Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man: The Great Web Honestly Could’ve Been, Uh, Great
Insomniac Games must be going through a world of hell right now.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 ended up being one of the costlier games in development, over $300 million. It managed to make that money back thanks to savvy marketing and all, but still…imagine the pressure from that.
Not to mention the leak where Wolverine got revealed, along with other assets. Assets that you worked on protecting and what-not.
And then there’s the Sweet Baby Inc. thing and the fact that Mary Jane doesn’t quite look…right? I can’t imagine, with all this, how much the company is going through.
But then there’s that interesting angle that makes you wonder, “Wait, why didn’t this happen?” And that’s what Spider-Man: The Great Web is.
A trailer for the game got leaked today (you can find it easily on X or elsewhere), and it looks…good? It’s essentially a five player Spider-Man co-op themed game where you hunt down villains and take down bad guys together, all while also taking part in other activities.
The game was reportedly cancelled, though a reason wasn’t given as to why. My guess is that Sony was worried about the bath it would take on profits, even though it’s seemingly all in on live-service games anyway. So, yeah, your guess is as good as mine.
But, honestly, the idea of a Spider-Man multiplayer game is pretty neat. Imagine trying to compete for high scores to clear out enemies, or doing tricks to try and give yourself a boost. Or, hey, racing to get groceries for someone and trying to get to their door first. Little things like that.
And imagine the possibilities that could’ve come from introducing Spider-Man: No Way Home DLC. Like having Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man and even Tom Holland’s Spider-Man take part. Hell, why not Venom while we’re at it?
Alas, it never happened. I’m not sure if the Insomniac leak had something to do with it, or Sony didn’t think it would “pan out.” But honestly, I think I would’ve played it and likely enjoyed it with the right battle group. Hell, imagine how much wilder it would’ve been if you could play the villain.
Now I kinda want it again. I’m not nuts, am I?
Anyway, the trailer is making the rounds, I won’t share it here because, who knows, it’ll likely be taken down. But when you see it, you’ll get an idea of where you’re coming from.
Sometimes all it takes to “be greater” is a good idea. I think Insomniac had one here.
Hope you guys are having a great week! Thanks for reading.
