Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, a much-awaited release from Sony, has run into problems in the Middle East. Pre-orders and key info are removed from the PS Store website. Some players have got refunds for their previous purchases. They reported being unable to pre-order the game in countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait.
Can’t pre order Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
by u/Common_Big_2186 in SpidermanPS4
The lack of a pre-order option and key info such as the Digital Deluxe Edition, age rating, price and release date has raised concerns about a possible regional restriction. Banning various games, such as Final Fantasy 16, in the Middle East is not new. Though there is no official response, some fans feel that Middle Eastern rules against LGBTQ+ games and content may be the reason.
RUMOUR ๐จ๐จ๐จ
โMarvelโs Spider-Man 2โ might be getting banned in Middle Eastern countries. The age rating has been taken off from the ME PS store
Games like TLoU Part 2 and FF16 have been previously banned for featuring LGBTQ+ content.#SpiderMan2PS5 #BeGreaterTogether pic.twitter.com/DKm0DTPf7a
— ๐ ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ฆ โข #BeGreater #BeYourself (@MSM_Access) July 25, 2023
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In the case of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, we need to note that retailers in the Middle East are only listing the game as ‘announced’, while other regions are offering more detailed descriptions of the game. All these make the game’s future in the region even more unclear.
Reasons for banning Spider-man 2 in the Middle East
After Sony began collecting pre-orders for the PS5 exclusive, people were more excited about the potential ban. In addition, a new narrative teaser for Spider-Man 2 showed Venom’s first appearance in action for the first time, increasing interest.
Theaters in the Middle East had to pull Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.ย This happened because of pro-trans messaging, and it was due to strict laws and censorship about LGBTQ+ content. Gamers in the Middle East worry about getting Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 due to unclear rules.
LGBTQ characters have existed for ages and now are part of modern culture, like Marvel. In Marvel films, Loki, based on Norse myths, is a genderqueer character.
Marvel’s support for LGBTQ characters has led to many queer superheroes, like a gay Captain America and Iceman from the X-Men. Marvel Studios’ president, Kevin Feige, confirmed more LGBT superheroes in the future.
Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 was expected to have LGBTQ+ references. Previous games have featured pride flags in the streets of New York. The first game also featured Felicia Hardy, aka Black Cat, a canonical bisexual, in the main story and DLC.
Release date
The Spider-Man 2 page on the local PlayStation websites shows a message saying: “Release date to be determined”. By the way, Spider-Man 2 will be out worldwide on October 20. It will be exclusive to PS5. But the situation in the Middle East is still uncertain. So fans are waiting for further details. They hope for a solution that will allow them to play the eagerly awaited game without restriction.
