Spider-Man 2 players holding out hope for a decreasing chance of DLC

This week, PlayStation held its most recent State of Play. In the 40-minute showcase, we were given glimpses at the upcoming DLC for Astro Bot, Alan Wake 2: The Lake House expansion, and Ghost of Yotei. Once glaring omission from the State of Play was a presence from Insomniac Games. Players have long speculated that while continuing development on Marvel’s Wolverine, Insomniac might be cooking up some supplemental content for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

We’re nearing the first anniversary of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Insomniac Games has steadily supported it on PlayStation 5 with The Fly N’ Fresh Suit Pack earlier this year alongside New Game Plus mode and quality of life updates. However, there’s not been a single confirmation that the team is working on additional story content currently. Insomniac Games has been eerily quiet as a whole, with no further updates on Marvel’s Wolverine or a potential interstitial project before Marvel’s Spider-Man 3.

Internal plans may have been adjusted for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

This year’s Insonmiac leak was a devastating blow, unearthing plans in motion within the studio

Back in December, Insomniac Games was the target of one of the largest leaks in gaming history. Insomniac Games launched PlayStation’s fastest-selling first-party title on October 20th, 2023. Over the course of 11 days, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 sold over five million units. It’s currently the best-selling PlayStation 5 game. However, come December, the wind was taken out of the sails of the studio. After hackers demanded $2 million, nearly two terabytes of data, renders, and other internal data were leaked online. Without getting into too many details, there were indications that DLC was planned for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 at one point during development.

Anyone familiar with development cycles in games can corroborate that plans change frequently. While DLC could have at one point been in active development, there’s no guarantee those plans will flourish into something that makes the market. Perhaps resources were scaled back or the team decided to use the time and budget on other projects. It’s also entirely possible that following the leak, plans for DLC were scrapped entirely. Thinking about it from the lens of being a creative team, it’s extremely disheartening to be passionately working on a project only for the surprise you planned for fans to slip from your hands.

It’s also entirely possible that DLC for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 isn’t ready to be shown. In August, the official Insomniac Games social account responded to an inquiry regarding new on DLC. “We don’t have anything new to announce,” the account said. Many were quick to assume this meant there wouldn’t be DLC. It could be the case that the development of New Game Plus and suit packs pushed the development of DLC back a few months. It’s also important to keep in mind that it’s not uncommon for first-party PlayStation studios to drop DLC a year removed from launch. Last year at The Game Awards, Santa Monica Studios released the God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla DLC a year after the game hit PS5.

What’s next for Insomniac Games?

After launching Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, development is well underway on other projects

PlayStation

Back in 2021, Insomniac Games delivered the shocking one-two-punch that was the first trailer for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Marvel’s Wolverine. As it turns out, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was further along than the introduction of Logan in the Earth-1048 universe. Over the years, the studio has been tinkering with the development of Marvel’s Wolverine. Unfortunately, we still don’t have a firm release date for the new project. However, it has been speculated, given the development cycle, that the game could be ready sometime in 2025.

Given that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was such a success and that the game tees up a major conflict on the horizon, it’s safe to say that Insomniac Games is currently preparing the new installment. Once again, plans can always change and pivot, so any news that came from the December leak shouldn’t be taken as confirmation. Instead, looking at the history of Insomniac Games, it’s more than likely we’ll see some sort of interstitial game release much like Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Late last year, Venom voice actor Tony Todd let it slip that only 10 percent of his recorded lines made it into Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. This was enough to spark immediate speculation that Insomniac could be crafting a Venom spinoff title. Finally, it seems like it’ll be a matter of time before Insomniac Games works with PC port house Nixxes to bring Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to PC. Will there be extra content for this drop? It really remains to be seen.