Marvel's Wolverine director "pretty used to" criticism as Spider-Man taught Insomniac you can make a "great game" and some fans will still "find stuff to complain about"
Marvel's Wolverine game director Mike Daly says Insomniac is used to online backlash following waves of online criticism after recent gameplay reveals.
Speaking to The Gamer, Daly explained that Insomniac is "pretty used to" criticism, and that it's a "good problem to have" when the fanbase is as passionate as theirs. He cites the three Marvel's Spider-Man games as proof that the studio can make a "great game that a lot of people love," but even then, some people will still "find stuff to complain about."
Insomniac's Spider-Man titles have been generally beloved, but they have also garnered some of the harshest criticism the studio has received to date. Even before the first entry was released, there was Puddlegate, and the typical online discourse surrounding how characters look in-game. As well as gameplay complaints like Mary Jane's stealth missions and Hailey's side mission in the second game.
Daly adds, "I rest easy about this, knowing that our goal for the game wasn't necessarily to accomplish these things that people complain about. Our goal really was to focus completely on making the best game for the character." That somewhat explains decisions that have been criticized, like Wolverine being a linear action game and not an open-world title like the studio's other Marvel titles.
Of course, criticism is healthy; it's just how you go about it that makes the difference. And even as someone who generally enjoyed all three games and didn't dislike those aspects nearly as much as everyone else seemed to, things like Peter's face redesign for the remaster and how Spider-Man 2 falls off a cliff in its third act definitely felt like valid criticism. Not to mention the game has been caught in the crossfire of Sony's decision to end production of discs for new PlayStation games starting in 2028.