Insomniac Games revealed today that the Peter Parker players will see in the PlayStation 5 remaster of Marvel's Spider-Man will not be the one they're used to, having recast the role to for practical purposes (and, presumably, because the new actor looks far more like Tom Holland, the star of the MCU's Spider-Man flicks). Sony and Insomniac's 2018 superhero action game was a welcome return to the Spider-Man games of old, pairing excellent combat with plenty of nods towards the wall-crawler's extensive history in comics and on the big screen. Peter Parker went up against old foes like Dr. Octopus, as well as newer challengers like Mr. Negative, and the game is full of emotional twists and turns that recall Spidey's best film and comics heights as a character.
Of course, the game's success means that players will be seeing a lot more of Spider-Man in the years to come. The character is already confirmed to be a PlayStation-exclusive character in Square Enix's Marvel's Avengers, with rumors claiming that Parker will link that game to Sony's release. Peter will also likely take part in some way in Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, an expandalone campaign staring the newest man to take on the mask. With the character swinging into these other releases in the coming months, this holiday will be a great time to revisit the original adventure with all the advantages of the newest Sony console.
On the PlayStation blog earlier today, Insomniac Games Community Director James Stevenson went into detail about the updates that players will see in Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered on PlayStation 5. Among all the improvements to reflections and frame rate, it was also revealed that the developer has recast their lead role in the new release, with new story trailer showing an all-new Peter Parker in an enhanced cutscene from the original. The character model (which can be seen below) looks much more like Tom Holland, the actor currently portraying Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the developer revealed another reason for the swap.
Both Insomniac Games and voice/performance actor Yuri Lowenthal have clarified and apologized for the awkward change, which was done for good reason. Insomniac Creative Director Bryan Intihar shares that the studio "totally understands [fans'] reaction" and that Peter Parker's new face took him "to get used to," but that the adjustment was necessary for even more "believable-looking" fidelity by finding a better match for Yuri Lowenthal's facial structure. In his own tweet, Lowenthal contritely confirmed Insomniac's statement, saying, "Guys. It’s my face’s fault. The stupid stupid bones in my face. Blame my bones."
The blog post also gives a few more next-gen details about the release and reveals that players will be able to don the suit from Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man in this new edition. In order to acquire the game, players will need to purchase the $70 Ulitmate Edition of Spider-Man Miles Morales on PlayStation 5. Sony has confirmed that the remastered game will not be available for separate purchase.
Considering the popularity of Spider-Man's recent cinematic ventures, it makes sense that Insomniac and Sony would want to line up the new version of Marvel's Spider-Man with those films. Still, it is a jarring change for a remastered version of a game, especially considering the character as portrayed on the PlayStation 4. While Tom Holland is playing a version of Pete who's just donning the webs for the first time, Marvel's Spider-Man features an experienced web-slinger who's seen it all before. This new face makes that story a bit incongruous, especially in the relationship between Peter and the younger Miles throughout the adventure.
Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered will be included in the Ultimate Editon of Spider-Man Miles Morales on PlayStation 5 on November 12, 2020.
Source: PlayStation Blog, Bryan Intihar, Yuri Lowenthal