Summary
- Middle Eastern gamers are concerned that Marvel's Spider-Man 2 may be delayed, censored, or banned in the region as pre-orders have not been opened and the release date is not listed in some countries.
- Middle Eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia, have a history of censoring or banning games, and Final Fantasy 16 remains banned due to LGBTQ+ content.
- While it is not certain if Spider-Man 2 has been blocked or censored, the lack of pre-orders and updates suggest a possible delay, and the possible presence of LGBTQ+ representation in the game could potentially lead to it being banned.
PlayStation 5 gamers in the Middle East say that Marvel's Spider-Man 2 pre-orders haven't opened in the region, prompting concerns that the game could be delayed, censored, or even banned. Pre-orders for Spider-Man 2 opened in mid-June across most of the world. Yet in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait, pre-orders are reported as not having been started. In some cases, Spider-Man 2's October 20 release date isn't listed, either.
Middle Eastern countries, including Saudia Arabia and others, have rules and regulations that have led to many different games being censored or banned within the region. For example, the recently released Final Fantasy 16 remains banned in Saudi Arabia. No official reason has been provided, but it is believed to be due to a gay couple kissing in the game. Square Enix is said to have refused to censor Final Fantasy 16's content so that it could be published in Saudi Arabia.
A post from Twitter account MSM Access has prompted speculation about the state of Spider-Man 2's release in the Middle East. The account claims that Spider-Man 2's release is being delayed in the Middle East because content involving LGBTQ+ representation is being censored to accommodate regional laws. The veracity of these claims has not been verified, however. It isn't certain that Spider-Man 2 has been blocked in the region, nor is it certain that Sony and Insomniac are censoring the game.
What is certain is that pre-orders remain unavailable in Middle Eastern countries for Spider-Man 2. Fans on Reddit and other social media platforms have been frustrated about the situation for over a month now and continue to wait for an official explanation on the matter. While October 20 is still months away, the more time passes without an update, the more likely it is that the game will be delayed, at the very least.
It's unclear at this point in time if Spider-Man 2 features any LGBTQ+ characters, but it doesn't take much to catch the attention of certain Middle Eastern regulators. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was banned in UAE due to two brief moments where a trans pride flag was shown in Gwen Stacy's home. It was not censored in order to be released. A simple pride flag in Spider-Man 2 could easily lead to the game being banned in the region. Recall that the first Spider-Man did feature pride flags.
Insomniac Games has publicly voiced its support for the LGBTQIA+ community in the past, with posts on social media drawing attention to the diversity of its developers. However, it did not make a post regarding LGBT Pride Month this year. It's unclear what may have changed, but it could provide insight into whether Insomniac would be comfortable censoring Spider-Man 2 in order to bring it to more markets.
Spider-Man 2 releases October 20 on PlayStation 5.
Source: VGC