Fans were left visually stunned when Ninja Theory showcased Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II‘s gameplay trailer at The Game Awards 2023. Surprisingly, it seems like Insomniac Games also had their eyes on the Xbox exclusive, as recent leaks revealed how they had planned to use Hellblade 2 character models as a visual target for Marvel’s Wolverine. Naturally, this has flamed up the Xbox vs PlayStation debate once again, although some fans remain grateful to modern game studios for their dedication to photorealistic graphics.
Insomniac, a Sony first-party studio, was recently hit by a massive ransomware attack on their servers. However, Sony refused to accept the massive ransom demand of $2 million, which led to the hackers releasing almost 1.7 TB worth of data, containing Insomniac employee details, early gameplay footage of the upcoming Wolverine game, and a lot more, including some official policy documents that PlayStation would have preferred to keep private. Incidentally, the same leak also revealed a PowerPoint presentation on Marvel’s Wolverine, in which the studio had talked about using character models from Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II as an example of the visual quality they want to achieve.
(altchair) Insomniac Games targeting Hellblade 2-like photorealism for Wolverine
– Insomniac Games has been the target of a significant ransomware attack, leading to the leak of internal and confidential files online.
– One of the leaked slides showcases Hellblade 2 as… pic.twitter.com/GetshnHESR
— Idle Sloth (@IdleSloth84_) December 21, 2023
Ninja Theory has always been hailed for its photorealistic graphics, and the recent Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 gameplay trailer blew everyone away. The Xbox first-party studio has also been quite vocal about its commitment to utilizing motion capture and photogrammetry to achieve life-like visuals in most of its games. Similarly, Insomniac’s slideshow revealed how the studio plans to use the same method for character models in Marvel’s Wolverine. In fact, the American studio mentioned how they will use real-world 4D scan data before adjusting the models in-engine to achieve the best visual fidelity possible.
Fans aren’t sure if photorealistic character models are the way to go for Marvel’s Wolverine
Although the Insomniac Games leaks revealed how the American studio was aiming for photorealistic character models by using motion capture and photogrammetry, fans weren’t convinced that such an art style would work for Marvel’s Wolverine. In fact, some users on Twitter even complained about Insomniac’s aim, claiming that Wolverine is at its core a game based on a comic, and it should retain some of that charm for players to experience. According to skeptics, photorealistic graphics, although mindblowing, weren’t best suited to all genres, and studios should have a proper creative direction instead of running after the latest fad.
Photorealistic comic book games are not something I want. Sigh. It’s a comic book game, keep some of the charm.
— Jake (@Jake90733061216) December 21, 2023
On the other hand, PlayStation fans have wondered why Insomniac chose to use Ninja Theory as an example, even though first-party Sony studios have used motion capture and photogrammetry in the past. According to fans, studios like Naughty Dog and Santa Monica have also created incredible character models, and Insomniac could have taken a leaf out of their book. However, we believe a source of inspiration can never be ranked or criticized, and Ninja Theory being on Insomniac’s mind is a testament to the British studio’s incredible reputation.
