The last Playstation Showcase was in 2021, not long after the launch of the PlayStation 5. There, players got a first look at God of War Ragnarok, Insomniac’s new Wolverine game, and the now-jeopardized Knights of the Old Republic Remake. But it was Spider-Man 2, the follow-up to the critically acclaimed Marvel’s Spider-Man on PS4, that garnered the most hype. However, since its announcement, Sony has given little information about their next flagship title. So before the next PlayStation Showcase on May 24, 2023, here is everything we know about Spider-Man 2.
Kraven the Hunter
The first trailer, released back at the last Playstation Showcase, is remarkably vague in what it reveals. The trailer’s narration teases an antagonist who wants an equal in combat. Judging by the dialogue, it’s likely that the character speaking is Kraven the Hunter, a long-running villain of Spider-Man in the comics. Created in 1964 in issue #15 of The Amazing Spider-Man, Kraven sought to hunt the deadliest game: Spider-Man himself. In subsequent stories, he would take drastic measures to accomplish his mission, even drugging Spider-Man and burying him alive in the climactic story Kraven’s Last Hunt. He will no doubt be a deadly foe to both Peter and Miles.
Venom
Venom was first teased back in 2018, with the reveal that he was attached to Harry Osborn. Spider-Man: Miles Morales, released in 2020, continued to build up the character in the game’s post-credit scene. Finally, the trailer for Spider-Man 2 explicitly confirmed that Venom will be present as one of the main villains. Tony Todd will play him: an actor known for his role in Candyman and Half-Life: Alyx (as the Vortigaunts). There is a chance that Venom could be playable, like 2005’s Ultimate Spider-Man, but we may not find out until Wednesday.
Gameplay
A lot of what we know about gameplay boils down to speculation. Like the aforementioned theory that Venom could be playable, there is also the theory that Peter could utilize his famous web wings, based on an image of his character in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. People also speculate that part of the game could take place in Queens, based on Spider-Man 2‘s recent prequel comic, released in tandem with the official PS5 port of Spider-Man on the PS4, revealing that Peter Parker now lives in his original hometown.
In the end, though, this is all speculation. The trailer however gives some indication of what to expect from gameplay mechanics. We know that Miles still has his trademark electric powers from the comics. And based on the trailer, it’s implied that Peter will have a new version of his iron spider arms.
The game was also recently confirmed to not have co-op, contrary to a lot of fan speculation. Ultimately, however, there is little to no concrete information about Spider-Man 2‘s gameplay.
Ambition
Despite the drought of information about Spider-Man 2, several sources have not hesitated to hype up the game and its evergrowing scope. Yuri Lowenthal, the voice actor for Spider-Man, has consistently stated how “excited” he is for people to get their hands on the game. Fellow voice actors Tony Todd and Nadji Jeter(the voice of Miles) have also shared similar praise. In an amusing response to the question about the limited marketing for the upcoming release, Insomniac’s Twitter posted that they are “in the kitchen. It smells good in there, but we just ask for a little more patience.“
In an interview with Famitsu, Jim Ryan, the CEO of Playstation talked further about the game’s potential. “The sequel, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, is being developed exclusively for PS5, so the developers have made no compromises,” he says, indicating that the game will likely be a visual and technical marvel. And in terms of the tone, Bill Rosemann, Marvel Games’ Creative Vice President, claimed that the game is thematically similar to Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. This allusion indicates a darker tone, which is certainly supported by the inclusion of both Kraven and Venom. Time will only tell how far they go with that tone.
Release Date
Insomniac has repeatedly gone on record to say that Spider-Man 2 will release on the PS5 in Fall 2023. In the months since the release date announcement, they have not indicated any sort of delay. In both tweet replies and in the aforementioned prequel comic, the game is still attached to a Fall 2023 release. Could this mean a release in September, on the five-year anniversary of Spider-Man‘s original release on PS4? Time will only tell.
However, we will no doubt have more information on the game’s release date, gameplay mechanics, and story very soon. It’s been almost two years since the game was announced, so it’s a near guarantee that we will get more information on it at the new Playstation Showcase. When we do get more information on it, Spider-Man 2 will no doubt end up being the main reason to buy a Playstation 5 this Holiday Season.
Either way, stay tuned to Final Weapon for more on Spider-Man 2 and the Playstation Showcase this week.
