Despite standing on different sides of the platform fence, Marvel’s Wolverine and Starfield have some interesting similarities—from the marketing perspective. Marvel’s Wolverine was confirmed having a brief teaser in September 2022, and as it stands, fans know next to nothing about this. Indeed, given Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man 2 isn’t set for release until 2023, it’s likely Wolverine won’t manifest until 2024.
Meanwhile, Bethesda revealed Starfield back at E3 2022 and went quickly dark with the game. It's set to produce this November, but despite its existence being since known then, the amount of information out there about Starfield isn’t necessarily concrete. There’s still a lot to be said, but simply like Wolverine, hype can be quite high for Starfield. The comparisons, when it comes to fan reaction and anticipation, return to one common component of the.
Wolverine vs. Starfield
While some lament it, the video game industry is greatly fueled by anticipation or "hype", rumors, and speculation. Gaming fans will talk and speculate about what’s next from a company, sometimes prior to the company probably has any idea itself. The Elder Scrolls 6 and Grand Theft Auto 6 were big names for rumors and speculation before Bethesda or Rockstar ever even vaguely mentioned them. Where this idea is most palpable is when games are announced years in front of release—another practice that is sometimes lamented.
Because of the approach, fans realize that Starfield is an Xbox exclusive. Wolverine is really a PlayStation exclusive. Starfield only has really had one cinematic trailer, a few discussions published, along with a release date. Wolverine has only one teaser trailer, also it may be a long time before it resurfaces. Yet, despite this, fans are excited for both Starfield and Wolverine. The question is why, and it’s really quite simple to answer.
Bethesda is responsible for games like Fallout and Skyrim, and the whole concept of an open-world Sci-Fi game comparable to that style is interesting, as you would expect. Meanwhile, Insomniac Games accounts for Ratchet and Clank, Spider-Man, and much more. The pedigree of these studios drives these titles forward, and that’s why so many are looking forward to each of them—despite knowing so little about the subject.
Starfield, Wolverine Need to Live Down The Dangers of Hype in Video Games
Truth is, this idea is a double-edged sword. It’s a good thing that games and properties can get such attention, as that may mean sales and success at launch. But hype could be a dangerous thing. What everyone must understand is the fact that ANYTHING can flop in the gaming industry. The safest idea continues to be a bet. If Elden Ring hadn’t stuck the landing after so much anticipation, the backlash would have been immense. Cyberpunk 2077 and its reception shows the risks of hyping a game based on the pedigree of their developer, with Witcher developer CD Projekt Red being hit with a huge case of backlash in this situation.
How Starfield and Wolverine eventually stick their landing remains to be seen, and fans definitely want them to become good games. The sheer hype around them right now is totally fine and good for them, but compartmentalizing anticipation and expectation for even the largest titles goes quite a distance. Starfield will release sooner, of course, and maybe it'll meet everything, but it's a similar boat for each of those exclusive titles.
Marvel’s Wolverine is in development for PS5.
