Released just two years ago, Marvel’s Spider-Man by Insomniac Games was showered with critical acclaim and hailed as one of the best superhero games ever, which despite the graphical enhancements of the upcoming PS5 remaster, made the recasting of Peter Parker’s face model today’s portion of video game controversy.
In the PlayStation blog released earlier on the same day, visual updates included the dismissal of John Bubniak as Peter Parker’s face model from the original PS4 game. Replaced by Ben Jordan, the switch is intended to make use of the PS5’s technology in better suiting the face of the character’s voice actor, Yuri Lowenthal. Whilst many welcomed the change and praised the look of their new Peter Parker, others argued the change was completely unnecessary, saying the original face was good enough as it was and the Ben Jordan model looks more like “a store-brand Tom Holland”, causing the live action Spider-Man actor to trend hard on Twitter.
A few words from me on today’s news… pic.twitter.com/PpdWVuw4Mm
— Bryan Intihar (@bryanintihar) September 30, 2020
Noticing the backlash from many a fan, Creative Director of the game, Bryan Intihar, took to Twitter himself to release a statement on the matter. Basically put, even if it may take a bit to get used to, this is the face of Peter Parker going forward and although Insomniac will always listen to feedback, this is one decision they won’t be reversing. To top it off, Yuri Lowenthal himself, the reason for the Peter Parker face change, backed up Insomniac’s explanation.
Guys. It’s my face’s fault. The stupid stupid bones in my face. Blame my bones. https://t.co/VUES1jQLC5
— Yuri Lowenthal (@YuriLowenthal) September 30, 2020
What do you think of Peter Parker’s face change? Does the recasted model sit right with you or can you not shake the feeling that the original was already perfect? Well if you’re the former rather than the latter, you can more so enjoy Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered on PS5 from November 12th as part of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition.