Fans of superhero games, rejoice. Insomniac Games, in a clear attempt to live up its name, aren't just tackling the web-slinger anymore. During the September 2021 PlayStation Showcase, Insomniac Games announced not just one but two new superhero games that PlayStation owners can look forward to playing. One of these announcements is that Insomniac Games is working on Marvel's Wolverine. The other is Marvel's Spider-Man 2, a game starring Peter Parker and Miles Morales that also introduces Venom to the game universe.
Sony was clear to stress that Marvel's Wolverine is very early in development for the PS5, possibly even being the farthest-out PlayStation exclusive game that we know about right now. Still, Insomniac Games has an excellent track record so there's no denying that this could end up being one of the best PS5 games available. Here's what you need to know about Marvel's Wolverine.
What is Marvel's Wolverine?
Marvel's Wolverine is an upcoming superhero game being developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Insomniac Games has already proven it can handle Spider-Man with the 2018 launch of Marvel's Spider-Man and the 2020 standalone expansion Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Marvel's Wolverine is a "standalone game" according to the developers, meaning it won't be an expansion pack, DLC or add-on to any other existing or upcoming Spider-Man title.
In the words of PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst, "Insomniac are on fire."
While the team behind Marvel's Spider-Man is working on Marvel's Spider-Man 2, the team behind Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales has begun work on Marvel's Wolverine. This includes creative director Brian Horton and game director Cameron Christian. Also joining this team is Drew Murray, a designer who has worked at Insomniac Games before on titles like Sunset Overdive, as well as on Xbox Game Studio The Initiative's Perfect Dark reboot.
The game was initially by Sony and Insomniac Games to Marvel, after Wolverine kept coming up in conversations while the teams worked on the Spider-Man games. Insomniac Games is abundantly clear via PlayStation Blog that Marvel's Wolverine is "very early" in development.
Insomniac also notes that one of the reasons the team wanted to make a game about Wolverine is that, much like Spider-Man, he feels "...deeply compelled to defend people who are less able to do so." Given that he has six adamantium-coated claws, a healing factor and a taste for alcohol, he's just a lot rougher about it.
Marvel's Wolverine is confirmed to take a mature tone with a focus on story, so it's likely the game will be M-rated.
Marvel's Wolverine trailers
The initial teaser trailer for Marvel's Wolverine was unveiled during the September 2021 PlayStation Showcase. You can check it out below.
While there isn't a lot to go on, there are some fun easter eggs, like the license plate on the wall in the bar. It says "HLK181," which is a direct reference to Hulk Issue #181 and marked the first appearance of Wolverine in a comic book.
Is Marvel's Wolverine a PS5 exclusive?
According to PlayStation, Marvel's Wolverine and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 are coming exclusively to the PS5. It's worth noting that some other PlayStation games like Horizon Forbidden West and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales were initially announced only for the PS5 before PS4 versions were later revealed. With that in mind, given how much later in the PS5's lifecycle these two new titles from Insomniac Games are launching, it's overwhelmingly likely that these truly are being made only for the PS5.
Games built for the PS5 can take advantage of a number of unique features, like the DualSense haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. Visuals can be pushed further with the inclusion of 60 FPS modes, as well as ray tracing. Games also load much, much more quickly than on PS4 thanks to the PS5's ultra-fast SSD.
Another example of how this game can take advantage of the PS5 can be seen in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, which was also developed by Insomniac Games. This PS5 exclusive used the console's processing power to quickly move characters through detailed environments, loading levels super-quickly.
It's worth noting that Sony has been more open to bringing older games to PC, meaning in theory we could eventually see this game come to PC. We wouldn't expect this to happen anytime soon after it launches though.
Is Marvel's Wolverine canon with Marvel's Spider-Man?
Right now, Insomniac Games seems to be implying that Marvel's Wolverine takes place in the same universe as the Spider-Man games. It has not been explicitly confirmed but wouldn't be surprising since these games are being developed and published by the same studio in partnership with Marvel.
"Being able to build a new, original universe with Spider-Man and now Wolverine is such an honor for so many of us at Insomniac Games," writes Ryan Schneider, head of franchise strategy and studio relations at Insomniac Games.
This wording implies that we could see cameos from Peter Parker, Miles Morales, or other characters in the existing Spider-Man games show up during this new adventure with Wolverine.
When is Marvel's Wolverine release date set for?
Marvel's Wolverine does not have a release date right now, or even a release window. Because the game is in very early development, we're not expecting it to arrive for a while yet. Given how Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is set to launch at some point in 2023, a good guess might be that Marvel's Wolverine is coming in 2024 but we emphasize that this is just a guess.
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