Future Spider-Man games to be developed by Beenox

by Ben Gilbert on Jan 13th 2011 10:00AM

Activision today announced that Shattered Dimensions developer, Beenox, will be in charge of the publisher's future Spidey efforts. "Beenox's creative vision reinvigorated the Spider-Man gaming experience among critics and fans in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions," Activision senior VP Patrick Kelly said in the announcement, "We can't wait to see where this talented studio will take this franchise in the future." If you're puzzled by Kelly's statement about Shattered Dimensions "reinvigorating" the down-and-out Spidey license, we're right there with ya. It's like we're living in two different worlds!

Regardless, we've got a good idea about where Beenox could take the franchise in the coming years: Creative director Thomas Wilson expressed interest in focusing on the Noir or 2099 Universe from Shattered Dimensions for a spin-off game. Just think: an entire Spidey game based in the Noir dimension? He'll basically have to don a trench coat at some point!

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ACTIVISION STUDIO BEENOX NAMED LEAD DEVELOPER ON UPCOMING SPIDER-MAN™ TITLES

Santa Monica, CA – January 13, 2011 –Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced that wholly owned development studio Beenox has been named the primary developer on upcoming Activision titles featuring Marvel™'s famous web-slinger, Spider-Man™. Beenox's most recent breakout success was with Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, one of the most highly rated Spider-Man titles to date and Wizard Magazine's 2010 Game of the Year.

"Beenox's creative vision reinvigorated the Spider-Man gaming experience among critics and fans in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions," said Patrick Kelly, Senior Vice President, Activision Studios. "We can't wait to see where this talented studio will take this franchise in the future."

"We are thrilled with this opportunity to continue our close, collaborative relationship with Activision, Marvel and everyone's friendly, neighborhood hero, Spider-Man," said Dee Brown, Studio Head, Beenox. "Being able to map out Spider-Man's interactive future gives us the creative freedom to really craft the best gaming experience for the fans."

"Beenox has done a tremendous job showcasing the essence of Spider-Man while pushing new creative boundaries with Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions," said Todd Jefferson, Director of Games, Marvel Entertainment's Global Digital Media Group. "We look forward to working with Beenox on creating new Spider-Man game experiences."

To see more about Beenox's award winning game, go to www.SpiderManDimensions.com.

Tags: activision, beenox, spider-man, spider-man-shattered-dimensions

Reader Comments (29)

Developing for Activision is like doing the dishes. You do a good job once and you're stuck doing it forever.

@koehler83 Saying they did a good job is a bit of a stretch, in my opinion. The game was serviceable, but nothing worth buying. They couldn't even get their story beats straight.

@sammo21

I agree, It wasn't bad, but no way near a good game like Web of Shadows. But maybe I'm more of a sandbox kinda Spidey where I can swing to my hearts content and not give a shit about a whining citizen down below, because I'm trying to see how fast I can go without losing momentum.

If they do make a 2099 game, it should be free roam. I'd love to swing around that city in my futuristic Spidey gear.

So, curb any future enthusiasm, is what you're saying? Done.

I'm fine with that. I thought it was a pretty good game. Wasn't mind blowing no but it wasn't garbage either.

more Spiderman Noir please.

@MicahR its called Batman Arkham Asylum, and its better

" If you're puzzled by Kelly's statement about Shattered Dimensions "reinvigorating" the down-and-out Spidey license, we're right there with ya. It's like we're living in two different worlds!"

I honestly couldn't tell if this was sarcasm or not. To me, the sentance implies that Joystiq didn't think think that Shattered Dimensions was good, but they gave it 3.5 stars out of 5, which seems like a decent review. I don't understand this at all :(

@Rocket Raccoon

I could care less about critical reaction. I LOVED Shattered Dimensions and can't wait for more! It wasn't of the quality of Arkham Asylum but it was still extremely satisfying and FUN!

@thund3rstruck

I got it really cheap but I haven't played it yet (gaming backlog). I know that I will get enjoyment out of it due to my Spider-Man fanboyism. Fun is what I'm looking for!

@Rocket Raccoon

They said what they did because Activision have stated they won't be making anymore spiderman games.

More Arkham: Spider-Man please.

I would like Beenox to try an open-world Spidey.

I still think Web of Shadows was the best Spider man game. But thats just me.

@Basevi

It was the best Spider-man. The best Spider-man game since Spider-man 2.

Just read SD review... Sounds interesting, but not quite there. Should they work on the issues pointed out and Beenox could gift us with a Spidey game on par with Arkham Asylum quality.

Like that would ever happen...

I might be one of the few, but I had one hell of a time just trying to get through Shattered Dimensions. I got stuck in the floor, characters disappeared every once in a while, the game would freeze, etc. I actually didn't mind the actual game, but when you encounter that many bugs and glitches, it makes it hard for you to really like it in the end.

@Uncle Jesse
I had a lot of the same problems, plus I thought the game was ridiculously repetitive and a major step back for the series. Also the game played the same voiceover clips over and over which nearly drove me to insanity. If I ever hear NPH say" bad guy corner pocket" again somebody will die.

@Uncle Jesse

Are you sure you weren't playing Two Worlds? Suck it, Two Worlds.

Looks like another studio is in line to be closed by Activision once the franchise gets drained.

I predict the next Spiderman game to be related to the upcoming movie. So it may not be that bad if they take time to develop

What we REALLY need is a 6 player arcade beat 'em up based on the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! animated series.

So let it be written, so let it be done.

@TheRedComet have you been reading my mind? stop that!

but seriously.. disney was starting to look decent with their handling of licenses.. although tron wasnt as good as it could have been, it seemed to be given real care. epic mickey had a couple of issues, but warren spector? a real studio? then, toy story 3 was actually pretty good, and so was the ds version of alice in wonderland (yeah, really surprising huh?!).

anyways.. with all of that happening, i figured we'd see the return of the quality licensed beat em up.. especially after ubisofts attention to detail when it came to scott pilgrim.

with warner bros and disney making headlines last year so often talking about their commitment to gaming, i figured some good games would follow based on properties. warner bros did good in having (or letting) way forward make the brave and the bold beat em up for the wii..

so with that said.. yeah.. avengers and young justice need classic 4 - 6 player beat em ups.. and spider-man has a new show in the works coming to disney xd probably sometime next year.. disney should yank the rights from activision and make a 2d action platformer based on the series. that would be so damn sick.

I think it's slightly suspect to talk about reinvigorating the gaming experience, but Shattered Dimensions certainly reinvigorated hype and anticipation for a Spider-Man game. Unfortunately it seems less like a good game with flaws and more like a mediocre game with good press, but maybe Beenox can improve.

I dunno, I thought Treyarch was doing a pretty decent job before.

Shattered Dimensions really wasn't that bad.

I just want another Spider-Man free-roam game. Ultimate Spider-Man was the shit.

I loved the game. When you are swiftly web zipping from flying crates during a sand man tornado it made me feel more like spiderman than free roaming ever did. The Amazing/Ultimate spiderman dialog made me laugh out loud many times. Hearing the quality of the voice acting made me feel like they really cared about the game and spiderman. People may have liked web of shadows gameplay, but there were several things that enraged me as a fan of spiderman comics. The voice actor they got for spiderman in hat game was the whiniest little dweeb ever. I had to play the game on mute. Then when I saw the story I turned it into gamestop before I ever finished it. With all that said though, the best spiderman game could've easily been Ultimate Spiderman if it would've lasted longer.

The only question re: Avengers beat 'em up is whether you have Ant-Man / Giant-Man as a playable character or not. That guy has 5,453,838 different strategies for beating anybody.

I'm happy about part of this. I would absolutely love to see a 2099 based game, my favorite of all the spidey universes. Noir is a close second. What I don't like was Shattered Dimensions. I prefer an open world Spiderman game. I doubt they'll do it.

This is sad news indeed. SD was okay at best, and weak and generic at worst. While Web of Shadows wasn't perfect, it was definitely a step in the right direction. Yeah the voice sucked but it didn't bug me enough to affect my enjoyment of the game; that's just silly.

Spider-Man should be in a 3D world, not that Crash Bandicoot linear world they crammed him in SD. I mean, Deadpool's felt the best because you had some semblance of freedom.

I knew the moment I started seeing 7s and 8s for SD that Activision would immediately take the shortest distance to making more money. Now we're going to see a new Spider-Man game in 2011, made by Beenox. I bet they're 25% done...or they better bee. Bee? Get it?

Activision would NEVER delay a game until it was actually ready, like Eidos and Rocksteady, would they? Nah. Too much money to be made.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions

Future Spider-Man games to be developed by Beenox

Reader Comments (29)

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 10:09AM koehler83 said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 10:12AM sammo21 said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 1:30PM Youthinized said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 10:12AM baby sea tuna said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 10:15AM Zal said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 10:25AM MicahR said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 11:26AM sammo21 said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 10:57AM Rocket Raccoon said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 11:08AM thund3rstruck said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 11:39AM Rocket Raccoon said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 11:57AM MrAlex said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 11:02AM ajbrown141 said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 11:08AM Basevi said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 11:39AM VegaThePunisher said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 11:09AM TheShaper said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 11:16AM Uncle Jesse said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 11:29AM BizarroPunisher said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 11:30AM Stormbarrier said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 11:49AM Lerkero said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 11:52AM TheRedComet said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 12:22PM shouryuuken said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 1:58PM Haywire said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 2:56PM Fuzunga said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 3:05PM False said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 3:08PM EliminatorZigma said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 3:19PM EffinNinja said

Posted: Jan 13th 2011 8:47PM TheRedComet said

Posted: Jan 14th 2011 4:41PM AGx07162 said

Posted: Jan 15th 2011 9:56PM Milf Biggenson said

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