The latest Insomniac Games leaks worth 1.7 TB of data revealed crucial studio information and plans, such as Disney could terminate their contract and demand a termination fee if PlayStation fails to sell at least 6 million copies of their Marvel games.
The deal between Marvel and PlayStation came to light when details about the upcoming Wolverine game got leaked by a ransomware attack from the hacker group Rhysida. The leak revealed early-development gameplay footage, which is allegedly similar to Spider-Man. Insomniac’s plans for future Marvel games, including a Venom standalone and X-Men trilogy, were also leaked.
Sony must sell at least 6 million copies of marvel titles. If they do not hit that go, Disney can walk away and get paid a termination fee from Sony.
This is why Sony bundles Spider-Man games in their console.#PlayStation pic.twitter.com/pUWMb9zk3D
— FLINTDAWG8208 (@flintdawg8208) December 19, 2023
According to the leaked license terms, either party could end their relationship if one of the major titles did not sell 6 million copies on PlayStation and PC combined in the first year after its release. If PlayStation terminated the contract, Marvel could ask for a $9 million penalty. However, this fee would be waived if the Disney subsidiary terminated the association. In the second instance, Insomniac would not develop any more Marvel games, but they could continue selling the ones made before the termination.
This agreement between the two parties could explain why Sony is selling Marvel’s Spider-Man game bundles. This package deal is an excellent way to increase the Marvel titles’ sales because fans must purchase both the game and the console. They might continue this trend with the future Marvel games to meet the 6 million mark.
Fans are ecstatic as leak says all Marvel games will be released by 2035
Sony would invest approximately $621 million in the development and marketing of the upcoming Marvel projects. Because of this commitment, Marvel is offering exclusivity to PlayStation. Even Marvel themselves can’t release or announce any X-Men game until December 31, 2035. However, X-Men characters could feature in multi-family Marvel games like Avengers or Guardian of the Galaxy. This could be a boon for Sony, as there has been a lack of proper PlayStation exclusives.
Leaked Insomniac game releases.
Spiderman 3 in 2028. pic.twitter.com/z5UCpKnZO7
— JMW_BOYZ (@JMW_BOYZ) December 19, 2023
Aside from revealing Insomniac Games’ plans for multiple Marvel projects, the leak brought the joyous news that all those titles must release within 2035 and the sales must be completed by 2038. If all these projects turned out to be major hits like Spider-Man franchise, Marvel could further extend their association with PlayStation, meaning more projects for the fans to look forward to.
The X-Men license term leak also revealed the royalty agreement between the two parties. The Disney subsidiary would receive 9-18% of digital sales, 19-26% of physical sales, 19-26% of DLC sales, and 35-50% of bundle sales. It was a significant leak, and there could be more in the future. However, we will keep you updated on everything about Wolverine and other future Marvel games.
