There is a massive amount of detail packed into Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Tons of New York City landmarks are present, like the Manhattan Bridge, Battery Park, Madison Square Garden, the Guggenheim Museum, and dozens of others. There are so many details in fact, that one would be forgiven for missing some Easter eggs, like monuments to lost Marvel icons Stan Lee and Chadwick Boseman. One crucial part of the overall look of New York City's skyline is missing from Miles Morales’ solo adventure, however.
The recreation of New York City presented in Insomniac’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and its predecessor Spider-Man is incredibly accurate. Not only did both games nail the big assets of the city like Central Park and the Empire State Building, but Miles Morales also homes in on smaller details like the feel of local bodegas and the lively cultural scene of Spanish Harlem.
Many fans who are familiar with NYC’s skyline noticed a glaring omission while swinging around in Miles Morales: the Chrysler Building. This art deco skyscraper was completed in 1930 and has remained an enduring icon of the city. The Chrysler Building has been featured in all three live-action Spider-Man movie series, multiple MCU films, and even more non-Marvel related video games. The building was featured in Spider-Man on the PS4, and is still present in the PS5 remaster. However, according to a recent interview from Game Informer, copyright issues are the reason why the building didn’t make it into Miles Morales.
What happened before the release of Spider-Man: Miles Morales is that the Chrysler Building changed ownership from the Abu Dhabi Investment Council and Tishman Speyer Properties to SIGNA Group and RFR Holding LLC. Abu Dhabi and Tishman Speyer may have been easier to work with given the frequency at which the building can be seen in media, but it seems SIGNA Group is much more protective of its newfound property.
Insomniac Games’ community director James Stevenson told Game Informer that the studio did try to obtain the rights to use the skyscraper’s likeness for Miles Morales, but were unable to do so. While the game may be short one real-life landmark, its version of NYC is by no means short on skyscrapers, as the title has its own fictional towers for Oscorp and the Avengers, as well as Roxxon - sworn enemy of Miles Morales' new gang on block, the Underground.
Even without the landmark of the Chrysler Building and a shorter length when compared to Spider-Man on PS4, there is still plenty to do and see when players complete the game, including hunting for some cool secrets that a lot of players may have missed.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales is available now for PS4 and PS5.
Source: Game Informer