Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix sent a shockwave throughout the accessible to PlayStation owners. With Spider-Man's honorary addition to the MCU's Avengers cast, many fans have grow accustomed to seeing the web-head alongside Earth's Mightiest Heroes. As more information comes out on Spider-Man's integration, its clear that the exclusivity is much worse than fans originally thought.
Exclusive content is nothing new to the modern day gaming community. Often time items, accessories, and full game titles can be locked behind exclusive console deals or hips. It's not unheard of for main characters or large story elements to be introduced on one system before they get ported to another. However, it seems that Sony is planning to make sure the Spider-Man DLC stays on the PlayStation alone.
One of the biggest issues surrounding this exclusive partnership between Marvel and Sony is that Spider-Man isn't merely getting tossed into the game. Spidey will have his own self-contained story arc that will be integrated into the larger narrative of Marvel's Avengers. This means that PlayStation owners will not only get access to the character, but also to a fair bit of additional campaign content. While not much is known about Spider-Man's role in the game, Crystal Dynamics has stated that their own rendition of the superhero will be an integral part to Marvel's Avengers. The core storyline, the other heroes, and even the villains are set to speak to where and how Spidey belongs in the world before the character is released.
Marvel's Avengers: What Spider-Man's Exclusivity Means For Xbox And PC Owners
With comments coming in surrounding the Marvel's Avengers beta, it seems all of the characters are quite unique to play. Each character has their own individual set of abilities, move sets, and dynamics which make them stand out from the rest of the team. This gives players a lot of flexibility with how they play given how little overlap or repetition the heroes share. However, Spider-Man's exclusivity means that fans are losing access to not just another character, but a complete class type. Since all of the available characters are broken down into what is effectively separate RPG classes, non-PlayStation owners will never be able to see how Spider-Man plays and the unique abilities, skill tree, and mobility styles that come with him.
Whether Spider-Man will ever make it to PC and Xbox is unclear. While Sony and Crystal Dynamics have expressed that the character will only be on PlayStation (especially given some of Marvel's Avengers recent advertising), Sony is not the sole owner of the Spider-Man property. Marvel ultimately dictates where the hero can appear. This means there's a slight chance Spidey may move off of the PlayStation, but given the Sony and Marvel's past relationship with Marvel's Spider-Man, it's unlikely this will occur. While the studios involved are claiming the game is being made for everyone, PlayStation owners are definitely getting special treatment via additional content, both in the form of an exclusive character and early access to certain in-game items.
At this time, the best outcome Xbox and PC players can hope for is that Spider-Man isn't worth playing. The beta has only shown a small handful of the characters that are confirmed for Marvel's Avengers, hopefully the rest will make up for what Spider-Man brings to the PlayStation. Even if that occurs, fans of the character will likely continue to feel the disappointment of not being able to play as their favorite hero, all because of Sony's exclusivity decision.
