Spider-Man’s exclusivity for PlayStation console owners in Marvel’s Avengers will be the only such case in the game, and there’s a good reason for that. The explanation comes straight from Crystal Dynamics, which previously revealed another additional character, Hawkeye, coming to the game post-launch.
While Marvel’s Avengers is ultimately focused around the original team of Earth’s mightiest heroes, Crystal Dynamics started introducing new characters back in 2019, shortly after the initial reveal. The first addition was Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, who’s actually supposed to play the central role in the story while helping The Avengers to reassemble. On top of that, the very first free post-launch additional character will be Hawkeye whose story ark will be based on one of his most exciting comic book narratives. The next addition will be Spider-Man, one of the most popular Marvel characters, although he’ll be irrevocably exclusive to PlayStation consoles. After dealing with the inevitable fans’ backlash, developers decided to clarify why this particular deal would be the only one in Marvel’s Avengers.
The simple yet comprehensive explanation comes from the sheer fact that Sony has the license to the character of Spider-Man, particularly in video games to some extent. In that regard, it's possible that Crystal Dynamics doesn’t have any freedom in making such a decision since it may be determined by the long-running relationship between Sony and Marvel in the field of entertainment products. As clarified by Crystal Dynamics head Scot Amos (thanks, Newsweek), the studio serves simply as a creator to execute plans of top management. That being said, there would be just a single exclusivity offer in Marvel’s Avengers, simply because there’s an agreement between Marvel and a console manufacturer. On top of that, Crystal Dynamics has already announced that there won’t be any similar offers on Xbox or PC, even if there’s a reasonable demand from the gaming community.
Furthermore, speaking to IGN Japan (as reported by VG247), Amos revealed that Marvel’s Avengers could benefit from a cross-play feature in the future, although he didn’t announce anything right away. According to Crystal Dynamics head, Marvel’s Avengers would be an ever-evolving game, which basically means that the studio could enable cross-play support with an update in the coming years. If that happens, players on Xbox and PC will be at least able to team up with PlayStation owners playing as Spider-Man. That being said, the friendly neighborhood superhero in Marvel’s Avengers won’t share any similarities with the colleague from Marvel’s Spider-Man. These two titles will remain in separate universes, which shouldn’t come as a surprise considering how often Crystal Dynamics had to clarify this information in the past.
While the news regarding Spider-Man’s exception does spark joy, it’s undeniable that there’re very few - if any at all - Marvel characters that are loved as much as Peter Parker (or whoever takes the suit in Marvel’s Avengers). Leaving such a prominent personality behind the exclusivity wall is dangerously close to a crime, but at least players won’t have to face another such disaster in the future. However, the possibility of Microsoft suddenly acquiring, for instance, Wolverine to promote Marvel’s Avengers on Xbox shouldn’t be ruled out – although it is extremely unlikely to happen considering Marvel’s strategy of regaining rights to its characters.
Marvel’s Avengers will be available on PS4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia on September 4, 2020, and will launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X in 2021.