Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 dev confirms no in-game reward for previous save data
Insomniac GamesMarvel’s Spider-Man 2 is just a few short weeks away, but fans expecting an old save bonus for playing the previous games are going to be sorely disappointed.
Marvel’s Spider-Man and its follow-up, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, are a hell of a one-two combo. The games drop players in a sprawling New York with unprecedented freedom to become the two Spider-Men.
And that freedom is put to the test with the game’s content. In addition to the story mode, there are dozens of hours of side quests and additional content. Backpacks full of Spider-Man lore, Screwball challenges, stolen artwork and more practically litter the streets and skies of New York.
With Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s imminent release, fans who have been hoarding their old saves are hoping for some kind of in-game reward. Unfortunately, that’s not looking to be the case.
Insomniac GamesMarvel’s Spider-Man 2 won’t have in-game rewards for Spider-Man or Miles Morales save files
Speaking on Twitter/X, Insomniac Director of Community and Marketing James Stevenson addressed the status of old save imports into Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Unfortunately for the user who asked, the answer was an emphatic no.
The ability to import save files for rewards is an all-too-common practice in the digital age. With save files stored on hard drives instead of memory cards, it’s easier than ever to ask players to keep their saves.
Some games use this to give players a sense of cohesion in the world; franchises like Mass Effect and Pokemon use existing data from older games to carry over decisions and characters into the new world. Some use this to unlock unique characters and costumes, like Sega’s Iron Man tie-in game unlocking the Hulkbuster for users with an Incredible Hulk save or Super Street Fighter IV unlocking additional color schemes for players with a Street Fighter IV vanilla save.
The practice of rewarding players for holding onto their saves is such a storied and documented concept that it even has a TV Tropes entry: Old Save Bonus.
While it is surely disappointing for fans who have held onto Spider-Man saves since 2018, it shouldn’t be surprising. Insomniac’s games may have some pre-order exclusive bonuses, but for the most part, it has prided itself on everything being earnable by engaging with the game’s world.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 releases for PlayStation 5 on October 20. For more Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and video game news, be sure to follow all our coverage.