Marvel's Spider-Man was a massive success among fans and critics alike, and many gamers have been eagerly awaiting the next time that they'll be able to web-sling through New York City. Although it hasn't been confirmed, the cliffhanger that Marvel's Spider-Man left off on, combined with the popularity of the game, all but guarantees that there will be a sequel on PS5. Spider-Man: Miles Morales already served as a pretty solid litmus test for how Insomniac's Spider-Man formula translates to the newest generation of gaming, so now it's just a matter of dialing up the scale for a full-fledged next-gen title.
Superhero games have certainly come a long way since being occasionally mediocre movie tie-ins, and Marvel's Spider-Man represents this shift in a handful of different ways. The prospect of continuing the story that Insomniac set up would likely be enough to make Spider-Man 2 one of the most highly-anticipated superhero games in a long time. The excitement doesn't stop there however, and it comes from the fact that Spider-Man 2 has the potential to be the first big superhero game of the newest generation of gaming.
The Power of PS5 Hardware
When the power of the PS5's hardware was first being put on display, Marvel's Spider-Man served as a key example for the system's load times and graphical capabilities. Now that the system is officially released and games are evolving along with it, Spider-Man 2 on PS5 has the opportunity to really take advantage of the new hardware. Spider-Man's New York City was already impressive on many levels, but the ray tracing and enhanced processing capabilities of the PS5 could make the game's world even more immersive. The game has the opportunity to be a technological marvel, for the PS5 and hero games as a whole.
The Rise of Insomniac
As far as most game developers are concerned, Insomniac Games has been riding high for the last couple of years. Ever since its acquisition by Sony in 2019, the studio has been at the forefront of Sony's suite of exclusive developers. The studio's most recent release, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, has given gamers a solid idea of what to expect from Spider-Man 2. The game's portal mechanic alone shows how impressive the processing speed of the PS5 is, and how willing Insomniac is to break new ground. Applying Rift Apart's portal mechanics to Spider-Man 2 could make for some excellent gameplay opportunities, cementing the game as a truly next-gen experience.
The Star Power of Spider-Man
Now that superhero games are on a level comparable to most other triple-A games, there's a multitude of other games that may come out before Spider-Man 2 does. Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League are two of the biggest hero titles that have been revealed for next-gen so far, but Insomniac's follow up might still have one thing over both of them. Even if it turns out that both games release before Spider-Man 2, the immense popularity of Spider-Man as a character could be enough to make it the first truly massive next-gen superhero title. He's one of the most recognizable faces in comics, and it could be enough to catapult Spider-Man 2 over any potential competitors.
Considering how little news there is around the follow up to Marvel's Spider-Man, it's hard to say when Spider-Man 2 will release. The excitement around the sequel is certainly understandable, as the next generation of gaming has already produced some excellent games. Spider-Man 2 finds itself in a particularly good position thanks to the team at Insomniac, and the technology of the PS5 has already proved capable of delivering a breathtaking gaming experience. Fans will just have to exercise some patience until they can swing through the streets of New York City in a whole new way.
Marvel's Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales are available now for PS4 and PS5. A sequel has not been officially announced.