Back in 2023, a huge leak at Insomniac, the studio behindMarvel’s Spider-Mangames, revealed that a live-service multiverse-based Spider-Man game was in the works. That game, titledSpider-Man: The Great Web, never saw the light of daybeyond a few leaked images and a trailer, as it was canceled shortly after. WhileThe Great Webwas met with a tepid response from some players due to the live-service aspect of the game, the concept of a multiverse Spider-Man game never coming to fruition is incredibly disappointing.
Spider-Man is one of the most popular superheroes in the world, if not the number one. The Insomniac games based on Peter Parker and Miles Morales have been both critical and financial successes, soit’s disappointing to see any follow-up to those titles canceled. The game had potential, and while there have been no updates from Insomniac regarding the title since the leak and cancellation, a concept as fun as teaming up with friends as any Spider-Man to defeat iconic villains shouldn’t be left unexplored.
Insomniac Was On The Right Track
Spider-Man: The Great Webwas apparently planned as a new multiverse title, in which players could join forces as alternate versions of Spider-Man from different worlds.According to the leaks, different versions of characters like Spider-Gwen, Ben Riley, Silk, Spider-Man 2099, and Venom could join Miles Morales and Peter Parker to defeat villainsafter Scarlet Witch opened portals all over the multiverse, letting heroes and villains alike in. The Sinister Six were meant to be a focal point of villains, as various members like Mysterio, Doc Ock, Vulture, Electro, Chameleon, and Rhino are all seen throughout the trailer.
Gameplay-wise,The Great Webseemed to reuse a lot of assets from earlier Insomniac titles. Various Spider-Man variants seen in the trailer are mostlyunlockable Spider-Man suitsin the games, while combat and swinging through New York City look identical. This could be because the trailer was in a rough state, meant more toshowcase what the idea of the game was internallythan to be presented to audiences.
Near the end of the trailer, other multiverses are shown, and while they’re obviously not fully fleshed out - they use placeholder clip art and simple camera filters - the idea of exploring other heroes’ worlds like in theInto the Spider-Versemovies was exciting.The Great Webcould’vetaken players into strange new worlds on a regular basis, likely over the course of in-game seasons for the live-service aspect of the game.
Maybe We’ll Get Another Version Of The Great Web One Day
A Multiverse Game From Insomniac Is A Great Concept
Live-service superhero gameshaven’t been well-received in recent years.Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice LeagueandMarvel’s Avengersboth failedin the attempt.There wasn’t much reason to believe that a Spider-Man-based game would find that much more successin the venture, especially with a slightly more limited pool of characters to add to the game (though there are an incredible number of Spider-Man variants available from his long publication history).
Hopefully, Insomniac willre-evaluate the idea of a Spider-Man game that utilizes the multiverseconcept for futureMarvel’s Spider-Mansequels. Sony’sInto the Spider-Versemovies have been extremely successful in bringing attention and popularity to more characters, so it seems a shame to leave them on the gaming shelf. The game could (and really should) abandon the live-service aspect, but a multiplayer game in which players can join their friends to battle villains across New York as Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man Noir, or Spider-Punk isn’t a concept that should be dead in the water.
