Fans are arguing over whether Spider-Man 2 will have co-op after finding evidence of it in the files for the first game’s PC port.
In case you missed it, Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man title is available on PC, no doubt further cementing it as one of Sony’s best-selling games.
Its release has also got people chatting again about next year’s sequel, the PlayStation 5 exclusive Spider-Man 2. Some already wondered whether it might have multiplayer features but now the PC version seems to have information hinting at exactly that.
In the PC version’s files, there are lines of code that explicitly mention a co-op feature, as well as references to a ‘character 2′.
Other lines of code also suggest a competitive multiplayer aspect, with references to a red team and blue team. Plus, two separate victory messages for Peter and Miles that call the winner the ‘Superior Spider-Man’.
These can’t be for the original game since, barring some sections with the non-superpowered Mary Jane and Miles, Spider-Man is the only playable character in the game. Unless these are leftovers from a scrapped multiplayer feature – although you would’ve thought that would have come to light before now.
It’s more likely that this code is referring to the sequel. This sort of thing isn’t too uncommon. Activision, for example, included files for potential Call Of Duty sequels in the mobile version of Call Of Duty: Warzone.
what
what is this pic.twitter.com/NUZ32OO0ul— DniweTamp (@dniwetamp) August 13, 2022
— DniweTamp (@dniwetamp) August 13, 2022
Although very few details have been confirmed for Spider-Man 2, it is safe to assume that you’ll get to play as two Spider-Men – the question is whether you’ll be able to do so with a friend. The announcement trailer showed Peter and Miles working together to fight enemies, which already seemed to hint at a co-op option.
However, Insomniac itself hasn’t confirmed anything and explicitly described the sequel as an ‘epic single-player adventure.’ Although it wouldn’t be the first time a studio was economical with the truth in order to keep a surprise safe.
The code was first spotted and shared on Twitter by DniweTamp and soon circulated on Reddit. Judging by fan responses, no one can agree on what exactly it means.
While some are taking Insomniac at its word, others believe the studio is simply lying or that plans have changed. Or even that co-op will be added as a post-launch update, as with Returnal.
Others theorise that, rather than a co-op option, there will instead be a separate multiplayer mode akin to Ghost Of Tsushima: Legends.
The code could even be connected to the Marvel multiplayer game that Insomniac is rumoured to be working on.
Spider-Man 2 is scheduled to release in 2023, so we hopefully won’t have to wait much longer for an official update from Insomniac.
