2 Attachment(s)
Spider-Man PS4 Could Launch A Marvel Games Universe
With the impending release of the Spider-Man PS4 game, gamers have started asking questions about the possibility of the title being the launching pad for a Marvel Game Universe. Marvel Games executive creative director Bill Rosemann couldn’t confirm anything, but he isn’t ruling out the possibility either.
For years, Marvel Games has struggled putting out titles that fans love – all while the same characters populating the video games are making waves on the big screen via the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And given the wasted opportunity for both Marvel divisions to thrive at the same time by doing cross-promotions, it was clear that significant changes needed to be made for the video game department to perform at the same level as the MCU. Now, Marvel Games is all hands on deck for the upcoming Insomniac Spider-Man title that could be the game-changer they’ve all been waiting for.
Speaking with The Telegraph about the game, Marvel veteran Rosemann opened up about his two-decade stint with the company, his latest project, the upcoming Spider-Man title and how it could potentially be the start of their own gaming universe similar to how Kevin Feige built the MCU. Despite Rosemann being coy about it, reiterating that he doesn’t “want to put the cart before the horse,” it’s difficult to believe that all the fun references in the gameplay won’t mean anything more down the line. That said, the creative director is taking it slow, focusing on the task at hand first – exactly how their cinematic counterpart started its franchise.
“There was. I mean, they tacked on that Nick Fury scene at the end of Iron Man but did anyone think it would culminate in The Avengers? Or now Avengers Infinity War? That was a pipe dream. The first intention was, let’s just make the best Iron Man movie. We’re approaching it the same way. This is going to be hard enough. Let’s just make the best Spider-Man game. Let’s do that. The rest will take care of itself. Who knows what the future holds? We just want to make sure each individual game is awesome, is great. Again we don’t want to trap people and contain people. We want to give them freedom.
This is Marvel’s New York. This is a Marvel game. It’s not in a bubble. It is the New York that you want Spider-Man in. So yeah, uh, if you’re a Marvel fan coming to play this game you’ll see familiar names and logos and locations and we’re lucky that you’ll see, oh, that is the Sanctum Sanctorum?! It’s not going to be a focus but you’ll be able to swing by it. You’ll feel like, this isn’t just any New York City, I’m in the Marvel universe. This is Marvel’s New York. There will be a lot of elements that will make you feel like it’s part of a larger story.”
The in-development Avengers game at Square Enix opens up the opportunity for the two video games to eventually crossover and start the trend, but Rosemann remains tightlipped about the matter, saying that he’d rather focus on Spider-Man right now. However, he reiterated that they’re “all Marvel fans,” which is a pretty positive sign that the creatives are at least finding ways to connect the titles. Since Marvel Games is really determined to launch their own interconnected universe, it is poetic justice having Spider-Man (their most popular character) lead the charge – something that the MCU wasn’t able to do given the Sony film rights debacle.
Despite Rosemann’s comments, Marvel Games Vice President and executive producer Mike Jones admitted last year that they have a “roadmap” when it comes to building their portfolio of games on different platforms – similar to the MCU’s blueprint, but for a cohesive games list that can easily crossover with each other. That means that depending on the reception of PS4’s Spider-Man and eventually Square Enix’s Avengers game, it’s only a matter of time before a Marvel Games Universe is officially launched.
KEY RELEASE DATES
Marvel’s Spider-Man Game (2018 Video Game) release date: Sep 7, 2018
