Spider-Man 2 DLC: Why Insomniac Says No and What Fans Can Expect Instead
Marvels Spider-Man 2 has clearly been a hugely successful title, but also an immediate hit for PS5 and with audiences. Still, the biggest part of the conversation has revolved around Insomniac Games confirmation that they will not be putting out any story-based DLC for the game. This has baffled fans as to why, especially when their first Spider-Man game had a plethora of DLC expansions.
Spider-Man 2 Has No Story DLC – What We Know
As for Spider-Man 2, unlike its predecessor, it will not get any more story DLC. This was confirmed by Insomniac on the official PlayStation blog and in interviews. Appearing first in The City That Never Sleeps, a DLC trilogy released shortly after the base game’s release in 2018. These expansions included additional characters, missions, and storylines to keep players occupied following release. That hint of clones hinted that Spider-Man 2 might take that path as well, especially considering some Wild Hunt storylines seemed to set up Carnage in the main game. But, this is not the case.
Rather than story DLC, those planned for Spider-Man 2 instead got a New Game+ mode and some new suits, along with expanded photo mode features. Though they are a welcome sign of a game in motion, they don’t provide the same sort of narrative detail fans wanted.
Why Did Insomniac Skip DLC?
Focus on Sequels:
It is not the first time Insomniac has reworked DLC concepts into separate titles. This is something we saw as far back as with Uncharted: The Lost Legacy a few years ago, and is likely what we can expect from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. We are yet to see some of possible DLC content of Spider-Man 2 and could be held for something such as Spider-Man 3.
Upcoming Projects:
Upcoming Wolverine is in development for 2025, so Insomniac’s plate is full right now. Due to the big budget devoted to this project, perhaps the team simply decided Spider-Man 2 DLC wasn’t worth their time.
Strategic Development:
Leaks revealed that Insomniac originally conceived three character-themed DLCs such as Carnage, Beetle, and a Spider-Verse tie-in. These plans were then said to be canceled in favor of a possible Venom spin-off game that was then never mentioned again. If that were to be the case, it could potentially be Insomniacs larger projects, making bigger impacts a focus instead of smaller DLC’s.
A Venom Game To Take Its Place?
There have been rumors for a while now that Insomniac is working on a standalone Venom game, similar to Spider-Man: Miles Morales. If such a project were to be pursued further, it could allow for a more in-depth exploration of Venom’s story and act as a bridge between Spider-Man 2 and a possible Spider-Man 3. Even though there hasn’t been a formal announcement, speculation has run rampant due to the division removing resources from DLC.
Fan Reactions
And, so far, the absence of DLC has produced mixed reactions:
Was hoping for more: Many seemed to expect some extra stuff, considering the narrative hooks still left available after the end of the game.
Consideration: Some people believe Insomniac made the right call by keeping things simple, and that having high-quality, standalone experiences is preferable to a patchwork of expansion content.
Dissatisfaction with Transparency: Fans have been unhappy with the amount of time it took to clarify that DLC was not coming, leading to months of speculation and disappointment.
The Bigger Picture
This is maybe a huge success story for Spider-Man 2, but not a DLC one:
Became the best-selling game of all time with 2.5 million units sold in 24 hours and 11 million copies sold by April 2024
The cult classic title boasted a 90 Metascore and 8.8/10 fan rating
Continued the narrative, but also added a bunch of new mechanics.
Although the budget for the game was reportedly three times that of its predecessor, Insomniac is not concerned about expanding its content after it launches, instead prefering to create experiences that are complete and polished.
Takeaway: No DLC is a Fit?
While it may be disappointing that Insomniac is not planning story DLC for Spider-Man 2, it may showcase an evolution in the studio’s focus. Rather than minor expansions, Insomniac seems focused to be on full standalone games such a Venom title or a Spidey 3. Fans may miss some more story contents, but the quality of the base game and the future of the studio has plenty to look forward to.
Spider-Man 2 is its own blockbuster for now, and that legacy should be a springboard off of which a lot of fun stuff happens in the Spider-Man universe and otherwise.