the whole release weekend getting the game to 100%.
The game was such a huge hit that game Peter Parker has been referenced in Into Spider-Verse, and will appear in Across the Spider-Verse. The character also got a series of comic spin-offs based on the game and was a major player in the comic book event Spider-Geddon. Eventually, it was remastered on PS5 with a new face model, got a spin-off called Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales for PS4 and PS5, and had a sequel announced for PS5.
Sony acquired the studio back in 2020 for $229 million. Once the acquisition was finalized, people were eager to see what they were planning next. That reveal was a huge and welcomed surprise during one of Sony’s PlayStation Showcases in 2021 and turned out to be a Wolverine game. Little is known about this game, but we’ve had the smallest possible taste.
via Sony
Marvel Video Games Get New Tech
Insomniac’s lead programmer Elan Ruskin talked a little about the upcoming titles during a live stream on Insomniac Games’ Twitch channel. Ruskin is asked what they are proud of when it comes to having worked on past Insomniac Games, especially Spider-Man and Miles Morales. He was very proud of how smoothly the games run, even with all the brand-new features they have been able to add to them each time. He proudly then mentions that “also there is some very cool dialogue technology coming up in the next game.”
The next games for them as far as we know are Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Marvel’s Wolverine. What this new tech means is speculation at the moment. Some are theorizing it is probably a dialogue that is based on what you are wearing or reflective of things that have happened in the game instead of the same dialogue throughout for NPCs. Rumor has it that it will be talked about at a PlayStation Showcase scheduled before E3. This is all very exciting stuff because gaming still has many new surprises in store and Insomniac is great at pushing a console to its limits.
What We Know So Far
Marvel’s Wolverine is more a mystery than Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Everything we know about it is basically rumored with nothing concrete. Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grub talked about the game going “hard” M-Rating and could be a semi-open world.
Rumors are also swirling that legendary Wolverine voice actor Steve Blum could be reprising the role for the game. This is due to an Instagram post where he shows he is doing a performance for a game he can’t talk about due to an NDA. Many will remember Insomniac uses this for their Spider-Man games, which is why they changed Peter’s face after the PS4 release to better match the facial features of the voice actor.
The release date is also speculated to be early 2024 since Spider-Man 2 will be this fall and we know that has been in development longer than Wolverine. But when it comes to the plot, nothing has been revealed.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is one of the most anticipated games of the year. Plot-wise we know that Peter is now no longer alone in his fight against crime. Miles Morales is now a full-fledged Spider-Man after his adventures while Peter was away. Kraven the Hunter and Venom are after both Spider-Men.
Creative Vice President of Marvel Bill Rosemann hinted that the game will be much darker. He compared the sequel to the first game, saying that “if the first Spider-Man game was Star Wars, Spider-Man 2 is kind of our Empire [Strikes Back].” There is also a rumor from an alleged playtester that a surprise villain with ties to Venom’s original origin could also be in the game.
Gameplay-wise, we know it will just build upon what has already been laid out by the other 2 games. Peter and Miles both have move sets that are uniquely different from each other and it will be exciting to see if you can swap freely from them as GTA V or even Ultimate Spider-Man did years ago. Tony Todd, who will be voicing Venom, also explained in an interview that Venom will have huge set-piece fights like they had with Rhino in Miles Morales.
via Marvel
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is set to release in Fall 2023 for PS5 & Marvel’s Wolverine is set to PS5 with an unknown release window.
“Look out! Here comes the Spider-Man!”
