Both Marvel’s Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales were great experiences for Spider-Man fans. With a beautifully designed open world filled with easter eggs and superhero stories that fit the characters, there was not much to not love in the two recent Spider-Man games. Marvel's Spider-Man on PS4 in particular moved past the traditional beginnings and backstory that many fans are aware of to put Peter Parker in a more mature spotlight. Faced with the passing of his Aunt May, betrayal from his mentor Dr. Octavius, and becoming a mentor to Miles Morales, Peter was forced to go from a geeky young adult to a responsible and mature superhero.
These changes did not take away any of the fun that came with playing as Spider-Man but added to the atmosphere and quality of the character. This quality stemmed into the Spider-Man: Miles Morales game and has now provided a possible avenue for a unique Spider-Man videogame experience. With two fully-fledged Spiders to choose from the next Spider-Man game could open the door to a co-op Spider-Man adventure.
Insomniac Games Is Hiring For Multiplayer Expertise
With Insomniac Games currently hiring for several positions, it looks like there will be an emphasis on multiplayer in the studio's next game. With positions like Creative Director, Story Lead, Art Director, and a Systems Designer specifically for multiplayer, it might be safe to say not only is this future game ambitious, but it will also be specifically multiplayer focused. While this multiplayer title has not been revealed to the public yet, two of Insomniac Games’ largest series in the last couple of years both have fans clamoring for sequels already.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart has gotten rave reviews and praise for the series' return. With how popular the Lombax and robot duo have been over the years it is not super surprising, especially with Rift Apart being a significant step forward for the PS5 and the franchise. In a similar vein, Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales have set up an amazing universe and story that many fans would like to see expanded on.
With the end of Spider-Man: Miles Morales this expansion could easily come in the form of a multiplayer game. Miles Morales' story is quite independent of Peter Parker and shows that the teenage kid that was a part of the first Spider-Man game on PS4 is ready to be a hero for the world. With the proximity of both Spider-Men to each other, it would feel like a missed opportunity to not have them available as partners and teammates for one another in the series next installment.
Spider-Man 2 Co-op Campaign
From a gameplay perspective, it can be hard to visualize how this exactly would go but there seem to be a few options when considering it. Depending on what the co-op experience’s main purpose is in the game players could see anything from a fully integrated co-op experience to specific missions and quests. With the technological advancements made on PS5 consoles a co-op New York as big as it has been in the past might be a possibility.
With a full co-op campaign, the best approach would probably be an optional one. A constantly available AI could disrupt player immersion but the option for drop-in drop-out co-op in the next Spider-Man title could provide a great experience. This approach would allow players to run main narrative missions solo or with a friend. It would also compliment a story that is split between both Miles Morales and Peter Parker, highlighting each of their struggles and victories along the way.
This diverse experience could allow for independent and larger skill trees for each Spidey as well as side missions that can be played solo aimed at each of the playable characters and their development in the story. In such a scenario there is nothing lost by playing alone or with a friend and the co-op experience could be fully realized as a part of the game. It would also allow for the stories of Miles and Peter to be interconnected in a way that compliments each of their characters and shows their proximity to one another instead of having them separate from each other.
Spider-Man 2 Co-op DLC and Challenges
Other options for multiplayer in the next Spider-Man game might not be as ambitious as a full co-op experience, but could still be a good explanation for the roles that Insomniac Games is currently hiring for. Even if the next Spider-Man game is heavily or entirely focused on Peter Parker's Spider-Man it is likely that it will include Miles in some way due to them being in the same city. It might be a bit hard to explain away the character’s absence from the story, but a good workaround would be optional co-op content.
A co-op multiplayer experience does not need to be integrated into every aspect of the game but there could be certain missions or activities that allow people to play together. Much like the Taskmaster challenges from the first Spider-Man game, there could be new challenges and side quests for friends to work through as teammates. This would still allow the campaign to be entirely single-player while also offering cooperative gameplay for Spider-Man 2.
Similarly, the next Spider-Man game could also include co-op DLC. The DLC for the first Spider-Man on PS4 explored some of Spidey’s classic but lesser villains in a space that was not directly tied to the main story. A similar approach for Miles Morales and Peter Parker DLC could allow for people to play as one of the two characters and work together to stop villains from each of their comics history. While Peter Parker’s Spider-Man has a large gallery of rogues to choose from Miles Morales's newer presence has allowed for some interesting and original introductions in his time as Spider-Man.
Even though fighting each characters’ villains and full co-op multiplayer is somewhat of a wish list it is not bad to be hopeful for some form of co-op in the next Spider-Man game. There is a lot that has been set up and given the amazing experiences that players have already had it would not be surprising to have some curveballs thrown if Spider-Man 2 is announced soon. The last few years have given fans consistent Spider-Man games and movies to enjoy and hopefully, the next game will be announced soon with shiny new features and all.
Marvel's Spider-Man is available now on PS4 and PS5.