Movies

UPDATED: 'Spider-Man: Miles Morales' For PlayStation 5 Is Not A Full Sequel But A Spin-Off Akin To 'Uncharted: Lost Legacy'

Spider-Man: Miles Morales Video Game
By Ethan Anderton

The PlayStation 5 was officially revealed yesterday, and one of the most exciting parts was the official reveal of the teaser trailer for Spider-Man: Miles Morales, a follow-up to the hit Spider-Man video game released for the PlayStation 4 in 2018. However, in all the excitement, Sony Interactive Entertainment didn't get around to explaining that this isn't actually a full-on sequel to the Spider-Man game. At the same time, contrary to recent reports, it's not just an expansion accompanying an enhanced version of the original game either. Get the details below

UPDATE: We've modified our original story to offer better clarification on what Spider-Man: Miles Morales actually is.

This story kicked off when The Telegraph heard directly from Simon Rutter, Sony Interactive Entertainment's Executive Vice President of European Business, about what Spider-Man: Miles Morales will be. Rutter said, "I guess you could call it an expansion and an enhancement to the previous game." So this will be something akin to an expansion pack with a version of the game that probably looks better in the graphics department thanks to the hardware within the PlayStation 5. Rutter continued.

"There's a substantial Miles Morales component – which is the expansion element – but also within the game as well there's been major enhancements to the game and the game engine, obviously deploying some of the major PlayStation 5 technology and features."

However, video game journalist Jason Schreier at Bloomberg contradicted those remarks with his own reporting:

For those who haven't played any of the Uncharted video games for PlayStation over the years, Uncharted: Lost Legacy is a spin-off of Uncharted 4. It follows supporting characters from the main series, and while it's an entirely new game, it uses the same game engine and mechanics of Uncharted 4, just with a new story and new missions. It was cheaper than a full video game, and even though it wasn't as long as a complete Uncharted game, it still took some time to get through. That likely means that we'll get a whole new story with Miles Morales, but within the engine of the Spider-Man game that was already established before.

That still makes yesterday's underwhelming announcement about the PlayStation 5 overall even more disappointing. That's not to say that getting an expansion for the Spider-Man game starring Miles Morales is entirely unexciting, but the fact that this isn't a full sequel is a bummer. It sounds like Sony wanted something Spider-Man-related to come with the launch of the PlayStation 5 later this year, and this is the best thing Insomniac Games could do within the window of time they had before the system is released.

Spider-Man for PlayStation 4 was one of the fastest selling games of 2018, and was also one of the best-selling games for the system. That means a full sequel is a no-brainer, and hopefully Miles Morales will be a key component of that, especially considering how the original game ends by teasing his future as Spider-Man. But it takes a long time to make such an expansive video game like that, so fans will just have to wait for Insomniac Games to get cracking on that sequel sometime in the future. In the meantime, I'm hoping that this Miles Morales expansion will also be made available for the PlayStation 4, because based on what was revealed yesterday, I won't be getting a PlayStation 5 for a long time.

The PlayStation 5 will be released during the holiday season this year, and Spider-Man: Miles Morales will be released at the same time.

Recommended