Marvel's Avengers won't have PS4 and PS5 exclusive heroes besides Spider-Man

By Samuel Tolbert
published

Players not on PlayStation should be excited for Hawkeye.

Marvels Avengers Hawkeye Tease
Marvels Avengers Hawkeye Tease (Image credit: Square Enix (screenshot))

Marvels Avengers Hawkeye Tease

Source: Square Enix (screenshot) (Image credit: Source: Square Enix (screenshot))

What you need to know

  • Spider-Man is exclusive to the PlayStation versions of Marvel's Avengers.
  • According to the developers, Spider-Man is the only character that will be exclusive.
  • The developers also gave the example of Hawkeye at content players on Xbox or PC can be excited for.
  • For anyone who simply has to play as Spider-Man, "you have the option to do so on PlayStation."

Marvel's Avengers has been brought up a fair bit lately as a subject of discussion for exclusive or timed exclusive content. PlayStation players will be getting costume and emote packs that are exclusive for 30 days. Meanwhile, Spider-Man is coming to the PS4 and PS5 versions of the game as an exclusive character at some point in 2021.

Spider-Man is one of the biggest names in Marvel. When asked about why the character was made exclusive to the PlayStation platform and if any future heroes will be console exclusive, Crystal Dynamics studio head Sct Amos told IGN that no other characters will be exclusive to PlayStation.

This was made possible as a "...unique opportunity for us because of the relationship that PlayStation and Marvel have." Amos further explained that players on all platforms can look forward to free post-launch heroes such as Hawkeye. Amos added that "And for those players who absolutely want to play as Spider-Man, you have the option to do so on PlayStation."

The beta for Marvel's Avengers begins on August 7 for anyone who preordered the game on PS4. It opens up to all platforms without preordering on August 27. If you'd like to learn more about Marvel's Avengers, you can read our impressions of the beta right here.

Marvel's Avengers is set to release on PS4, PC, Stadia and Xbox on September 4. Anyone who buys the game on PS4 or Xbox One will get a free upgrade to the PS5 or Xbox Series X version when those consoles release.

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Marvel's Avengers

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After a horrific event leaves San Francisco in ruins, the Avengers have been disbanded. However, an even bigger evil threatens the planet five years later, and it's up to you to assemble the crew and save the world once again. Play on Xbox One, then get a free upgrade when you play on Xbox Series X.

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Samuel Tolbert
Samuel Tolbert

Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter @SamuelTolbert.

26 Comments
  • It really is a shame when things like this are done. Either the game is multi-platform or it's not. Keeping different portions of a game, including playable characters, as exclusive to specific platforms is terrible. Won't be buying this game. Booooooo
  • Exactly what I was going to say. I was really looking forward to this game too. Oh well, I still have 500 games in my library to play, I won't miss it. This kind of thing is exactly why I don't support PlayStation at all. I'm pretty sure that Sony came to them and offered to line their pockets if they accepted their offer and of course they accepted their offer. I think platform exclusive content is bullshit. I had to come back and edit my comment just to say that I'm really upset now, haha.
  • They won't line the pockets, Sony probably asked too much for licensing out to other consoles to block them from using Sony's "property". It's all they have left going for them.
  • For the last time it is not Sony's property. Why do people keep repeating this falsehood. It is Marvels property. Sony has a license for film (a stupidly lucrative perpetual one) that allows them to access the Spider-Man universe there. Even then there are certain stipulations like the must make a film every 3 or 4 years. TV itself is not included (no Spider-Man TV shows that is why you see Disney has a TV show not Sony). As for gaming that is a license too and a very limited one. But, in neither case they do they own Spider-Man or they can do what they want. Even the movies must follow cannon or be given the thumbs up by Marvel if it is not cannon. Same with any game. By the way, I highly doubt Disney gave the keys to Sony to the Spider-Man universe with respect to gaming the way an almost bankrupt Marvel did in the 90's to film and merchandising.*** The two have short term deal that will either be renewed and cost Sony dearly to do it (e.g. give us 50% movie revenue we wanted a a while back type of cost or forced to be an MLB multi-plat move) Or Disney will look for another outlet for Spider-Man. It is just that simple. This is Disney we are talking about. *** Edit: the original deal with Marvel included all the merchandising rights to Spider-Man but, in an ironic twist when Sony was flailing with bankruptcy in the 2010 in order to get cash for survival they sold back the merchandising rights to Spider-Man back to Marvel just before Disney bought comic book maker. I personally would have sold the movie rights back over the merchandising rights because Disney/Marvel makes more off merchandising Spider-Man then Sony does off the movies and Disney does so with no real risk that movies themselves incur. Similar to how Lucas made more money off the merchandising of Star Wars then the Fox ever made off the films.
  • And yes I realized I misspelled canon and spelled it as a if it was a large piece of artillery, a cannon.
  • Cool. Won't be buying it then.
  • Canceled my pre order, I have other games I can play.
  • The bare minimum they could do was offer some kind of exclusive content for Xbox and PC so they could at least pretend they're not shafting them, but they seem inclined to just take their sony check and double down on insulting their own customers. My being a marvel fan comes before any console loyalty and I was excited for this game but even if I only had PS4 I'd tell them to keep it cause this is just selfish and vindictive and it's the same thing they tried to pull with the movies. Hijacking a character that doesn't even belong to them.
  • I agree, use it as a bargaining chip. Give Microsoft Wolverine or something, and than they can barter with Sony to trade access
  • Square is going to lose a lot of money. I mean, if they offered Xbox Wolverine, I would buy it in heartbeat.
  • Give me Xbox Deadpool, and I'm back in.
  • (Well, Deadpool is not an Avenger)
  • Well that's good of them, what lovely people they are.
  • I bet if enough of us complain they will add Spider-Man back in at the last moment.
  • This is beyond money hatting. This sets a new precedent. A new low for exclusives. This goes beyond exclusives. This is a real shame for Marvel and its story based games.
  • The funny part about all the outrage and "cancelled" pre order posts is people seem to only be cancelling their Xbox / PC pre orders and pre ordering the PS4 version of the game instead. The PS4 version shot up Amazon's best seller list to #1 after Sony revealed Spider Man was exclusive. lol
  • This is the real problem. PS4 people still being supporters in the light of this crap. Just one character and they forget how bad the exclusivity culture is for the industry, and the consumers like them. Today it's them getting the exclusive character. Tomorrow might be someone else. People should be less hypocritical and stop supporting companies who do these things.
  • @fdruid
    Before you accuse others of being hypocrites, can you show me ONE link where you criticised MS for the 22 timed exclusives they proudly showed recently?
    Yeah, JUST ONE link.
  • Game is 50% exclusive to PS5. NO Spidey, community challenges, skins and cosmetics, special missions for Xbox and PC. Reasons enough to buy this game at sale or just not if this affects you.
  • No, this is BS. Seriously. "Players not on PlayStation should be excited for Hawkeye." Eff this crap. Players not on Playstation should be angry for not getting Spiderman. I think it's wrong that anyone supports this game and the kind of practices it promotes.
    And yeah, it's still a problem if you're on Playstation. You're part of the problem. As I said, I never had too much of an interest in this game, but now I think the morally right thing to do is to boycott it. Don't give money to those who have the power to force these things on the industry and the players. Make your money speak for you. And get the hell out of the Playstation ecosystem, for crying out loud.
  • Agree on all fronts this is b.s
  • I got out of the PlayStation ecosystem when two things happened to me. 1.) they removed the install other OS option from my PlayStation 3 without telling me. I had a full Linux install that I used as a computer hooked to my TV when I wasn't using it to play games. I come home one day to see that my PlayStation had updated and removed install other OS and removed my Linux install with it. I did have backups but that's not the point. 2.) I was playing online one day minding my own business, having fun. I did not have a headset connected and rarely ever used a headset because every time I did, it was just a bunch of screaming kids talking about my mother or other people's mothers so I didn't even bother. Anyways I turn on my PlayStation the next day to play a game and it says something along the lines that I don't have access to my content anymore and I'm not allowed to play online because I am banned. I call Sony and they say I was banned for using a foul language and now I've been denied access to my purchases permanently and they insisted there was nothing that they could do to reverse the decision. I tried to explain to them how did I get banned for using foul language when I wasn't even using a headset and I didn't send any messages to anyone. They just kept saying sorry there's nothing we can do, the decision is final. That decision cost me about $2,000 in purchases that I was not able to access any longer. So after I got off the phone with PlayStation customer service, I unhooked The two PlayStation 3s that I had along with three or four PlayStation 2s that I had laying around and a couple of PlayStation ones as well as a PSP and took them out in the backyard and took a sledgehammer to all of them. I sold all of the games and controllers and other accessories I had, but it made me feel a lot better by smashing all of the systems. Since that day I boycott Sony completely. They are thieves and give you no opportunity to present evidence to defend yourself.
  • Riight.. So, was it at that time that you became a MS fan or was it after you quit your job at Apple and you sold off every Apple products you owned because "Apple is an evil corporation"?
  • First of all How funny it is to see the outrage. Of the many people complaining here, I don't think I've seen a single one complained when MS proudly talked about showing 22 timed console exclusive. Not one... Anyway, this is a bit interesting. Usually when I talk exclusives I say if a console maker invest money to make content for their gamers, it's a good thing. My problem has always been against timed exclusive deals, where companies invest money to delay 3rd party stuff on other platform. And try to mislead people into thinking it's a real exclusive. Here I'm not sure what it is. This content may have been for everyone and Sony decided to pay to have other gamers not get it. In that case it's bad. If this is extra content and PS invested money to create this content for their customers then I think it's fine. If this turns out to be timed, then this would be pathetic from Sony. But for me, it looks like Sony didn't put money into this. It looks like it was just marketing and relationship with Marvel that allowed this. In that case, it's still bad and anti-gaming. They would have done that for selfish gains, bringing NOTHING to their gamers and just preventing other gamers from playing it and making it look like they are buying an inferior product. Not as bad as timed exclusives, but still very bad...
  • Actually, even if I don't like them, I find timed exclusives less annoying as at least EVERYONE will get the same content at some point.
    Now this is ultra BS. I understand greedy-Sony but I don't understand why Marvel accepted that deal. Marvel is about bringing people together. Spider-Man should be for everyone.
  • Actually there is a major difference.
    Full exclusive usually means that the company invested it's money to make a game and covered the entire cost. They are making that game FOR their players. A game that would probably not exist otherwise. (example: Until Dawn) Timed exclusive is a company investing money to DELAY a third party game for others. A game that was coming for others anyways. Their own gamers get nothing (beside bragging rights and console war ammo). It's anti-gaming because the money isn't really spent for gamers but against gamers. And after that they'll try to make it sound like they have a real exclusive through their marketing campaign, often demanding the studios not to say it's timed or even the duration of the deal. Just ways to mislead gamers.
    If that money was instead spent to make games for THEIR gamers everyone would win.
    Their gamers would get a game, others would get a 3rd party game on time. Full exclusive is actually great for gaming, timed is horrible for gaming.
    I would say this exclusive for Spider-man is different, I've already posted what I thought about it.