Along with Starfield, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the biggest release of the year, with the hotly anticipated superhero sequel proving to be a contentious issue in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East as a whole, for some reason.
It’s no secret that the recent Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was banned and removed from theatres potentially due to some trans-supportive messages contained in the film, but as to why Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 may have met the ban-hammer isn’t clear right now.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is On the Way… and nearly here!
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is set to continue the story and adventure of Insomniac Games’ Marvel universe, with the story picking up 9-10 months after the culmination of Marvel’s Spider-Man Mile Morales. Now we’ll finally have access and control over both Spider-Men, each wielding very different powers and abilities, from Miles Venom powers to Peter and his newly acquired Symbiote Suit, as well as the introduction of villains like Kraven and Venom, there’s plenty for us to get our teeth into… at least, if we’re able to buy it.
Depending on the country you reside in, that may not be possible. It’s been noted that Spider-Man 2’s Digital Deluxe Edition has been removed from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia PlayStation Stores last month, with fans unable to pre-order the game whatsoever hours after the store pages launched. Unlike other countries, these two stores no longer show the release date of the game, and most recently, the age rating of the game has been removed as well.
The laws in the two regions prohibit all number of things, but The Last of Us Part 2 and Final Fantasy 16 have both been banned in the countries predominantly due to featuring LGBTQ+ content, same as the aforementioned issues with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Some Middle Eastern fans have claimed that they hgave managed to pre-order the game before it was pulled, leaving them in limbo as to their payments, as well as players full stop who can’t yet pre-order the game, or have any idea if they’ll even be able to.
Insomniac Games and PlayStation are yet to comment whatsoever on the situation, but the theory being floated around fans is that there’s an LGBTQ+ moment or character that cannot be cut, or that the developer is rightfully refusing to cut the specific moment(s).
With so little time left between now and the release of the game, it’ll be interesting to see if the game does end up censored and released over in the two regions, or if there is all one big misunderstanding and a simple oversight.
What do you make of all this? Let us know in the comments!
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