Amid fan confusion, PlayStation insists Spider-Man PS5’s reveal was not ‘misleading’

PlayStation boss Jim Ryan has insisted that the reveal of PS5’s new Spider-Man game Miles Morales was not “misleading,” amid confusion among fans as to exactly what the game is.

Speaking to Cnet, Ryan said: “I can safely say that we would not effectively lead the next-gen portion of the show with something that was either trivial or misleading.”

Announced during Sony’s PS5 reveal event last week, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales was described as “a new adventure from Insomniac Games,” with little further detail offered.

Following the title’s reveal, SIE’s European business EVP claimed in a Telegraph interview that Morales was “an expansion and an enhancement to the previous game,” fuelling speculation that the title would not be a fully-fleshed-out release.

Fans also found the locations featured in Miles Morales’ reveal trailer in its PS4 predecessor.

On Friday the game’s developer issued a statement clarifying that Morales was a “standalone game,” but providing no further clarification as to its scope.

An official blog post then claimed the game would “build on and expand Marvel’s Spider-Man,” but did not add detail on what this meant in practical terms for players.

The confusion in PlayStation’s messaging is possibly influenced by its licensing obligations to Marvel, which is required to approve all assets for the Spider-Man games, thus increasing its reaction time when unexpected PR issues emerge.

A Bloomberg report later attempted to clear up the confusion around the game, citing a person with knowledge of Insomniac’s plans. The publication claimed Miles Morales would be “smaller than a traditional console game” but sold as a standalone product.

Further reading

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Spider-Man Miles Morales is an ‘expansion and enhancement to the original’, Sony clarifies

Update: Insomniac Games says Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a "standalone game"

It said: “Spider-Man: Miles Morales is not an expansion or enhancement but a new video game, the person said, comparing it to Uncharted Lost Legacy, a game from Naughty Dog that was smaller in size and scope than a mainline Uncharted title.”

Released in September 2018, PS4 exclusive Spider-Man was widely praised by critics and has sold 13 million units worldwide, according to Sony.

The huge success of the title contributed to Sony Interactive Entertainment acquiring California-based Insomniac Games, the developer also known for Resistance and Ratchet and Clank.

Significantly, Sony has been using Spider-Man to demonstrate PlayStation 5’s new SSD tech.