The long-awaited sequel to the 2018 Marvel’s Spider-Man by Insomniac Games was officially launched on October 20, 2023. While fans of the franchise are already marveling at the flawless storytelling and gameplay, the possibility of a Venom spinoff is being discussed. The PS5 exclusive is already being fingered as a candidate for the Game of the Year.
There was a teaser at the end of the first game that Harry Osborn was being treated for an incurable disease. It turned out the Venom symbiote was the mysterious cure. After jumping from host to host in Spider-Man 2, Venom was eventually unleashed in Marvel’s New York City.
“I want this to be one of the best Venom stories you’ve ever experienced,” said Jon Paquette, senior narrative director for Spider-Man 2 during an interview with Insider. “We’ll see what the reviewers have to say.”
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Voiced by Tony Todd—most popular for his role as Candyman—Venom has become one of the fan-favorite villains of the franchise. At San Diego Comic-Con, Insomniac’s creative director Bryan Intihar recalled how he settled for Todd as the voice of Venom. Paquette spoke about that incident in his interview with Insider.
“He probably saw a new Candyman trailer or something. He heard the voice and was like, ‘Hey, what about Tony Todd?’ He texted everybody and was like, ‘What do you guys think?’ We’re like, ‘Oh, my God. That would be amazing.’”
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 maximized the power of PS5 with new gameplay mechanics like swapping between Peter and Miles and web wings. The ending of the game sets it up for a spinoff which can either be Miles Morales or Venom.
Venom spinoff will happen if fans request for it
Miles was first introduced in 2018 Spider-Man but got his own spinoff in 2020. Perhaps, that is why some gamers think that a Venom spinoff may also be on the horizon. When asked in the interview with Insider, Paquette said it all depends on what fans want.
“So, here’s what we’re doing,” Paquette said. “We’re focused on ‘Spider-Man 2,’ and what we’re gonna do is we’re gonna wait to see how the fans react. We’re gonna listen to the fans and we’re gonna ask ourselves, ‘Okay, what do the fans really want? We’ll kind of talk about stuff we’ve all had time to sleep and take vacations.”
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According to Paquette, the inspiration for Spider-Man 2 came from Venom’s comic book history—which can also inspire a Venom-centric spinoff.
“Man, I remember as a kid being in my friend’s bedroom reading ‘Secret Wars’ and seeing the origin of the black suit,” Paquette said. “We went from there all the way to the crazy Knull Klyntar kind of stuff. There’s such a rich universe there, and there’s a lot that the comics have done. We tried to take all that in, and then forget about it, and think about what would be best for our characters and our franchise.”
Although Insomnia will continue support for Spider-Man 2, the studio is also working on a Wolverine game for PS5. The standalone title will be directed by Cameron Christian and Brian Horton who played creative leads on Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
Players advised to download Spider-Man 2 launch day patch
The disc version of Spider-Man 2 is playable without online requirements. However, Version 1.001.002 includes significant enhancements and Insomniac has advised those who purchased the physical copy to download the launch day update.
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According to the studio, it “improves the opening sections of the game and includes other general refinements to your Spidey experience, including some additional Accessibility Options”. See the patch note below.
SPIDER-MAN 2 VERSION 1.001.002 NOTES
New Features:
- Vibration Setting: Switch between Experiential, Functional, or None
- Auto Heal: When enabled, if a full Focus Bar is available, use it to automatically heal when under the specified amount of health
- Controller Speaker Mode: Switch between Experiential, Functional, or Off
- High Contrast Perfect Dodge: Apply a high contrast color to the Perfect Dodge effect to improve visual clarity
General Fixes & Polish:
- Improved the visual fidelity of the opening gameplay sequence
- Addressed an issue where the player’s progression could become blocked during the Suit Tutorial
- General polish updates
- Improved performance and stability
- Various additional fixes and improvements
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