The dream of a multiplayer Spider-Man has been unearthed in the PC files for Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered on Steam. A few references point to Insomniac Games possibly toying with a two-player mode that would include both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, before likely abandoning it for one reason or another during development.
Screenshots of the file text in question were shared by modder DniweTamp on Twitter over the weekend and later confirmed by VGC. One part of the files points to something called “Superior Spider-Man” in which either Parker or Morales will receive a winning message. Another piece reads, “If set and in co-op, Character2 will see this text.” There are also references to Red Team, Blue Team, and corresponding character models.
It’s not a lot to go off of, but it does seem to establish that Insomniac was at least experimenting with the idea for a multiplayer mode at some point during the development of the original Spider-Man or Remastered. The game’s single-player story ends with Parker beginning to train Morales and sure enough, in 2020 players got to play as the latter in the standalone spin-off Miles Morales. When Spider-Man 2 was finally revealed, head of franchise strategy Ryan Schneider confirmed it would be a single-player adventure despite showing both Parker and Morales in the trailer.
Of course, things can always change. As hopeful players have been quick to point out, Spider-Man didn’t get the Sam Raimi suit until it did, and it wasn’t going to come to PC until Sony changed course on porting PlayStation exclusives. As Kotaku’s Luke Plunkett wrote a couple months ago: “It’s OK Spider-Man, things change.”
Whether as an in-game mode or an entirely separate spin-off, it seems more likely than not that we’ll get an online Spider-Man at some point. Between co-op and raids coming to Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us’ reported multiplayer DLC seemingly resurfacing as a completely new game, it’s clear Sony is set on finding ways to bring online play to its biggest franchises. After all, Sony bought Bungie recently and pledged to release a dozen live service games in the next three years.
And fortunately, even if a multiplayer mode for Spider-Man Remastered was ultimately abandoned, the game’s PC port means that potential now lives in the hands of modders. And if they can make Breath of the Wild two-player, I’m sure they can figure something out for Spidey.