Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is an eagerly awaited upcoming video game developed by Insomniac Games and is exclusive to the PlayStation 5. It is the third game in the series overall, and the second main game, and it launches on 20th October of 2023. The two games in the series so far have received praise from both fans and critics for their story, characters, gameplay, tone, and the web-slinging traversal around New York City.
Also read: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – Everything You Should Know So Far from Release Date to Gameplay
Speaking of New York City, Insomniac had to diligently create a digital recreation of the city with all its iconic locations mixed in with the fictional locations in the Marvel Universe. However, there is one iconic building that unfortunately won’t make it to Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and that is the Chrysler Building.
Why isn’t the Chrysler Building in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2?
As revealed by The New York Times, the reason for the Chrysler Building being absent from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a simple one, namely that Insomniac was unable to reach a copyright agreement with the new ownership of the Chrysler Building. This led to the building being absent from the game entirely.
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The Chrysler Building was absent from the Miles Morales spinoff game which was released in 2020 as well, though was present in the first game of the series in 2018. There are still plenty of other real-world and fictional buildings and locations for players to visit in the city, though.
How did Insomniac design New York City in the game?
Whereas the first game was just set in the area of Manhattan, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 goes beyond that and expands into the settings of Brooklyn and Queens as well, making the map almost twice as large. What was already a difficult task was further complicated by the pandemic, as Insomniac had offices in Burbank, Calif., and Durham, N.C., and were forced to work from home.
The game’s design director, Josue Benavidez, used platforms such as Reddit and Google Maps and even contacted organizations like the Center for Brooklyn History, as well as businesses in the relevant areas. Brooklyn and Queens brought with them different architecture and geometry.
Another change the developers made for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was to add more trees to the city of New York so that it is easier for the two playable superheroes to swing across the map, more than are actually present there. But a more realistic touch is present in the way garbage and trash are piled up on some sidewalks. The placement of every object is very intentional and thought out, so as to bring out the best of Spider-Man’s web-slinging abilities. The sheer power of the PlayStation 5 helped as well, allowing the team to better realize their vision for the setting of New York.
Source: The New York Times
