Insomniac Rep Officially Responds To Wolverine Backlash
"It's A Relentless Onslaught": Insomniac Community Director Speaks Out Over Wolverine Backlash
Insomniac community and marketing director James Stevenson has spoken out on the response to Marvel's Wolverine, and the impact it's having on developers.
Marvel's Wolverine has been through the wringer these last few years. Insomniac was hacked and blackmailed in 2023, with a historic 1.6 terabytes worth of data being stolen and leaked online after the studio refused the ransom. Included among the files were early playable builds of the game that revealed everything from Jean Grey to the X-Men Origins-inspired regeneration mechanic and even villains like the Sentinels — when all that had been officially unveiled at that point was a brief look at Logan in a Madripoor bar.
Jump ahead to 2026 and Insomniac started to ramp up marketing with new trailers and in-depth gameplay footage. The internet's response? Ben 10 comparisons, digs at the character models, and endless 'Focus M' jokes. All while Sony faces intense scrutiny for its plans to axe game discs in 2028, meaning that Insomniac's comment sections are now being caught in the crossfire of an entirely separate backlash.
"I think the wild way this algorithm amplifies and forces negativity upon you has me reconsidering my philosophy of telling devs to look or post here," Stevenson said on X. "It's a relentless onslaught that I cannot believe is good for anyone's mental health or representative."
Insomniac Isn't Dissuaded, "Can't Wait For People To Experience The Whole Globetrotting Adventure"
Expectedly, the quotes were filled with abuse and Sweet Baby Inc. conspiracies, responding to Stevenson's earnest comment with even more negativity. There's certainly room for criticism against Wolverine — I won't dive into all the problems I have with what's been shown so far, because piling on top of the endless barrage with points that have already been made ad nauseam is hardly useful — but X specifically pushes harassment and hate speech. What the devs are seeing isn't constructive criticism. It's a vocal corner of the internet drumming up engagement by swinging between extremes.
Either it's the worst thing ever made, or the best, with no room for nuance, turning Insomniac into the villain and every conversation on the game into a heated argument all because it added a red smoke trail to a chase scene.
However, even with all this abuse and X funneling negativity into the algorithm, Stevenson isn't dissuaded. After voicing his concern over developers using the platform and the impact it might have on their mental health, he went right back to celebrating how close the game is, writing, "Can't wait for people to experience the whole globetrotting adventure." And in a heartfelt post discussing D23, he said, "How full circle to have started making these games and be so inspired by the MCU, to now have Kevin Feige introduce a new sizzle from our game on stage."