Summary
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will be available on PC but has no planned DLC.
- Insomniac's decision to cancel DLC for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 may impact future leaked games like the Venom title.
- Despite canceled DLC, the leaked Venom game may still be in development and could take a different form than expected.
The news of Marvel's Spider-Man 2's impending arrival on PC is one of the deepest-cutting double-edged swords of 2024, as it means the game will now be available on PC with every update it has received so far, but the announcement also included confirmation that Insomniac has no DLC planned for the game. What makes this news so bittersweet is that while Marvel's Spider-Man 2 has the opportunity to provide a much more visually captivating experience on PC and even expand its player base, DLC for the game has been highly anticipated, especially after one of its side stories ended on a cliffhanger and an Insomniac leak in April revealed potential upcoming Beetle and Spider-Verse DLC.
Insomniac has provided no explanation for why it chose not to proceed with releasing DLC for Marvel's Spider-Man 2, which is especially curious considering the first mainline installment received fairly extensive DLC less than two months after its release, and there is so much potential for more story content to be added to the sequel. However, it could be that Insomniac opted to cancel all of its DLC plans for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 following the leak that happened in April, perhaps in a move of defiance against the hackers responsible. Unfortunately, if that's the case, another Insomniac game that was leaked last December might be heading for the chopping block as well.
Marvel's Spider-Man 3's Story Is Already In A Tough Spot
We’re not superstitious or anything, but the old Web-Head doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to a part 3.
Insomniac's Leaked Venom Game May Be on Thin Ice
An Insomniac Game Titled 'Venom: Lethal Protector' Was Leaked Last December
Last December, Insomniac Games became the victim of a massive leak, revealing the developer's plans to release several games over nearly the following decade. Included in that list of games was a Venom-led game supposedly called Venom: Lethal Protector, which was presumed to pick up after the events of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and possibly offer players an experience akin to Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Unfortunately, the Venom game might be on thin ice due to it being a leak, like its counterpart Marvel's Spider-Man 2 DLC that was canceled with the game's PC launch announcement.
Insomniac's Decision to Cancel Leaked DLC Might Affect Its Plans for a Venom Game
One of the most worrying revelations about Insomniac canceling DLC for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is that the same decision could be made about other leaked titles as well, including the Venom game. What ultimately makes decisions like this much easier for the developer is that titles like this haven't even been announced or officially confirmed yet, so Insomniac could get away with scrapping things that are still only in their initial stages of development. However, if the Venom project is real and a full-sized game, Insomniac would surely think twice before tossing it in the shredder.
The main thing that would potentially keep the leaked Venom game afloat is that Marvel's Spider-Man 3 and Marvel's Wolverine were both leaked as well, and the chances of Insomniac canceling those titles are basically non-existent. It's possible the developer saw Marvel's Spider-Man 2's DLC as inconsequential to its future plans for the franchise, so canceling those didn't mean as much as cancelling two of its biggest upcoming games. Even so, the outlier here is the presumed Carnage DLC, as the leaked DLC featuring Beetle and the Spider-Verse isn't set up in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 to the extent that Carnage is, meaning the villain would need to either appear in the Venom game or Marvel's Spider-Man 3 to properly bring Spider-Man 2's "The Flame" subplot to a close.
At the very least, it's worth considering Marvel's Spider-Man 2's PC announcement as including news of something other than "canceled DLC," since DLC that has never been officially confirmed can't technically be canceled. In light of that, it could be that Insomniac's leaked Venom title is still very much on the way. It may just come in a different form than what has been expected up to this point.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 88 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- October 20, 2023
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Drug Reference, Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Insomniac Games
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
Spider-Men Peter Parker and Miles Morales face the ultimate test of strength inside and outside the mask as they fight to save the city, each other and the ones they love, from the monstrous Venom and the dangerous new symbiote threat.
Explore an expansive Marvel’s New York with faster web-swinging and the all-new Web Wings, quickly switching between Peter and Miles to experience different stories, epic new abilities and high-tech gear.
Wield Peter’s symbiote abilities and Miles’ explosive bio-electric powers in battle against new and iconic Marvel Super Villains – including an original take on a symbiote-infused Venom, the ruthless Kraven the Hunter, the volatile Lizard, and more from the Marvel Rogues’ Gallery.
- Engine
- Insomniac Engine v.4.0
- Franchise
- Spider-Man
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action-Adventure, Superhero
- How Long To Beat
- 17 hours
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
