Marvel's Spider-Man

Marvel’s Spider-Man is a 2018 action-adventure game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 4. It presents an original continuity rather than an adaptation of a film or comic storyline, following Peter Parker after eight years as Spider-Man. Peter works as a research assistant to Dr. Otto Octavius while trying to balance his relationship with Mary Jane Watson, his friendship with police captain Yuri Watanabe, and his responsibilities as New York’s masked protector. The game launched on September 7, 2018, and later appeared in remastered form on PlayStation 5 in 2020 and Windows in 2022.

The central conflict begins when Wilson Fisk, known as Kingpin, is arrested in the opening sequence. His removal creates a power vacuum exploited by the Inner Demons, a gang led by Martin Li, the philanthropic director of F.E.A.S.T. who secretly operates as Mister Negative. Li seeks revenge against Norman Osborn, mayor of New York and head of Oscorp. As the crisis spreads, Octavius develops mechanical tentacles and becomes Doctor Octopus, assembling the Sinister Six with Electro, Vulture, Rhino, Scorpion, and Mister Negative. Their assault on the Raft and later attack leave Spider-Man confronting both citywide danger and Otto’s betrayal personally.

Players traverse an open-world Manhattan using web-swinging, wall-running, point launches, and aerial tricks. Combat combines punches, dodges, web attacks, environmental interactions, gadgets, and suit powers; the game’s focus meter can restore health or trigger finishing moves. Peter can craft gadgets and unlock skills with tokens earned through activities such as stopping crimes, photographing landmarks, clearing bases, and completing research stations. The campaign also alternates between Peter, Mary Jane, and Miles Morales. Mary Jane’s sections emphasize stealth and investigation, while Miles becomes important after his father Jefferson Davis is killed during an Inner Demons attack. Collectibles include backpacks from Peter’s past.

The game received substantial post-launch content through The City That Never Sleeps, a three-chapter downloadable story featuring Felicia Hardy, also called Black Cat, Hammerhead, and the Maggia. Insomniac followed it with Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, released in 2020, in which Miles is the playable Spider-Man protecting Harlem. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 arrived for PlayStation 5 in 2023 and reunites Peter and Miles. The original game was acclaimed and nominated for Game of the Year at the 2018 Game Awards, and became one of PlayStation 4’s best-selling games. Its PS4 sales exceeded 13.2 million copies by August 2019, according to Sony’s figures.