Spider-Man 2 getting a free prequel, but you can’t play it
2023 is looking to be a bumper year for games, and while the likes of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are set to be suitably massive, let's remember the old rhyme of "Along Came a Spider."
Insomniac Games is ready to swing across the New York City skyline with Spider-Man 2, and although we don't have a firm release date yet, fans are told you can jump into the early story via a web-weaving prequel. The problem is, you can't play it.
Spider-Man 2 is getting a prequel story
Following the runaway success of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 in 2018, Insomniac delivered Miles Morales as a PS5 exclusive in 2020. Not quite a full game but not quite a DLC, it neatly filled in the gaps and gave us something to do before Miles suits up in Spider-Man 2.
For those hoping that the Spider-Man 2 prequel is a similar experience, a PlayStation blog has confirmed it's a free prequel comic that will set up the story going into the next game. While it's disappointing that we won't get a Venom origin story, it'll likely play out in the events of the main game.
Explaining what you can expect from the comic, Insomniac Narrative Director Jon Paquette said, "When we initially sat down with the team at Marvel, we explored a few different ideas about what kinds of stories we could tell in a prequel comic."
Paquette continued, "We kept coming back to the same core premise - What if Peter, Miles, and MJ had to team up against a new Super Villain whose powers they didn't understand?" Although the story is saving Venom for the game, we see this talented trio go against the supernatural forces of The Hood.
When is the Spider-Man 2 prequel out?
Click to enlargeThe aptly named Spider-Man 2 #1 apparently gives gaming fans a peek into what Peter, Miles, and MJ have been doing since the first game and Miles Morales. There's some impressive talent on board, with Marvel's Spider-Man's Christos Gage writing alongside art from Ig Guara.
If you're sold on the free Spider-Man 2 prequel comic, there isn't long to wait. It'll be hitting shelves (both physical and virtual) as part of Free Comic Book Day) on May 6. Fans in the US can download digitally from the Marvel Unlimited app or via Marvel.com, while a worldwide Marvel Unlimited release is expected at a later date.
This isn't the only good news, as the blog ends by confirming Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered is being released as a standalone on PS5. Previously, it was only available as part of the Miles Morales Ultimate Edition. If you owned the original copy on PS4, you can upgrade to PS5 for just $10.
Even though Insomniac is still holding out on giving us a Spider-Man 2 release date, there couldn't be a better time to try out the original in its remastered form. At least it'll give us something to do until we meet Tony Todd's terrifying Venom.