Sony’s PlayStation showcase 2021 was packed full of exciting projects gamers can expect to see over the coming years. The return of classics such as Knights of the Old Republic and Grand Theft Auto 5 were announced, but it was some of the brand new games that stole the show. Among these new titles to be revealed was Spider-Man 2, the mainline sequel to 2018’s Spider-Man. However, a new title from Insomniac Games in Marvel's Wolverine proved to be the talk of the conference.
As was the case with the Spider-Man series, Wolverine is set to be a PlayStation exclusive, which comes as bad news for Marvel fans on other systems. Following the success of Spider-Man on PlayStation, it was always unlikely that future Insomniac Games IPs would be making their way to other platforms, but for fans, this marks the continuation of a noteworthy trend. Console exclusivity is becoming quite pervasive, with fans being sectioned off from their favorite IPs, or even developers. In the case of Wolverine, this could even mark the beginning of a much larger series exclusive to PlayStation.
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Marvel's Wolverine is a PlayStation Exclusive
The short teaser trailer for Insomniac Games’ Wolverine was enough to get fans excited about the latest Marvel video game adaptation. However, this release was exciting only for Marvel fans that own a PlayStation. Unfortunately, fans on PC, Xbox, or any other gaming platform will have to watch on from the outside. For PlayStation fans though, Wolverine may be what fans wanted in a brand new next-gen IP, though no gameplay has been revealed. No release date was provided either, so it’s unlikely that fans will be getting their hands on Wolverine any time soon, but the PlayStation showcase last night gave fans plenty of reason to be excited about the future.
Wolverine will not be the first game centering around everyone’s favorite melancholy anti-hero, but it may be the best yet. Past video game adaptations have received mixed reviews, and the last to center exclusively around Wolverine was X-Men Origins: Wolverine, released in 2009. Insomniac Games has already proven capable of making popular superhero games, with Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales becoming two well-loved PlayStation exclusives in recent years. While it will be disappointing to fans that yet another Marvel character will be exclusive to PlayStation, it will be exciting to see what Insomniac Games does with the character.
PlayStation’s Exclusive MCU
Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man series has been a big selling point for PlayStation since the first title debuted in 2018. Frustratingly, this is also a PlayStation exclusive, and unlike titles such as Horizon Zero Dawn which has since been released on PC, there are no signs that Spider-Man or Wolverine will eventually go the same way. It now seems as though Insomniac Games is creating its own MCU of sorts, with Spider-Man 2 set to feature Venom, and Wolverine entering the fray in coming years. Whether Wolverine will feature in Spider-Man 2 is yet to be seen, however, Spider-Man 2018 was chock full of easter eggs, so some form of feature is likely.
With this in mind, it’s possible that PlayStation could have its very own Marvel universe in future years. While it would be interesting to see a video game MCU-style universe intertwine in the same way that the MCU has over the years, it’s a shame that this will be playable to fans on only one system.
However, PlayStation isn’t the only console with major exclusives this time around, as Xbox has since joined the party with its Zenimax Studios acquisition. Significantly, Starfield is set to be an Xbox exclusive, and titles such as The Elder Scrolls are in danger of going the same way. As time goes on, more and more titles and IPs are becoming blocked off from certain subsects of fans, with Insomniac Games’ Wolverine being just the latest in a long line.
Marvel's Wolverine is in development for PS5.
MORE: Everything Featured at Sony's PlayStation Showcase 2021