Highlights
- Insomniac Games has matured as a developer and is set to deliver the anticipated Marvel's Wolverine soon, and it could potentially becoming their equivalent to Naughty Dog's The Last of Us.
- Insomniac hiring Spec Ops: The Line's writer for Wolverine suggests that fans can expect a serious and impactful story, which could make the game a critical darling for Insomniac Games.
- Insomniac Games has the potential to deliver commercial hits with Marvel's Spider-Man and critical darlings with Marvel's Wolverine, similar to how Naughty Dog found sales success with Uncharted and record-setting award wins with The Last of Us.
While PlayStation Studios is packed with talented developers like Ghost of Tsushima creator Sucker Punch and Santa Monica, the minds behind God of War, two names seem to be brought up the most when discussing the brand’s first party content. First, there is Naughty Dog, a studio renowned for its brilliantly written characters, powerful stories, and cutting edge graphics. Then, there is Insomniac Games, a studio that has become a true workhorse for PlayStation.
While Naughty Dog’s upcoming projects beyond the struggling The Last of Us multiplayer game are unclear, fans have a good idea of what is in the pipeline for Insomniac. After Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 releases later in October, Insomniac is set to deliver a multiplayer game and the heavily anticipated Marvel’s Wolverine. Intriguingly, it seems like the stars could be aligning for Marvel's Wolverine to become Insomniac Games’ equivalent to The Last of Us.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 May Reveal More About Marvel's Wolverine Than Fans Expect
While a cameo from Logan might not be likely, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 could reveal more about Marvel's Wolverine than some fans are expecting.
Marvel’s Wolverine Looks To Be a Mature Game Focused on Storytelling
Beyond being phenomenal developers, Naughty Dog and Insomniac have matured in a similar way. The former started with the child-friendly Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter before moving on to Uncharted and then The Last of Us. The latter rose in prominence with Spyro The Dragon and Ratchet and Clank before releasing games like Sunset Overdrive and Marvel’s Spider-Man. While Insomniac has a bit of experience with mature titles thanks to its Resistance series, Marvel’s Wolverine will be the first time in a while where the developer has focused on an older audience.
Insomniac hiring Spec Ops: The Line’s writer for Marvel's Wolverine suggests that fans are in for an impactful story. Spec Ops: The Line offered a surprisingly strong story that highlighted the darkest aspects of war, elevating the title’s average gameplay due to the good writing. If a similarly serious story is offered in Marvel’s Wolverine that is matched with exceptional gameplay and performances, Insomniac Games could have a critical darling on its hands. Just like The Last of Us brought in hundreds of awards, Insomniac might be set to rack up many achievements with Marvel's Wolverine.
The other side of this comparison is Marvel’s Spider-Man, which feels a lot like Naughty Dog’s Uncharted franchise. Both Uncharted and Marvel's Spider-Man boast T ratings, allowing them to reach the biggest possible audiences via their palatable stories. And while the Marvel’s Spider-Man games are terrific, they do not review quite as well as other PlayStation exclusives like God of War Ragnarok and The Last of Us. Similarly, The Last of Us is where Naughty Dog found unparalleled critical success, even if the Uncharted franchise was a monster in terms of sales and reviewed well itself.
Ultimately, this could be a winning combo for Insomniac Games. While Naughty Dog has retired Uncharted, there was a brief window where it was releasing Uncharted and The Last of Us games back to back. Insomniac Games could end up doing the same with Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Wolverine, delivering commercial hits with the wall-crawler and critical darlings starring Logan. This is not to say that Marvel’s Wolverine will not sell well, but few if any heroes are iconic as Marvel’s Spider-Man, so it will likely remain Insomniac's bestseller. Marvel’s Wolverine could be the place where Insomniac Games really starts to showcase its storytelling chops, just like Naughty Dog did with The Last of Us.
It would be quite the feat if Insomniac Games managed to deliver its best story yet with Marvel’s Wolverine, as the studio has already been incredibly consistent over the last few years. With Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and Spider-Man: Miles Morales elevating the PS5 in its early months, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 now pushing the console to its limits, the studio has been on fire for a long time. Hopefully, the momentum continues with Marvel’s Wolverine. Much like the focus on mature themes allowed Naughty Dog to do new things and tell its best story yet, Marvel’s Wolverine could help Insomniac Games deliver a game unlike anything it has released thus far.
Marvel’s Wolverine is currently in development for PS5.