Opinion: Marvel’s Avengers Spider-Man exclusivity is outdated and lame

As a die-hard Spider-Man fan, it was frustrating to see that the character is forbidden from appearing on non-PlayStation consoles for Marvel’s Avengers. This move from Marvel, Square Enix, and Sony is a return to the “arrogant Sony” we thought was gone.

It’s a dated move that serves no one but the companies. This isn’t a move for the fans, this is a move for money. These are businesses, so yes, they have to make money. That said, a Spider-Man fan shouldn’t be forced to have to spend hundreds of dollars to play as the web-head in a game available on every platform. This is a game starring heroes that are part of the most successful film franchise in history. Their last two outings made a combined $4.8 billion at the box office. This game will make money even if it’s not good.

I have seen a lot of whataboutism on social media regarding this move.

Most notable being Spider-Man had an exclusive game on PS4 in 2018. People were upset about that but when it came out, many seemed to forgive it. There hadn’t been a really rock solid Spidey game in years, some might say since Web of Shadows in 2008. Some might say even longer, going back to Spider-Man 2 or Ultimate Spider-Man on PS2.

That said, the character has appeared outside of PlayStation since that game. The wall-crawler was in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 for Nintendo Switch in 2019. So, what’s keeping him on PlayStation? According to Crystal Dynamics head Scot Amos, it’s simply the relationship between Sony and Marvel.

“Again, it comes back to the relationship with PlayStation and Marvel,” Amos said in an interview. “We happened to be… once you can execute and deliver, when it comes down to choices of where and what Spider-Man can be, that’s a relationship question that PlayStation absolutely has the rights to, that as you guys know, with Sony’s ownership there, and Marvel with Sony saying, ‘Hey, this is something we can do. This is something we can do on this platform.”

While Sony doesn’t own Spider-Man, they do own his film rights. Last year, Spider-Man was going to be removed from the Marvel Cinematic Universe per an expired deal between Sony and Disney (who owns Marvel). Sony would gain full control of the character in films again and go about their business. Some behind the scenes negotiations quickly resolved this but the details are a mystery.

This is purely speculative but it’s possible Sony negotiated control of the character in video games, to some extent, after the raging success of Marvel’s Spider-Man. Again, this is speculation but would give some clarity to the situation.

Many have also pointed to deals from last-generation. Rockstar notably kept Grand Theft Auto IV’s expansions exclusive to Xbox 360 for 6 months – a year before coming to PS3 and PC. Call of Duty held map packs for about 30 days before going to other platforms. These deals were common but weren’t liked by many. Over time, these deals have significantly lessened and are often seen as relics of the past.

Call of Duty has given marketing rights to PlayStation but limits its exclusive content as much as possible now. They’re legally obligated to still have some piece of exclusive content on the console, as that’s part of the deal signed years ago, but they’ve changed the structure. All content updates launch day and date on each platform, the only exclusivity is for a horde mode on PlayStation.

Modern Warfare 2 Remastered was also exclusive to PS4 for 30 days as a hold over from old terms in the contract. A big reason for this shift is because many of these online games are cross-platform, allowing people to play with those on different systems. It allows everyone to play together with the same content. Publishers are actively moving away from these concepts as much as possible, yet here we are with Spider-Man. This stigma from the Xbox 360 era will now carry over to the PS5 generation with this deal.

It would be one thing if this was a timed exclusive. Just a few days, a month, etc, but there’s nothing to suggest that it’s timed. Given Sony’s relationship with Marvel and the lack of any fine print, it very well seems that it will be a permanent deal.

Spider-Man is also being totally robbed of his true potential. This is a rich character who brings a lot to the table when paired with the Avengers. We have two possibilities with this deal.

Possibility #1: Spider-Man has a mission or two but doesn’t add anything to the story. He is just an extra playable character, slotted into this universe but has no narrative precedence. This is the worst possibility because he does nothing but deliver some new fight moves and some quips, probably.

Possibility #2: Spider-Man is integrated into the story but now we have a split-universe. Xbox and PC players do not get to see this Spider-Man storyline and its impact on the in-game narrative, creating this weird multiverse of sorts.

It seems Crystal Dynamics is going with Possibility #1 as they simply noted he will be ushered in via an in-game event with some character specific challenges. On the other hand, Hawkeye (who will be on all platforms) will have a grand story arc. Amos noted to IGN that Hawkeye will move the “wider narrative along”.

“We already knew narratively that we wanted to have Hawkeye as a mystery, so when he come, there’s a whole story of where has he been and what has he been up to that will actually open even more stories in the Avengers Initiative.”

We probably won’t see Spider-Man in many cutscenes because it would affect the story. He’s just there as fluff and that’s ultimately doing a disservice to the character, especially when everyone else impacts the greater universe of this game. It’s not only holding the character back but the universe and story of Marvel’s Avengers.

We could potentially see a universe that sees all of Marvel in one video game. We’ll have a MCU for video games, a MGU if you will. But just like the MCU, Spider-Man will continue to be this weird anomaly where certain restrictions are placed on him and his cast of characters.