Last year, Insomniac Games was hit by a massive hack which saw us get a first look at new, upcoming, and scrapped projects. Now, a trailer for Spider-Man: The Great Web has surfaced which reveals what we'd have seen in the company's scrapped multiplayer spin-off.
It appears up to five players would have been able to explore New York City, battling thugs (and the Sinister Six) together while pulling off some impressive team-up moves.
Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Gwen, Silk, Ben Reilly, and Miles Morales appear to be among the playable characters, with multiple costume designs showcased for each of them.
This is clearly a concept trailer rather than a finished version which would ever be released online, but a combination of cinematics and gameplay footage offers a much better idea of what to expect. Peter Parker actor Yuri Lowenthal even provides a voiceover for the footage which goes as follows:
"New York City. Nothing in the whole world I wouldn’t do for this big, beautiful apple. One moment you’re scarfing down a slice from Vinnie’s, the next - you’re stopping a super-villain prison break. Sometimes you can swing it as a lone wolf, but you’re way better off with some friends. I’ve seen the Sinister Six before...but never so methodical – so savage. I don’t think I’m going to be enough this time, guys. But together, we just might be."
We still don't know why Spider-Man: The Great Web was cancelled, but it's possible Insomniac wanted to shift focus to Spider-Man 2, along with DLC, a rumoured Venom spin-off, and even the eventual Spider-Man 3 (rumoured to be a two-parter).
It's a little heartbreaking to think we'll never get hands-on with this multiplayer title, particularly as there's a build of this game out there with playable versions of characters like Spider-Gwen and Silk. The latter is expected to appear in a future instalment of the main series, of course, but Gwen Stacy has almost certainly been sidelined alongside this Multiversal team-up.
Insomniac Games narrative director Ben Arfmann discussed plans for Silk last year when he said, "Cindy's always been a really compelling character in the comics who, similar to [Spider-Man's] Martin Li, hasn't really gotten a ton of exposure outside of the immediate fanbase."
"There's something really exciting about taking a character who we love, who not everybody’s had a chance to meet, and exposing her to a wider audience."
Check out the leaked trailer for Spider-Man: The Great Web in the X post below.