An executive of Marvel may have let slip that the PlayStation 4 exclusive Spider-Man being developed by Insomniac Games will be released this year.
Spider-Man, one of the biggest surprises in last year's E3, is being primed as Marvel's answer to the Batman: Arkham franchise developed by Rocksteady. There has been no release date yet for the game, but it would seem that it is coming sooner than later.
'Spider-Man' For PlayStation 4 To Be Released This Year?
In a clip that was posted to Neogaf, Marvel Digital Media VP and executive editor Ryan Penagos revealed that Spider-Man will be launched this year.
"There's even more on the horizon for 2017, like Spider-Man coming to PlayStation 4 and Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite coming to Xbox One, PS4, Windows PC," said Penagos in the clip.
Spider-Man being planned for a release this year would be good timing for the video game, as Spider-Man: Homecoming is set to hit theaters in July. The film is also a collaboration between Marvel and Sony, and so the companies might be looking to maintain interest in the franchise by releasing the game within months of the movie.
However, while these clues may seem like strong hints that Spider-Man will be coming to the PlayStation 4 this year, there are a few holes. For one thing, it is unclear where the clip of Penagos was taken from, and it is also not known how old the video is.
The user who posted the clip on Neogaf connected the video with a tweet by Penagos last week wherein he said that he will have a meeting related to Spider-Man. However, Insomniac community and marketing lead James Stevenson clarified that the clip is months old, and that no release time frame has been announced for Spider-Man.
Sony, meanwhile, said that the company does not comment on rumors or speculation.
'Spider-Man' For PlayStation 4 Details
Not much is known so far about Spider-Man aside from what was revealed in its announcement trailer at E3 2016. The trailer confirmed that it would be Peter Parker behind the mask of the webslinger and not Miles Morales, and that he sounds mature compared to the teen version played by Tom Holland that was first seen last year in Captain America: Civil War.
That fact was confirmed by Insomniac, claiming that Spider-Man will feature a more experienced version of the superhero. As such, the developer will not have to feature another origin story and can dive straight into the action in the upcoming game.
An older Spider-Man means that Insomniac will be able to choose any story, though the trailer hints that the main villain in Spider-Man will be Mr. Negative, a relative newcomer to the franchise. In addition, a more battle-hardened Spider-Man will mean more powerful abilities that players will need to harness.
Spider-Man will likely be featured in this year's E3, and perhaps a release date will be revealed at the event. While Insomniac Games and Sony refused to comment further on the matter, the companies never said that Spider-Man will not be launched this year, so perhaps this is just a case of having players wait for an official announcement.
