Wolverine will soon lead a next-gen PS5 game from Insomniac Games, here's everything we know about it so far.
The developer behind the three PlayStation-exclusive Spider-Man games, Insomniac Games, is currently working on its next dive into the superhero universe with Marvel's Wolverine, set to release after this September's Spider-Man 2.
Insomniac's Wolverine Release Date: When Will It Come Out?
Although Marvel's Wolverine was announced without a release window, insider Jeff Grubb revealed he has heard "as early as Fall 2024" but the studio is still "very much talking about 2025."
A Fall 2024 release would have Insomniac dropping Wolverine and Spider-Man 2 - which releases in September - in back-to-back years. This may sound unlikely but the developer does have a history of dropping marquee titles in concurrent years with 2020's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and 2021's Rachet & Clank: Rift Apart.
Only time will tell which release date pulls through, but a 2025 release date for Wolverine does seem more likely at this time, depending on how much progress Insomniac has made on the game in secret alongside Spider-Man 2.
What Will the Wolverine Game Be About?
During the cinematic announcement trailer, Wolverine can be seen drinking at the Princess Bar in Madripoor, a location that has been his home away from home in the comics, particularly at times the X-Men have been inactive.
The crime-ridden Singapore-inspired city of Madripoor has long been an important X-Men setting, and it appears it will be featured in Wolverine, although it's unclear whether this will be the story's primary location.
The story will reportedly, according to Jeff Grub, take place in the years before Logan joined the X-Men, although it's unclear exactly how far into his long life the story will ultimately enter from.
Will the Wolverine Game Be Rated M?
Although Insomniac has yet to announce a rating for Wolverine as development is still in the early stages, Jeff Grubb previously stated the studio is aiming for a "hard-R" tone where Logan's "claws are gonna work as claws:"
So it appears Insomniac is looking to make a Wolverine game that embraces that character's violent and gory nature, likely pointing toward an M for Mature rating.
Who Will Voice Wolverine In Insomniac's Game?
An actor has yet to be announced to play Logan in Wolverine, but one popular choice already revealed he has "not been contacted," that being the character's X-Men: The Animated Series voice actor Cal Dodd.
Many have speculated the role may go to Steve Blum, who has played Wolverine across animation and games in likes of Midnight Suns, Wolverine and the X-Men, Ultimate Spider-Man, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and countless more.
Then again, when Insomniac chose Yuri Lowenthal to play lead Spider-Man, the actor had only played the role twice before in minor games, compared to more experienced Peter Parker actors such as Josh Keaton and Drake Bell.
So, for now, there's no telling who may land the leading role for Wolverine.
Does the Wolverine Game Have a Trailer?
Insomniac released a cinematic announcement teaser for Marvel's Wolverine in September 2021 during a PlayStation Showcase event.
The trailer sees Logan sipping a drink at a bar in the aftermath of a massive fight before drawing his claws as a man approached him with a knife.
The full video - which contains no actual gameplay - can be seen below:
Will the Wolverine Game Be Open World?
To once again quote the renowned Jeff Grubb - via Morning Games Mess - Wolverine reportedly "probably won't be open world," but will instead have "something closer to open sections of a world," akin to those featured in other major PlayStation titles such as God of War.
This could see Logan explore a variety of slightly more restricted locations as the story progresses, unlike Insomniac's three Spider-Man games which have all gone for the open-world approach.
Which Villains Will Appear in the Wolverine Game?
As of now, Insomniac has not confirmed any of the villains Wolverine will face in his upcoming solo game, but fans can likely expect him to cross paths with an assortment of his most famous antagonists, just as they did with Spider-Man.
Sabretooth, as Wolverine's archenemy, will almost certainly be featured, with the likes of Silver Samurai, Lady Deathrike, and William Stryker also among those who might make their way into the Insomniac game.
Will the X-Men Appear In the Wolverine Game?
According to Jeff Grub, Wolverine will reportedly take place before the adamantium mutant joins the X-Men. with the game also set to avoid "any sort of links or anything that sort of evokes the Fox movies."
He added that while he isn't completely certain, the game may take place "before he knew" any of the heroes who would later become his X-Men comrades.
Based on this, it seems unlikely Wolverine will include any of the X-Men, with the game instead expected to see Logan stand on his own.
Will the Wolverine Game Release on Xbox?
Since the developer was acquired by Sony in 2019, Insomniac has been one of PlayStation Studios' first-party developers making games exclusively for its consoles and mostly steering clear of its competitors.
As such, Insomniac has not released a game onto Xbox consoles since Song of the Deep in 2016, meaning Marvel's Wolverine will likely not release on Xbox.
Will the Wolverine Game Release on PS4?
The official announcement teaser for Marvel's Wolverine stated the game is currently "in development for PlayStation 5" with no mention of the PS4, indicating the game will be a current-gen exclusive title.
While Insomniac's last superhero game, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, released on both PS4 and PS5, every release from the developer since has come exclusively to the latest consoles, with Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Spider-Man 2 both skipping out on the last-gen platform.
Will the Wolverine Game Release on PC?
Both Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Spider-Man Remastered have been released on PC via Steam, but neither actually came to the platform until around two years after their initial release on PlayStation consoles, with the same true for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart which also hails from Insomniac.
As such, fans can expect to eventually play Marvel's Wolverine on PC, but not for around two years after its release on PS5, which remains undated at this time.
Will Wolverine Appear In Spider-Man 2?
The PlayStation blog has already confirmed Wolverine and Spider-Man will share one universe, with developer Insomniac describing the "honor" of getting to "build a new, original universe with Spider-Man and now Wolverine."
As Wolverine will only be the first expansion in this universe beyond the Spider-Man series, one has to wonder whether he may show up in this year's Spider-Man 2 to tease his solo game, even if that only comes in a post-credits scene.
Insomniac's Spider-Man already alluded to a larger world of heroes in this universe with the appearance of Avengers Tower in its open world.
There has so far been no confirmation of any heroes beyond Peter Parker and Miles Morales appearing in Spider-Man 2, but if any were to, Wolverine would offer a simple way to promote his upcoming game and connection to this world.
An official release date has yet to be announced for Marvel's Wolverine, which will release exclusively on PS5.
