Marvel's Wolverine video game will reportedly avoid Fox's X-Men universe and could possibly release as soon as the Fall of 2024.
Insomniac's Wolverine is the second in a pair of upcoming Marvel titles from the PlayStation first-party studio.
Unveiled at the same PlayStation Presentation as Marvel's Spider-Man 2 - which is seeming more and more likely to release later this year - not much has been said about Insomniac's mutant-based title.
All fans really know is that Wolverine is coming and it takes place in a different universe from Insomniac's Spider-Man; however, some nuggets made have now been made public.
PS5's Wolverine Stepping Back From Fox
According to Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb, PlayStation's Wolverine will "avoid" any links to the Fox X-Men universe.
Speaking on his Morning Games Mess live show, Grubb revealed that Insomniac's upcoming title will "stand on its own" from any established universes:
"[Insomniac] will avoid to have any sort of links or anything that sort of evokes the Fox movies. This thing’s going to stand on its own…”
He also offered a couple of other tidbits he has heard on the title, including that the Spider-Man studio is going for a "hard-R [rated]" tone, potentially making the title rated M for Mature:
"Hard-R is what they’re going for. It’s one of the concepts that I’ve heard. I think one of the cool things about 'Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order' was, ‘Hey, the lightsabers slice the droids in half.’ And then the bad part was when you go up against Stormtroopers, it doesn’t do that. Now, I’m mostly okay with that. I think with 'Wolverine' though, put us into an environment where those claws are gonna work as claws."
He noted that the game is likely set "before [Wolverine] joins the X-Men:"
“I was trying to nail down the setting. I’ve heard maybe– at least, it will start before he joins the X-Men, which also makes sense. It’s a Wolverine game. Maybe you don’t wanna put in a situation where it’s like, ‘Where is Cyclops?’ It’s like, ‘Well, this is before he knew any of those people.’ But I don’t know that for sure. That just sounds like how it’s gonna work.”
And as for a release window, Grubb mentioned he has heard it could come as early as "Fall 2024:"
“Maybe the surprising thing for me is that I’ve heard two different dates and let’s just combine them here. I’ve heard as early as Fall 2024, which would be wild. So this is Insomniac after putting out 'Spider-Man 2' this Fall and then just to follow that up with 'Wolverine' in Fall 2024. Now, I’ve also heard internally, they’re still very much talking about 2025, so let’s not be very surprised if that’s, of course, what happens. But man, if anyone can pull off releasing two major AAA massive games, like marquee games for a platform back-to-back years, it is Insomniac.”
More Wolverine Game Details Galore
All of this is exciting to hear, especially from a source as plugged into the games industry as Grubb. While this isn't 100% confirmation coming straight from Sony, this information very likely is valid given Grubb's track record.
There are a couple of interesting notes to break down here, paramount of which is this Fox X-Men detail.
This disconnection from the X-Men movie franchise makes a lot of sense and isn't all that shocking. Insomniac wants to make its own thing unbeholden to any of the baggage that comes with the Fox-Verse.
However, that does not mean there will be no Fox-Men Easter eggs. Marvel's Spider-Man from the same studio has slight nods to some of Spidey's most iconic moments on the big screen. However, these were not deep-rooted connections, but more subtle winks and nods (a la the Raimi, MCU, or Amazing Spider-Man suits being playable).
As for Grubb's "hard R" comment, that sounds like the right decision for a Wolverine game. This is one of the most brutal and violent characters in Marvel's portfolio, so if Marvel Games is willing, why not make the title a more mature affair?
Lastly, this Fall 2024 release window sounds a little bonkers. Insomniac is putting out another triple-A Marvel game THIS year (Marvel's Spider-Man 2), so to have another video game ready in less than twelve months feels like a herculean task.
However, Insomniac is the studio that released both Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Ratchet and Clack: Rift Apart within eight months of each other. So, if any video game studio is going to do it, it's Insomniac.
