The Amazing Spider-Man 2 cancelled on Xbox One?

Tired of all those annoying Wii U delays and compromises for games like Watch Dogs, Batman: Arkham Origins and LEGO The Hobbit? Well, another eighth-generation console has just suffered an even bigger blow!

If you pre-ordered the upcoming video game tie-in to The Amazing Spider-Man 2 on Xbox One, you’ll need to pick another platform it seems. Activision has just confirmed that the Xbox One version of the game has been indefinitely delayed, and possibly cancelled entirely. Xbox One pre-orders of the game are starting to be refunded at retail outlets such as EB Games as well.

” We want to inform you that we are revising our release plans for ASM2 on Xbox One. When and whether ASM2 is released on Xbox One is [TBD]”, the publisher blurb claims, as originally reported by MCV.

All mentions and depictions of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 for Xbox One have been removed from Activision’s website, confirming this report. Revised promotional art has also made the rounds around NeoGAF, and sure enough, the Xbox One version’s box art is now missing.

Psst. Behind you.
Psst. Behind you.

This is a bit head-scratching, considering that most Xbox One ports have successfully released day-and-date with their PlayStation, PC and Nintendo counterparts, particularly due to the demands of Microsoft’s controversial launch parity clause. The most likely possibility is that the game’s developer, Beenox just couldn’t figure out the Xbox One dev kits in time for the constrained release of a movie tie-in game.

This would go in hand with some developers struggling to properly develop games for Xbox One in contrast to the competing and much more development-friendly PlayStation 4. These developer struggles have led to many Xbox One ports having poorer performance, resolution and stability compared to their PlayStation 4 counterparts. This has persisted beyond launch in the case of games like Thief, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition on Microsoft’s new console. It’s also being suggested that some upcoming multi-platform games like Watch Dogs and Murdered: Soul Suspect will continue to have these problems in their Xbox One builds, if early demos are any indication.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 follows up the surprisingly well-received video game tie-in to the original The Amazing Spider-Man movie, which was a non-canon sequel unfolding after the conclusion of its movie inspiration’s events. The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the game will instead unfold concurrently with the events of the upcoming movie sequel, revolving around Peter Parker/Spider-Man continuing the hunt for his uncle’s killer. While the movie’s primary antagonist, Electro, along with its new Green Goblin, will be antagonists in the game, various other villains from the comics that aren’t present in the movie will also appear, including Kraven the Hunter, Kingpin, Carnage, Black Cat, and Shocker.

Thankfully, Xbox gamers can still snag The Amazing Spider-Man 2 for Xbox 360 during its scheduled launch date of April 29th. The game will also be releasing on that day for PC, PlayStation 3, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and PlayStation 4. A separate mobile tie-in game developed by Gameloft will also be released at the same time for iOS and Android-enabled smartphones and tablets.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the movie meanwhile, comes to 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D theatres in North America on May 2nd, though it has already hit theatres in international territories such as Europe and Asia.

Eggplante is continuing to sling you your news on The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and we’ll have a full review of the movie ready shortly after its premiere.