Spider-Man 2 has finally arrived and that means many PlayStation 5 owners will soon, or have already, squared off with Venom. At this point, we don't know what role the monstrous symbiote will play in the sequel but many fans are already sharing hopes for DLC or a spin-off revolving around the fan-favourite Lethal Protector.
During a recent interview with Insider, Spider-Man 2 senior narrative director Jon Paquette acknowledged the demand and suggested time will tell when it comes to the franchise's future.
"So, here's what we're doing. We're focused on 'Spider-Man 2,' and what we're gonna do is we're gonna wait to see how the fans react," he explained. "We're gonna listen to the fans and we're gonna ask ourselves, 'Okay, what do the fans really want?'"
"We'll kind of talk about stuff after we've all had time to sleep and take vacations."
In the same conversation, Paquette opened up about the comic book research bringing Venom into the video game franchise required. "Man, I remember as a kid being in my friend's bedroom reading 'Secret Wars' and seeing the origin of the black suit," Paquette recalls. "We went from there all the way to the crazy Knull, Klyntar kind of stuff."
"There's such a rich universe there, and there's a lot that the comics have done. We tried to take all that in, and then forget about it, and think about what would be best for our characters and our franchise."
If we had to hazard a guess, Spider-Man 2 will ultimately get DLC and, assuming Venom makes it out of this game alive, he'll have some sort of role to play. Despite being much larger than Peter Parker and Miles Morales, if he's scaled down, we'd imagine the gameplay mechanics will be largely the same, making this a relatively easy project to produce.
However, it might be a smarter move on Insomniac's part to give Venom his own Spider-Man: Miles Morales-style spin-off...
"Spider-Men Peter Parker and Miles Morales face the ultimate test of strength inside and outside the mask as they fight to save the city, each other, and the ones they love," reads the game's synopsis, "from the monstrous Venom and the dangerous new symbiote threat."
"Explore an expansive Marvel's New York with faster web-swinging and the all-new Web Wings, quickly switching between Peter and Miles to experience different stories, epic new abilities and high-tech gear."
"Wield Peter's symbiote abilities and Miles' explosive bio-electric powers in battle against new and iconic Marvel Super Villains," it continues, "including an original take on a symbiote-infused Venom, the ruthless Kraven the Hunter, the volatile Lizard, and more from the Marvel Rogues' Gallery."
Spider-Man 2 is now available to buy worldwide.