Players Have to Wait Longer for Follow-Up on Spider-Man 2’s Most Promising Tease
A disappointing but understandable development for one of 2023’s most beloved games.
Spider-Man 2, the biggest PlayStation game of 2023, left some promising story breadcrumbs in its side missions. The exciting tease of fan-favorite villains seemed like fertile ground for future story expansions if developer Insomniac Games were to follow up. But unfortunately, the Burbank-based developer confirmed that there are currently no plans to do so.
During New York Comic Con, alongside the announcement that Spider-Man 2 will release on PC January 30, 2025, Insomniac Games clarified that there’s no additional DLC in the works for either version of the game.
“While we have no additional story content planned for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, we’re delighted to bring all of our previously released post-launch content to the PC version, including New Game Plus, new suits and color variants, Photo Mode features, and more,” a message from Insomniac Senior Community Manager Aaron Jason Espinoza reads on the PlayStation Blog.
As it stands, all post-launch plans for 2023’s Spider-Man 2 have been completed.
Insomniac never confirmed that a DLC was in the works for Spider-Man 2. But several parts of the base game suggested an announcement could be imminent. To skip spoilers, jump ahead to the next paragraph. Not only were two major villains teased in Carnage and Chameleon at the end of specific side missions, but a post-credits scene introduced Cindy Moon, a character who eventually becomes the Spider-hero named Silk in the comics.
There were even some hints outside of the game’s plot. Earlier this year, a game patch accidentally gave players access to a developer debug menu that seemed to tease DLC related to a “Beetle Villain Arc” in the future.
2018’s Spider-Man had a total of three expansion packs, each of which followed-up on story threads left open at the end of the main game. Those expansions were also followed by an interquel in Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which fleshed out the post-credits tease of the then-side character getting spider-powers of his own. It’s safe to say most players expected the developer to follow a similar post-launch plan for the sequel.
Last year’s devastating Insomniac leaks provided some insight into why DLC may not be happening. For one, the developer has a lot on its plate. They’re currently working on the already announced Wolverine game, another Spider-Man sequel, and a new entry in the Ratchet and Clank series.
Players will have to wait until the release of the inevitable Spider-Man 3 for follow-ups on the second game’s most excited story threads.
Despite its overwhelming success with Spider-Man 2, the broader industry downturn has also impacted Insomniac. In February, the developer announced that they were one of the studios hit when PlayStation laid off eight percent of its global workforce.
It’s easy to understand why Insomniac is moving on from Spider-Man 2. But it is a bummer for players. The game released to critical acclaim last year. Any excuse to jump back into the boots of the two web-slingers would have been exciting, and a story centered around some new villains would’ve have been the perfect reason to do so. It’s also disappointing as it means we’ll likely not get narrative follow-through on everything Spider-Man 2 sets up until a proper sequel is completed years from now.
For players who haven’t jumped into Spider-Man 2 since last October, there’s a few fun added features that would make a second playthrough a great time even without the promise of story DLC. The aforementioned New Game Plus means maxing out Spidey’s upgrades for high difficulties. There are also some new costumes, photo mode options, and the ability to change the time of day for those who just love hanging out in Insomniac’s stunning recreation of New York City.
