Publisher Square Enix and developers Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montral have just announced that the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions of their upcoming action-adventure title Marvel’s Avengers will be receiving Spider-Man exclusively as a free post-launch character in early 2021.
Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man comes to Marvel's Avengers, exclusively on PlayStation. Crystal Dynamics offers early details on its own, unique take on the post-launch Hero: https://t.co/GA3t6Y40KI pic.twitter.com/TEho59XfIc
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) August 3, 2020
In a PlayStation blog post by Jeff Adams, Associate Art Director of Crystal Dynamics, he detailed the rationale behind the decision in adding the iconic web swinger to the current line-up which includes Ms. Marvel, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, and Black Widow. He also provided information regarding the development of the character, which was led by Vince Napoli, lead combat designer for the game. The main goal was to translate Spider-Man's grace and flexibility and make him “just as great on the sticks as he is on the page”. He added that “this means making sure our hero moves and fights like he should, no matter which one of our War Zones he finds himself in. When he’s arcing through the air on his web line, we want you to feel graceful and light, and be able to utilize a variety of web configurations and gadgets to enhance your traversal.”
Adams also confirmed that Spider-Man will have his own customization options and unique skill trees that will dictate how the superhero will move across the game world. Teaming up with the Avengers also has its perks since your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man will have access to tons of improvements to his innate powers such as custom web shooter-based technology from Hank Pym, S.H.I.E.L.D., Stark Industries, and more. This means even more customization options such as mixing and matching specific gear upgrades and skills to let players control Spider-Man the way they want to. Finally, with all the different iterations that Spider-Man has received, his appearance in the game needed to be iconic. Adams cited Romita and Ditko’s designs, along with inspirations from other artists, to define his look once launch day comes.
Alongside Spider-Man, it has also been confirmed by PlayStation that other exclusives will come to the console such as community challenges and access to cosmetics such as outfits and emotes. Bundles will also be available exclusively for PS Plus members, which you can read on more here.
Marvel’s Avengers is set to launch for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC via Steam, and Stadia on September 4. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions will come this holiday.
