Marvel’s Wolverine shook comic book fans and gamers alike when it was announced at PlayStation’s most recent State of Play. Insomniac has been on a roll lately, launching Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart one after the other. Now Insomniac announced Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Marvel’s Wolverine back to back. Insomniac is becoming the best comic book game developer around.
Marvel’s Wolverine is still in early development, so there’s not a lot that we know about it right now, but there are a few details shared after the State of Play in Sony’s blog that we’ll fill you in on below. There are also a few easter eggs in the trailer that might hint to what the game is about.
Here’s everything we know so far about Marvel’s Wolverine as well as some things we’d love to see in the next revival of Logan.
Marvel’s Wolverine release date
We don’t have a release date for Marvel’s Wolverine just yet, but we do know that it’s “very early in development,” according to Ryan Schneider, head of franchise strategy & studio relations at Insomniac Games.
However, we know that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is coming exclusively to PlayStation 5 consoles in 2023. Considering that Marvel’s Wolverine is still early in development and we don’t have a release date, I don’t expect it to show up until 2024 or 2025.
Marvel’s Wolverine story
The storyboard creators behind Marvel’s Wolverine are likely still brainstorming badass plot points for the hotly anticipated game, but if you look closely at the trailer, you’ll find some easter eggs that reference Wolverine’s first appearance in Incredible Hulk #181.
This could just be a cheeky reference to Wolverine’s first comic outing, but it’s entirely possible that Marvel’s Wolverine could be a Wolverine and Hulk adventure. If that happens to be the case, then that would make Wendigo the main antagonist. But that’s where this theory falls apart for me; I highly doubt that a villain as basic as Wendigo could be the leading villain in an Insomniac game.
I feel like the world has seen Wolverine’s origin story one too many times, and Insomniac didn’t cover Spider-Man’s origin, so I believe that Marvel’s Wolverine will take place well into his career as an X-Men. A story arc I would love to see adapted in video game form is The Brotherhood, which follows Wolverine on a quest to avenge the murder of a young girl who asked him for help. The villains of the story are just normal humans, and I feel like a grounded Wolverine adventure would be as emotionally fulfilling as the 2017 Logan film.
Marvel’s Wolverine gameplay
We don’t know what Marvel’s Wolverine gameplay will look like, but we have a few ideas. Creative Director Brian Horton and Game Director Cameron Christian (who both worked on Spider-Man: Miles Morales) will be at the helm of Marvel’s Wolverine project.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of the usual hack-and-slash genre for a Wolverine game. That’s how the X-Men Origins: Wolverine game was handled. It was surprisingly decent, but it was still only that: decent. Wolverine does quite literally hack and slash his way through enemies, but you can adapt him in a way where the combat feels more impactful.
Think along the lines of melee mechanics in Naughty Dog games like The Last of Us Part II or Uncharted 4. The combat was close up, complex and intense. That is something that Wolverine needs. If you throw the camera far back and have him easily rip through enemies, it’s going to feel like an arcade game. You may be thinking the Spider-Man game is like that — and it is — but works for Spidey because he emanates a fun, campy aesthetic.
However, Wolverine is a more grounded and gritty character, so the gameplay should reflect that. I want more Norse God of War versus Greek God of War action, and I think most Wolverine fans would agree (if they disagree, they’re wrong).
I’m curious to see how Insomniac will handle Wolverine’s healing factor. There’s the easy way, which is a slow, simple regeneration, but there’s a more complex game mechanic. For example, what if your health regenerates so fast that it’s difficult to die, but if you fight dangerous enemies, your health drains out so fast that you die permanently? That would make each fight hella intense.
Outlook
I suspect that we’ll be hearing tons of rumors and theories about Marvel’s Wolverine before we actually see any more footage. It’s at least three or so years away, and all we have is a brief teaser. We don’t even know what Wolverine looks like just yet.
However, we will keep this page updated as more information comes in about Marvel’s Wolverine, so stay tuned.
