Update 6/12: It has since been clarified by Insomniac that Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a "standalone game."
Original story follows.
One of the most surprising announcements from PlayStation's Future of Gaming event was the reveal of a successor to 2018's Spider-Man for PlayStation 4, only two years after the game's release and as a probable launch title for Sony's upcoming PlayStation 5 console. The big differentiation between PlayStation 4's and PlayStation 5's Spider-Man titles is that this time Insomniac Games is shifting focus away from Peter Parker to focus on another iteration of the web-slinging comic book icon, Miles Morales.
There has been some debate over whether Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a full sequel to Marvel's Spider-Man or a spin-off title, given the game's focus on Miles Morales as the protagonist and seeming reuse of the PlayStation 4 entries' map. Backing this up is that Sony has also previously demonstrated Marvel's Spider-Man running on PS5 during tech demos.
Following the Future of Gaming showcase, Sony has said in an interview that Spider-Man: Miles Morales is an "expansion and enhancement" rather than a full sequel to the 2018 title. Speaking to The Telegraph, EVP Head of European Business at Sony Interactive Entertainment, Simon Rutter, commented on the game, explaining "I guess you could call it an expansion and an enhancement to the previous game." He continued, "There’s a substantial Miles Morales component - which is the expansion element - but also within the game as well there’s been major enhancements to the game and the game engine, obviously deploying some of the major PlayStation 5 technology and features.”
While many have interpreted this to mean that Spider-Man: Miles Morales will be a remaster of the 2018 title with an added Miles Morales story, similar to the recently released Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (which allows players to play through a remaster of the original game along with a newly added epilogue that can be started at any point), it's actually a standalone expansion, similar to PlayStation 4's Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and InFamous: First Light. Both of these titles were built off the engine and assets created for the previous titles in their series, yet were also far shorter and sold at a reduced price.
While details are scarce for certain recently announced PlayStation 5 titles, Sony will likely clarify the true nature of Spider-Man: Miles Morales' release as it continues to reveal more information in the run-up to launch. Until then, the details we know so far are that Spider-Man: Miles Morales will not only bring the story of the PlayStation exclusive series forward, continuing the character's arc that started in the PlayStation 4 title, but the game will also make use of the PS5's SSD to load the open-world city of New York at ultra-fast speeds, along with making use of the DualSense's adaptive triggers and haptic feedback to make you "feel like Spider-Man."
Spider-Man: Miles Morales will release holiday 2020, exclusively for PlayStation 5.
Source: The Telegraph
