'Spider-Man 2' PS5 leaks tease 2021 release date and expanded New York map

Marvel’s Spider-Man for PlayStation 4 was nothing short of a slam dunk, and the fact that Sony subsequently acquired its developer, Insomniac Games, essentially confirms a sequel is in the works. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but past chatter suggested Spider-Man 2 could arrive sometime in 2021. Now, an alleged leak has predicted when gamers should expect to hear about the sequel and some of the improvements coming to the series.

When could Spider-Man 2 be released?

Redditor /u/v17447377 claims he heard from a source “close to Insomniac” that Sony is targeting the holiday season of 2021 for its release date, with a reveal trailer coming in 2020. That would mean Spider-Man 2 wouldn’t be a PlayStation 5 launch title, like previous rumors suggested, but it could be teased at the console’s reveal to excite gamers about the future.

What will be new in Spider-Man 2?

Spider-Man for the PS4 gave players free roam of Manhattan, and the sequel will allegedly up the ante.

The leak claims Spider-Man 2 will let gamers swing and parkour through virtual renditions of other New York City boroughs, like Queens and Brooklyn. The original game’s map ended on the waterfronts and bridges surrounding Manhattan, so opening these areas would be incredibly satisfying.

Secondly, there’s allegedly a “Diablo-esque dungeon mechanic” coming to the sequel. In the first Spider-Man, a lot of the side-missions stuck to a similar, “take out these ten waves of baddies” format, only changing up the locations. That might be completely revamped in the sequel, according to the leaker:

“A bank robbery might occur, but it will differ in enemy placement, different type of combat encounter (stealth or traditional combat), different types of enemies, different combat layout and mini objectives etc,” wrote /u/v17447377. “This will be featured all throughout the games crime system. Varying each encounter for a high replay-ability.”

What will the Spider-Man 2 story be like?

The details on what the sequel’s story might be like were scant, and not particularly shocking in light of the first game.

The leaker said Oscorp would be a major part of the plot, which became clear towards the end of Spider-Man. In a level where players take control of Mary Jane Watson to break into the Oscorp building, they find a prototype mask, blueprints for a hover craft, and three purple grenades. These are all pretty obvious hints that Norman Osborn will soon become Green Goblin.

Norman’s son, Harry is also battling a terminal illness at the end of the first game. His father places him inside of a stasis chamber with a black, web-like substance encasing his body. The black goo is extremely similar to the symbiote fans have seen in the Spider-Man comics and films, which brings Venom to life.

So two big villains might stem directly from Oscorp, based on what Insomniac hinted at through the story. The leaks claim Spider-Man 2 will hint at a “larger Marvel Universe,” which is also intriguing.

Should we trust this information?

There’s nothing to verify the Redditor’s claims besides their word, which isn’t exactly reassuring. But this same account did correctly predict that a Resident Evil 3 Remake would happen before it was announced at Sony’s December 2019 State of Play event.

That could have been a lucky guess. The Resident Evil 2 Remake outsold the original 1997 by the end of 2019, plus producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi told Game Watch in January 2019 that he’d consider revamping RE3 if the RE2 Remaster was well received.

The Redditor could have put the pieces together and made a lucky guess, but at least they have a positive track record for predictions.

Spider-Man 2 has yet to be confirmed but will most likely be released for the PS5… eventually.