Insomniac Games CEO Ted Price has revealed that the final boss fight in Marvel’s Spider-Man was originally much bigger, but underwent a significant change because the studio wanted to avoid crunch and “brute forcing.”
Potential spoilers ahead
Speaking at the Develop Brighton conference (via Games Industry), Price said that the original battle between Peter and Doctor Octavious was going to see them both destroy half of New York City, but accomplishing that wouldn’t have been possible without crunch. As a result, Insomniac Games opted for a fight that was “much more up close and personal.” It all worked out, though, because those final moments had more of an emotional impact. And Price believes that the original idea of wrecking NYC would have worked against what Insomniac was aiming for.
“The temptation is to just brute force it, put our heads down and run through the brick wall,” Price explained. “But the team took a step back and thought about what was important to the players, and that was the breakdown of the relationship between Peter and his former mentor, Doctor Octavious.”
Elsewhere in the keynote, Price emphasized the importance of having diverse development teams. “Today, every culture, every race and every gender has embraced games, which is amazing,” he continued. “We need teams that are as diverse as our audience.”
Price further revealed that Insomniac is moving away from requiring higher education for its job roles in lieu of experience. “This means if someone can’t afford to obtain a university degree, experience is a valid substitute,” he said.
[Source: Games Industry]
Source: https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2021/11/04/spider-man-final-boss-fight-changed/
