As reported by Game File, The Initiative has recruited Insomniac Games’ Brian Horton to serve as the new creative director on the upcoming Perfect Dark. Horton was serving as creative director on Marvel’s Wolverine, which also has new leadership in charge at Insomniac.

Previously, Horton also directed Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, prior to which he also had stints at Call of Duty studio Infinity Ward, and Crystal Dynamics (which is co-developing Perfect Dark), where he worked on Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Horton is “bringing his wealth of experience to the upcoming reboot of the classic secret agent series”, said an Xbox rep regarding the director’s work on the Perfect Dark reboot.

Perfect Dark is in development for Xbox Series X/S and PC, but there’s no word on a release date or window yet.

Insomniac’s core technology director Mike Fitzgerald describes it a combination of Fidelity mode’s “crisp” 4K resolution and ray tracing with Performance mode’s 60 frames per second. It’s the best of both worlds for these titles, but that’s not all.

Performance Pro will also be available in all of Insomniac’s PS5 titles, including Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Fitzgerald also confirmed that the studio is excited to “spend even more time finding new ways we can leverage PS5 Pro on both these existing titles and future games like Marvel’s Wolverine.”

Marvel’s Wolverine doesn’t have a release date, though Insomniac’s massive leak from last year indicated a 2026 target. While it could leverage the PS5 Pro in interesting new ways, it will be a while before they’re revealed.

The PS5 Pro launches on November 7th. Head here for more details on its hardware, or check out our reviews for Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered.

Taking to Twitter, developer Insomniac Games revealed that the Marvel’s Spider-Man series has now sold over 50 million units worldwide across all platforms. In June 2022, the series’ sales stood at 33 million units.

The newest release in the franchise, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, has, of course, provided a huge boost to its sales, having sold 10 million units as of December 31, 2023.

Individual sales figures for its two predecessors, however, haven’t been officially provided by Sony for some time. The company announced in August 2019 that the original Marvel’s Spider-Man had sold 13.2 million units, while a PlayStation employee’s LinkedIn profile claimed over a year later that it had hit 20 million units sold.

Meanwhile, the last time an official sales number was provided for Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales was back in July 2021, at which point it had sold 6.5 million units. However, leaked internal data emerging in December last year revealed that the game had sold over 14.4 million units as of June 2023.

https://twitter.com/insomniacgames/status/1757662718604013868

In particular, updated numbers (shared on Reddit) have become available on several first party PlayStation titles that were published on PC (Steam in particular), revealing that Horizon Zero Dawn is still the best-selling PlayStation game on the platform, with over 3.3 million units sold as of February 2023. It’s followed by God of War, which has sold over 2.5 million units, and Days Gone, which sits at 1.7 million units sold.

The last time we got updated sales figures for Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War on PC was in May last year, when they sat at 2.7 million sales and 971,000 sales respectively. The leak also mentions that Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered had sold 1.3 million units on PC as of February. Official sales of 1.5 million units on the platform were announced by Sony in May.

Other Sony PC ports mentioned in the leak are Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection with over 483,000 units sold, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales with over 450,000 units sold, and Sackboy: A Big Adventure with just under 63,000 units sold.

Currently, Sony has two games confirmed to be in the pipeline for PC, with Helldivers 2 set to release in February, and Horizon Forbidden West coming in early 2024.

Elsewhere, the leak has also revealed that Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart sold 2.2 million units and failed to break even, that Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales has sold over 10.2 million units across all platforms, and that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 had a total budget of $315 million.

Unannounced plans for a number of upcoming titles over the coming several years have also leaked, including new Spider-Man titles, multiple X-Men games, a new Ratchet and Clank instalment, and a new IP.

As per the leaked document, the game had a development budget of $81.7 million and a marketing budget of $25.1 million, while the licensing fee for Marvel being $106.5 million.

Original story follows:

A recent massive Insomniac leak has revealed several titles that the developer has lined up for the coming years, including multiple Spider-Man games, X-Men titles following up on Wolverine, a new Ratchet and Clank title, and a new IP. In addition to that, the leak has also spilled the beans on development budgets and sales figures for a number of the studio’s games.

As per the leak, which was shared on Reddit, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales has sold over 10.2 million unis worldwide on all platforms. The game seemingly had a total budget of $156 million, and with revenue exceeding $260 million, it turned a $104 million profit, with a 122% return on investment.

Similar figures are also provided for Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, which sold a total of 4 million units, turned an $11 million profit, for a 48% return on total costs of $39 million. The leak also includes details on ResetEra, as well as the projected budget and sales of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, 3, and Marvel’s Wolverine.

The last time Sony provided sales figures for Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales was back in early 2021, at which point the game had sold over 4.1 million units. Earlier this year in June, it was revealed that the Marvel’s Spider-Man series had collectively sold over 33 million units, though specific sales figures for individual games weren’t provided.

Dead Island 2

Dead Island 2 was a game that was in deep development hell for a long time, and many fans had given hope that it would ever come out, and even if it did it would be good enough. But to many a fan’s surprise, Dead Space 2 actually did come out and ended up being a worthy sequel in more ways than one. And furthermore, it’s easily one of the best looking zombie slashers on the market – thanks to great use of high quality reflections and amazing texture work.

#15. BATMAN: THE ENEMY WITHIN

The first iteration of Telltale Games had a spotty track record with licensed properties in its latter years, but one in particular where the studio knocked it out of the work was Batman. And though the first Telltale Batman game was solid enough in its own right, its sequel, The Enemy Within, took things to much greater heights. Its portrayal and characterization of Batman and the Joker deserves all the praise in the world, and the complex, nuanced dynamic between the two characters is something every Batman fan needs to experience.

30. WWE 2K23

It’s easy to forget the slump that the WWE 2K series saw, especially with how much WWE 2K20 was rightfully panned, but that’s why subsequent entries, like WWE 2K23, are even more impressive. It builds on the polish and combat systems in WWE 2K22 while improving the visuals further and adding new features like War Games, a new Showcase and updates to existing modes. Plus, the Royal Rumble now supports up to eight players online.

Wolverine and Film Suits

Would it be a Spider-Man game without suits based on other heroes or groups? The Best There Is suit is a dead ringer for Wolverine (which also has a Suit Style to give it an X-Force color). Of course, there are also suits based on films like Spider-Man: Far From Home and No Way Home, The Amazing Spider-Man, Into and Across the Spider-Verse, and much more.

Arach-Knight

Of course, there are some suits where the references aren’t so obvious. Take the Arach-Knight suit with its cape and Assassin’s Creed-style hood. It’s actually Peter Parker from Warp World, where Spider-Man combined with Moon Knight during Marvel Comics’ 2018 crossover event Infinity Wars. While he had the powers of a mystic spider, he also had alternate personalities or Alters like Marc Spector. That doesn’t carry over into the game, but the suit is still very cool.

Cindy Moon Cameo

When everything is said and done, Miles finally meets Albert Moon, which is a big moment for the family. However, he’s also introduced to Cindy, Albert’s daughter. While her face isn’t shown and she doesn’t speak, Marvel Comics fans will recognize her as Silk, a Spider-Woman who received her powers from the same radioactive spider as Peter Parker. What her origins are in the current story remains to be seen, but hopefully, the pheromones don’t make a return.

Spider-Man’s First Comic Appearance

While going through Peter’s bedroom, there’s a clipping for the Daily Bugle with the headline “Amazing new hero or violent vigilante?” It references the cover of Amazing Fantasy #15, which introduces Spider-Man. You can even find the comic book on the shelf in the same room.

Hank Pym

In the same room, you can also find the 2003 Pioneer Award which Peter earned for his Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry. It was at Pym Science Summer Camp, and who else should have signed it but Hank Pym, aka Ant-Man, Giant-Man and even the Wasp (it’s a long story). A cool nod to the other major genius in the Marvel universe.

G-Serum

After everything is resolved in the climactic final battle, Harry is in bad shape and comatose once more. His father, Norman Osborn, is not happy, and after smashing some nearby objects, he makes a call, asking for the G Serum to be ready ASAP. It’s the serum historically used to turn him into the Green Goblin, which could hint at him finally transforming into the iconic villain for the sequel.

Villain Rides in Coney Island

Coney Island is an amusement park where you can earn some neat prizes after completing mini-games (including a cowboy hat with a light-up brim). However, its rides are also references to classic Marvel villains. Big Wheel and Speed Demon reference, well, Big Wheel and Speed Demon; Hydro Bench combines Morris Bench and his villain name, Hydro-Man; and Cadenski’s Arcade is for A.R. Cadenski, aka Arcade.

The Pointing Meme

It’s common to run into Peter or Miles while playing as one or the other. After a battle is over, you can interact with them and maybe share a hug. However, they also point at each other in a fake surprised manner before casually laughing it off, referencing the legendary Spider-Man pointing meme.

Fantastic 4 Logo

While Spider-Man hasn’t interacted with the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or Insomniac’s games, he has a pretty rich history with the group. So it’s no surprise to see the Baxter Building in the sequel, and if you go to the roof, you see their logo painted on it. It’s incomplete, but perhaps it’s hinting at their future arrival.

Backpacks

During the mission, “Roll Like We Used To”, Peter will come across a backpack, webbed up in some random corner. For those who played the first game, this refers to the various backpacks he left scattered throughout the city. He forgot about this one, and Peter remarks that he needs to better track them. Since this part takes place in the past, and the backpacks are nearly everywhere in the first game, we’re going to guess that didn’t happen, but at least he collected them all. You did collect them all, right?

Rick-Roll Reference

In the same mission, Harry and Peter do their best to avoid a security guard – and subsequently the police – in their old high school. At one point, Harry gets hold of the Public Access system and sings to distract them, giving Peter a chance to escape. What else should he be singing but Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up? It’s just enough that he doesn’t get a copyright strike.

Visions Academy

Visions Academy appears in-game, with Peter teaching there briefly and Miles attending. Those who watched the Spider-Verse movies will immediately recognize it as the same school its version of Miles attended. Equip the Spider-Verse suits for maximum immersion.

Suit Specific VFX and Film Style Animation

It’s not enough to have suits based on different properties – they also have different VFX. Like Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, the Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Boy suits have stop motion-like animations similar to the film. The same applies to Peter’s Into the Spider-Verse suit, which is Spider-Man Noir. It looks incredibly sleek, and the best part is that Film Style Animation is an unlockable setting, allowing every outfit to have this effect.

Speed Nonagon

In Miles Morales, Genki mentions working on a game called Speed Nonagon, which sounds more than a little like Super Hexagon. It was a prototype, but in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Peter can find a copy of the game on his dining table, seemingly indicating that it became a game, with the logo even looking a bit similar to Super Hexagon.

Norman Osborn as Green Goblin

There are all kinds of murals in New York, particularly of different characters like Norman Osborn. One of these has Osborn with green horns and red mist coming out of his mouth. The former references Green Goblin, particularly the Ultimate Comics version with its horns. Perhaps this foreshadows how he’ll look if he becomes a villain in a future title. The mist is likely Devil’s Breath, which Oscorp created and Doctor Octopus used to cause a horrific viral attack in the first game.

One question that has been asked about the latter quite frequently ever since its unveiling in 2021 is whether or not it’s going to be set in the same universe as Insomniac’s Spider-Man games, especially with the developer having described it as a “standalone” experience at the time of its announcement. And as it turns out, that will indeed be the case.

Speaking in a recent interview with Kinda Funny, Bryan Intihar – creative director of Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – confirmed that the upcoming Marvel’s Wolverine is going to take place in Earth-1048, the same universe where Insomniac’s Spider-Man games are also set.

“They’re all 1048,” Intihar confirmed when asked if the Wolverine and Spider-Man games were set in the same universe.

He also touched on why there are no references or easter eggs tied to the upcoming Wolverine title in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, something that many had expected to see, and said that it was a conscious decision made by Insomniac.

“There was a decision not to do it,” Intihar said. “I’m just trying to make Spider-Man and trying to get Spider-Man off the ground, while there’s another Marvel thing. I think for us it was like, ‘hey, let’s just let that team cook. Let them make the game they want to make.’ And, you know, who knows what the future holds, but right now, let’s let them do their thing. And that game’s going to be great.”

What that’ll mean for how prominent the connections to Insomniac’s Spider-Man games will be in Marvel’s Wolverine remains to be seen. Of course, currently, there’s little to no information available on the latter, though earlier this year, reports claimed that Marvel’s Wolverine would be a semi-open world title, with Insomniac targeting a Fall 2024 launch.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, meanwhile, has got off to an impressive start, not only having garnered widespread acclaim from critics and audiences alike, but also having sold 2.5 million units worldwide in its first day, making it the biggest launch ever for a PlayStation Studios title.

In our review of the game, we awarded it a score of 9/10, saying, “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is exactly the sort of sequel you’d want it to be, and though it stumbles here and there, ultimately, it improves on its predecessors in almost every way that matters most.” Read the full review through here.