Insomniac confirms Spider-Man and Wolverine share the same universe

Insomniac Games has revealed more about its highly-anticipated Wolverine game.
marvel's wolverine game

Insomniac Games may have just released Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to critical acclaim, but that doesn’t mean the studio is resting on its laurels. As announced way back in 2021, Insomniac is also currently working on a major adaptation for another beloved Marvel character: Wolverine.

So far, Marvel’s Wolverine has only been glimpsed in a brief teaser, with few updates about its status – but now that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has been given time to breathe, Insomniac is speaking more about this upcoming game – and its ties to the Spider-Man universe.

As revealed in an interview with Kinda Funny, the upcoming Wolverine adventure will be linked to Insomniac’s Spider-Man, as they’ll take place in the same universe. “They’re all 1048,” Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 game director Bryan Intihar confirmed, referring to the game universe’s designated number. “I think I got that right.”

While Intihar’s declaration doesn’t explicitly confirm that Spider-Man will appear in Marvel’s Wolverine, it certainly opens up the possibility. Spider-Man (Peter Parker) and Wolverine have a great dynamic in the comic book source material, often trading snarky quips due to opposing personalities. We don’t expect a fully-fledged team-up in the upcoming game, but even sly nods or a minor cameo in Marvel’s Wolverine would be a great bit of fun.

Read: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Review – Swing, Swing

Already, Insomniac has included references to Wolverine in its Spider-Man adventures, with Miles Morales able to don a special Wolverine-inspired Spider-Suit – so we expect at least a sly wink in Marvel’s Wolverine, in response.

Intihar seemed open to this idea in conversation with IGN, discussing how crossovers were always enthused about during the development of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

“We wouldn’t be true Marvel fans if we didn’t have discussions like that, but I think for us it was, ‘Hey, working on these games is really hard. They’re really complicated.’ And I think it was just like, ‘Hey, let’s let the Wolverine team cook.’ Let’s let them cook and if something ever happens in the future, great,” Intihar said.

“But right, now let’s just make sure that let’s not box anybody into a corner and let’s just make sure that they have a clear runway to make the best Wolverine possible, and it’s going to be awesome.”

At this stage, all we really know about the upcoming Wolverine adventure is its universe designation – leaving plenty of room for questions. Given Insomniac’s past form, and the success of its Spider-Man franchise, there’s every reason to look forward to more news about this upcoming game. For now, it does not have a firm release window, but we can expect to learn more in the coming months.

Leah J. Williams is a gaming and entertainment journalist who's spent years writing about the games industry, her love for The Sims 2 on Nintendo DS and every piece of weird history she knows. You can find her tweeting @legenette most days.