While Sony has made a great amount of success with its own first-party franchises over the last few years, such asGod of WarandHorizon Zero Dawn, other IPs have also seen great results. Namely,Marvelgames have proven to be popular, with arguably none being more well-received than 2018’sMarvel’s Spider-Manfrom Insomniac. The game was so successful that there are already two more Sony-exclusive Marvel games in the works in the form ofaWolverinegameandMarvel’s Spider-Man 2.
However, it was not always a done deal that Marvel would work with Sony. In 2014, Jay Ong was Marvel’s VP of games, with his first challenge being to translate the success of the MCU films to the video game world. There had been Marvel titles in the past that had sold well, such asMarvel Ultimate Alliance, but largely wasn’t translating like the movies. Even with these impressive superhero games,Marvel wanted the success that DC had with itsBatman Arkhamseries, leading Ong to find a new home to build some titanic Marvel titles.
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Nintendo was never approached by Ong, as he realized that the company primarily focuses on its own IP. With so many defining franchises at Nintendo, such asThe Legend of Zelda, Super Mario,andKirby, the former playing card manufacturer may not have had the time to create an immersiveMarvelgame. Microsoft too, passed on the deal with Marvel, citing that in 2014 it was working on its own IPs. Ong had approached Xbox with a pitch that included a Marvel game that could rival theBatman Arkhamseries.
However, Microsoft passed on having Marvel titles being Xbox exclusives. This may be seen as a decision that the platform owner would regret considering the success ofMarvel’s Spider-Man, which Sony picked up when it took on the Marvel offer. Once the deal was made, the project was turned over to Insomniac, that had proved withprevious titles likeSunset Overdrivethat it could make an incredibly fun game allowing players to move as they see fit around the map.
The last challenge Marvel had before it could handSpider-Manto Insomniac was getting the rights to video game adaptations back from Activision. Getting the Spider-Man video game rights back proved to be surprisingly easy, as Ong was simply wished good luck in finding his “unicorn” when he informed the publisher that he wanted to find the web-slinger a better home. It seemsActivision has also sought a better home for its IPsin recent times, following Microsoft buying theCall of Dutypublisher earlier this year.
