Marvel's Wolverine staff get honest about mental health 'onslaught' over game's backlash

It's a big year for video games, and while a certain automotive adventure is set to clear up as what looks like the biggest game of all time, Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony all have their own exclusives that hope to pull some of the attention away from GTA VI. Whether you've got a Switch, Xbox, or PlayStation, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, Gears of War: E-Day, and Marvel's Wolverine mean we're fed well in 2026.

When it comes to the latter, Insomniac Games looks like it'll continue its stellar legacy from the Marvel's Spider-Man games and give the fan-favourite X-Man his time in the spotlight.

Unfortunately, a barrage of negative comments has taken some of the shine off Logan's adamantium claws, with Insomniac community director James Stevenson opening up about Marvel's Wolverine and the potential impact this hate could have on the mental health of the studio's staff.

Blocking out the haters

It's hard to trace exactly where the negativity surrounding Marvel's Wolverine has come from, but a lot of it bizarrely stems from the fact that his unmasked character model looks like voice actor Liam McIntyre instead of the Hugh Jackman you might be used to.

More recently, a Sentinel boss fight was unfavourably compared to the PS2-era Ben 10: Protector of Earth, whereas others have called out everything from the dialogue and plot to mechanics while comparing it to X-Men Origins: Wolverine from 2009.

As Origins: Wolverine is actually a pretty damn good game, we'd see that as a compliment, but it's still not hard to see how the raft of negativity can get to those who've worked tirelessly on Marvel's Wolverine. Taking to X, Stevenson took aim at the Elon Musk-owned X and vented: "I think the wild way this algorithm amplifies, and forces negativity upon you has me reconsidering my philosophy on telling devs to look or post here."

Getting candid just weeks before Marvel's Wolverine slashes its way onto the PS5, Stevenson added: "It’s a relentless onslaught that I cannot believe is good for anyone’s mental health nor representative."

There was some more positivity in the aftermath, and when one fan applauded Insomniac for its work in delivering three Spider-Man games (the OG was remastered in 2020) and a Ratchet & Clank remaster in just six years of the PS5, Stevenson replied: "I always tell new employees, you’re joining one of the best groups of people you’ve ever worked with and you’re going to actually ship /a lot/ of games."

READ MORE: Marvel's Spider-Man 3 needs to add this feature to have my attention

X marks the spot

Despite there being complaints of 'Insomniac fatigue' and Marvel's Wolverine looking too similar to Spider-Man, would those same people be moaning if Rocksteady had given them that mythical Superman game in the style of the Arkham titles?

Unfortunately for Stevenson, the comments to his post about mental health were filled with plenty of abuse and the usual Sweet Baby Inc. jibes that Insomniac is trying to push a 'woke agenda'.

It also feels like some are aiming at Marvel's Wolverine because of the negativity surrounding Sony's decision to kill off discs in January 2028.

Still, there's no escaping that the Spider-Man trilogy has been certified bangers for PlayStation, with Marvel's Wolverine looking like a much more visceral take on the genre.

Insomniac's team reportedly expressed interest in a Wolverine game way back when they were developing Marvel's Spider-Man, so it's easy to see why Stevenson would be so protective of the idea.

Critics aside, there's a real chance that this is just the start of a new chapter for Insomniac, with the massive December 2026 ransomware attack leaking potential plans for a full-blown X-Men game in 2030.

We know Charles Xavier's gifted youngsters aren't around during the events of the game, but with Jean Grey confirmed to play a part, it could soon be time to suit up with the X-Men.

It'll be interesting to see how Marvel's Wolverine fares in the review stakes, but something tells us the Twitterverse is speaking for a very loud minority.