Spider-Man will come to Marvel’s Avengers, exclusively for PlayStation console owners, in 2021.
In a PlayStation Blog post on Monday, Crystal Dynamics associate art director Jeff Adams revealed that Spider-Man will come to Marvel’s Avengers sometime next year. However, Spider-Man will only come to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, meaning Windows PC and Xbox players won’t have access to the new hero.
Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics did not specify if Spider-Man’s appearance in Marvel’s Avengers would be a permanent or timed exclusive. We’ve reached out to the publisher for more details. Considering that Marvel’s Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales are exclusively PlayStation titles, it’s possible that Spider-Man may not come to Marvel’s Avengers on other platforms.
For PlayStation users, Crystal Dynamics said it wanted to make sure Spider-Man plays the way fans expect, switching seamlessly between movement and combat. Spider-Man will also have several skill trees at his disposal — like all heroes — so players can customize their Spider-Man to play differently than other PlayStation players.
In terms of fashion, Crystal Dynamics said it drew inspiration from early iterations of Spider-Man, citing artists Steve Ditko and John Romita, Sr. Fans should expect the classic red and blue Spidey, complete with his webbed underarms. But Spider-Man fans should have plenty of other consumes to choose from in the full game.
Crystal Dynamics will launch a special, in-game event around Spider-Man’s debut, issuing a set of challenges for players to complete.
Marvel’s Avengers is only a month away, with the beta weekends starting for players as early as Aug. 7. On the June 29 War Table stream, Crystal Dynamics revealed Hawkeye as the game’s first post-launch hero. The bow and arrow user comes as part of the Avenger’s Initiative, which takes place after Marvel’s Avengers’ main campaign. It’s unclear if Spider-Man will also have a new campaign. Both heroes are free for owners of Marvel’s Avengers.
Crystal Dynamics will launch Marvel’s Avengers on Sept. 4 for PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One. The game will come to next-generation consoles later this holiday.
Update (Aug. 4): In a new PlayStation blog, Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix revealed even more exclusive items for PlayStation players — although nothing as significant as an entire hero.
At the launch of every hero (including the original six), PlayStation players will get the chance to acquire exclusive skins and other cosmetics for them. This exclusivity window is only for 30 days, so Windows PC and Xbox players won’t need to wait too long to purchase the Hulk Champion outfit (based on Planet Hulk).
PlayStation players will also get special access to certain “community challenges.” These seem to be a kind of community-based quest, where everyone needs to complete objectives to unlock rewards for all players.
For PlayStation players, new heroes will come with a unique bundle, including one free skin and some currency.
When paired with the Spider-Man news, it seems PlayStation really wants players to experience Marvel’s Avengers on its platform — to the detriment of Windows and Xbox players.