Highlights

  • Marvel's Spider-Man 2's marketing campaign has been minimal, with only a few trailers released.
  • Insomniac's shift from developing Marvel's Spider-Man 2 to Marvel's Wolverine suggests that the heavier lifting on the former title is now complete, potentially impacting the possibility of post-launch DLC for Marvel's Spider-Man 2.
  • The absence of any mention of a story expansion in Marvel's Spider-Man 2's pre-order and special edition bonuses hints at the unlikely inclusion of DLC, although developers may be staying tight-lipped to avoid spoilers.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 hasn’t had the extravagant marketing campaign thus far that many fans would want from it. Only a couple of trailers have been released and of varying lengths, though it seems like a lot has already been revealed about the game and its story. There was also a gameplay reveal that clocked in at nearly 11 minutes and surprisingly showcased the Lizard, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s parry mechanic, and Peter’s symbiote-suited gameplay. The game releases next month, though, and development on Marvel’s Wolverine seems to be in full force soon.

Official news hasn’t arrived to clarify how far into production Marvel’s Wolverine is right now, but Insomniac senior cinematic animator Tommy Mann recently announced his excitement about transitioning from the development of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to Marvel’s Wolverine, which suggests that the heavier lifting on the former title is now complete. There’s no telling how many others are making the same transition and this could admittedly have no impact on Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s development. However, it might potentially spell bad news for fans hoping to see a post-launch DLC for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

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Why Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is Unlikely to Feature DLC Now

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Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Marvel’s Wolverine seem to be sharing a lot of Insomniac’s workforce, and that would be great news for fans of Insomniac’s web-slinging franchise. It’s also unclear if both games share a universe or continuity, with speculation on both sides making fair arguments.

Either way, the only issue that would arise from Insomniac spreading its developers thin between both games is the idea that post-launch DLC for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 appears to be absent from its marketing, and if developers are already departing from it to work on Marvel’s Wolverine it hardly seems likely that a proper story expansion like Marvel’s Spider-Man’s The City That Never Sleeps DLC will come to Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Indeed, Marvel’s Spider-Man fans knew that this Black Cat-centric DLC was in the works before the base game was released, thanks to the game’s special editions including it in their associable bonuses.

This let fans get excited about a post-launch story pack with episodic installments, which also made the base game’s Black Cat Stakeout missions an amusing preface before actually getting to see and interact with her in the DLC. Therefore, the first nail in the coffin for potential Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 DLC was hammered when the sequel’s own pre-order and special edition bonuses were laid out and none of them mentioned anything about a story expansion.

Still, it’s not unheard of for developers to stay somewhat tight-lipped about post-launch content in development—Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion is evidence of that, as is its continued development. There is a slight chance that Insomniac has plans for DLC that would spoil Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 if announced early, and knowing how massive its fanbase and popularity are there’s truly no need for Insomniac to reveal anything early as a result. This is probably also why promotional material has been fairly light since Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s initial teaser, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see only a couple more trailers until launch.

Unfortunately, though, with Marvel’s Wolverine’s development seemingly moving forward, the chances of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 getting a post-launch, story-driven DLC diminish unless there are still enough developers retained to work on that. In the meantime, it’s currently unknown what Insomniac’s plans are for its bustling Marvel endeavors.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 launches on October 20, exclusively for PS5.

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