E3 Countdown: Marvel’s Spider-Man

In the lead-up to E3, we’re counting down with our most anticipated titles. You can find out when all the press conferences are taking place in Australian/NZ times HERE.

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Amazing superhero games are hard to come by (pun intended). In a market where the most recent example is Rocksteady’s Arkham franchise and Netherrealm’s Injustice titles, Sony’s E3 conference last year showed us that our favorite webslinger might finally be in for a similar treatment!

Rumored to be developed by Sucker Punch for several months, Insomniac’s Spider-Man first made its appearance at Sony’s E3 conference last year with a surprise reveal. The rumors prior to the conference sounded far-fetched to many, as a PS4-exclusive Spider-Man seemed rather unlikely. But near the end of what was one of Sony’s strongest conferences in years, we finally got a look at what could be the next big thing in the superhero genre.

Spider-Man’s appearance during Sony’s conference this year is pretty much a lock in our opinion. With Spider-Man: Homecoming coming out in just over a month and the probable lack of yet another Gamescom conference in Cologne, Insomniac’s silence is bound to be ended after a year since the initial reveal.

There are a lot of factors to weigh in regarding the possible release date of the game. The first is obviously how far the game is actually going along production-wise. Sunset Overdrive, for reference, was released just over a year after its initial announcement and the last installment in the Resistance trilogy had a turnaround time of about 2 years. Until we see more of the game it’ll obviously be hard to judge, but knowing Insomniac they most likely haven’t been slouching on the work floor.

Another thing to remember is the release schedule itself. Unless Sony/Insomniac catch us by surprise, a 2017 release is looking unlikely. With various marketing deals in place for the holidays and Gran Turismo Sport most likely filling Sony’s flagship slot among that war zone of titles, a 2018 release is pretty much a lock. As to when in 2018? A possible candidate is Horizon’s late February/early March release slot, which would make a lot of sense considering it would be an ideal marketing opportunity since Marvel’s Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War hit theaters around this period.

Obviously, this isn’t the first time we’re seeing an open-world Spider-Man game, but this is the chance for the IP to evolve into a much more engaging and interactive experience. An alive open world, engaging traversal/combat and a stronger storyline could show us the real potential of an interactive Marvel universe.

Of course, what does this all mean? Of course, we want to see Spider-Man fight his ever-so-epic rogue gallery, but combined needs to be refined greatly in order to give players an experience that is both challenging and non-repetitive. Take a look at the combat of the Arkham franchise, which honestly set the bar quite high for the genre when it was introduced years ago. Now take that depth and add Spider-Man’s web slinging and wall crawling into the mix.

Lastly, a good story. We know, good gameplay is the most important to many, but why not have the best of both worlds? There is tons and tons of source material to choose from, and with Insomniac bringing their original take on the character to the table, they have the perfect opportunity to work some of their magic on the Spider-Man universe!