Insomniac Games may be shifting tone from the all-ages Marvel's Spider-Man series, instead opting for a mature "Hard R" rating for Marvel's Wolverine. The announcement of a Wolverine game from Insomniac raised a lot of questions. Wolverine, one of Marvel's most popular characters and a key member of the X-Men, is known for being a very violent figure. Insomniac and many Sony first-party exclusives, however, have historically trended toward PG-13 experiences.
While comic books may not be as popular as they used to be in the 90s, Wolverine is a well-known figure in pop culture due in large part to multiple major films. In both comics and film, Wolverine has bounced between blood-less action stories designed for all ages and more intense and violent stories designed purely for adults. The X-Men films, including X-Men Origins: Wolverine, are all PG-13, while Logan is rated R. He can fit both styles, as contradictory as that may seem.
Insomniac may be leaning more toward Logan than X-Men Origins: Wolverine, according to a new report from Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb. Grubb says that he's heard Insomniac will be targeting a "Hard R" rating for Marvel's Wolverine. In terms of video game ratings, that would be equivalent to the ESRB's M rating. Grubb mentions the possibility of Wolverine's claws leading to dismemberment, which would certainly fall into "M for Mature" territory.
This isn't a decision that Insomniac is being forced into, of course. While there will certainly be a segment of fans that argue a Wolverine game has to be rated R, Grubb points to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order as a game that manages to deliver violent action while maintaining an all-ages tone. Lightsabers, for example, will leave scorch marks on enemies but don't decapitate, like they do in the movies. Wolverine's claws could easily do similar like they have in many Marvel fighting and action games.
As for further details about the Wolverine game, Grubb says he's heard Insomniac's game will start prior to Wolverine joining the X-Men. He isn't sure if that will change during the game or not, though. Considering the X-Men have yet to be established in Insomniac's Marvel universe, Wolverine could prove to be an entry point for future mutant storylines.
While some Wolverine fans may leap to the assumption that Insomniac's game could be incredibly bloody and brutal, that isn't necessarily true. Insomniac's Marvel's Spider-Man series is already tonally very heavy. It would be easy to imagine it being rated M with just a few different design decisions or brutal cinematic sequences. Wolverine may be similar, rated M due to its story's subject matter rather than bloody combat. Odds are, fans will be hearing more about Insomniac's plans for Wolverine before long.
Marvel's Wolverine is in development for PS5.