In recent years, the Spider-Verse has dominated Spider-Man media, both on the big screen and in the comics. Various comic book crossovers have seen Spider-Men and Spider-Women from different realities working together to battle a major threat, while the brilliantly crafted Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse managed to pair up several Spiders while simultaneously giving Miles Morales an origin story. With Spider-Man: No Way Home bringing all the live action Spideys together, and making a few billion dollars at the box office, it is hard to deny that the idea has worked well.
However, the Spider-Verse is becoming a bit oversaturated, so keeping it limited to movies and comics for the time being would be ideal. Insomniac can tell plenty of grounded stories about its two heroes for now, with several villains and classic comic runs left to adapt. A few games down the road, though, Insomniac may have interest in exploring the Spider-Verse to shake things up. A Spider-Verse-focused Marvel's Spider-Man game would have a major advantage beyond multiple Spider-People with diverse movesets: unique versions of New York City.
Each of Insomniac’s Spideys Can Have Their Own New York to Play in
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will be set in New York, and given the power of the PlayStation 5, players could find themselves swinging through an incredibly detailed version of the city. However, assuming that the next game perfects the webhead’s typical playground, returning to that area yet again in future sequels could start to feel boring. The law of diminishing returns is very much present in the realm of video games, as players can only explore the same setting for so long before getting bored.
However, like with other Marvel characters, New York is integral to Spider-Man’s identity. Peter Parker and Miles Morales both have deep ties to the city, so plucking them out of it would be a bold move that would undoubtedly frustrate fans. Fortunately, the Spider-Verse opens up an opportunity for Insomniac to create several versions of New York that keep the same basic layout while boasting hugely different visuals.
For example, Nueva York from Spider-Man 2099’s comics could make for a brilliant open world setting, as fans only saw a fraction of the futuristic locale in games like Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. The style of 2099 would result in civilians with a very different fashion sense, and the same can be said for the villains and regular enemy types. New versions of Spider-Man’s goblins could be fun to see, while battling foes with never-before-seen tech could result in new challenges.
This example extends to the other Spider-People as well. Dipping into a silly world like that of Spider-Rex or Spider-Ham via the portal tech from Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart could be hilarious, while a more permanent stay in Spider-Man Noir or Spider-Gwen’s New York Cities would be viable. The former’s could be covered in a black and white filter and feature vehicles from several decades ago, while the latter’s neon purple aesthetic would be very different from the realistic lighting in the traditional NYC.
Giving the existing New York map a visual makeover would likely be easier for Insomniac Games than designing an entirely fresh open world with a new map layout, but it could still feel like a completely different game due to how unique the other dimensions look. While fans may be a bit burnt out on the Spider-Verse currently, a decade from now it could be a very attractive option for the video game franchise.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is currently in development for PS5.