Insomniac isn’t making Spider-Man 2 DLC, but that’s not a bad thing

It’s a dark day for Spidey fans, as Insomniac has confirmed they’re not working on any Spider-Man 2 DLC.

Insomniac buried the news in an official PlayStation blog announcing the Spider-Man 2 PC port. Hidden deep in the article, they wrote, “We have no additional story content planned for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2”. 

The news won’t surprise those who’ve been monitoring the situation, but it’s still a disappointing blow. Spider-Man 2 set up several plots that would likely pay off in the DLC – the Carnage symbiote, Cindy Moon, and the Chameleon immediately swing to mind — and fans are worried that those dangling threads will be forgotten about. 

Honestly, though, I think all the catastrophizing I’ve seen online about these Spider-Man games is a bit overblown, and I sincerely believe this decision might be for the best.

Was Spider-Man 2 rushed?

Insomniac Games

What makes me think that? Well, one of the biggest complaints I see online about Spider-Man 2 (and I see a lot of complaints, some of which are massively unfair) is that the game was rushed. They point to the underbaked boss battles, the story’s breakneck pace, and missing features from the first game as ‘proof’ this was the case. 

While I can’t comment on whether Insomniac ran out of time while making Spider-Man 2, I don’t necessarily disagree with all of these complaints. The biggest issue was the third act; the alien invasion felt rushed, Venom felt more like a random monster than the sinister symbiote we love to hate, and the final fight against Harry lacked the emotion the Doc Ock fight had. 

I’m hardly alone in thinking this, and Insomniac can’t be blind to the criticism because there are an awful lot of vocal critics online (probably too many, if anything) who seem to love tearing chunks out of the game. I’d like to think then that Insomniac is drawing a line under Spider-Man 2 because it wants to focus all of its efforts on getting Spider-Man 3 right, not just for the fans but for themselves as well.

As for those dangling plot threads? Well, any good ideas from the DLC can easily be integrated into the next Spider-Man game. It’s not like Insomniac’s about to throw all the work that presumably went into the DLC on a big bonfire and swear its staff to secrecy. Anything good planned for the DLC will see the light of day; it just won’t be in this game. 

Spidey’s loss is Venom’s gain

The news has also got me more excited about that rumored Venom spin-off people keep talking about. While the exact plans for the Venom game and the DLC stories were never officially revealed (we only learned about it after the shocking ransomware attack), it’s thought that Insomniac wanted to do a Carnage-focused DLC and then make a separate Venom spin-off.

But does it not make more sense to have Carnage appear in that Venom title? After all, Venom and Carnage go together like goths and black trenchcoats; they don’t just work; they’re fundamentally linked. The decision to cancel the Carnage DLC may give us a better Venom game in the future. And that’s something to be excited about, surely?

I think it’s important to remember that the people who work on these games are only human, and Insomniac has had a pretty sh*tty 12 months. They released their new game to critical acclaim and massive sales but were hit by a cyber attack that did untold damage to their business and personal lives. Not only that, like so many in the gaming industry, they’ve faced cutbacks and redundancies. All of that’s been compounded by a demanding fan base who always wants more.

It must have been exhausting. So, with that in mind, would you really want a DLC from a team running on fumes? I know I wouldn’t. I’d want the team over at Insomniac to take some time to rest up so they can start development on their next game, feeling refreshed and excited to swing back into Spider-Man. So don’t cry because the DLC is dead; cheer because the next game will be amazing.

If you want to learn more about the spectacular Spider-Man, then check out our Spider-Man movie ranking, or if you want to know more about the cape and cowl crowd, then take a look at our list of the best superhero games. We’ve also broken down everything you need to know about the upcoming Marvel movie Spider-Man 4.