The recent announcement aboutMarvel’s Wolverine video game, which is currently in development by Insomnia Games for the PS5, has given Marvel fans an obvious talking point in the last couple of days. Among the speculations about the upcoming title, which has released very few details so far, there is the question of who will be voicing theX-Menhero in this new iteration of the character most famously played by Hugh Jackman in multiple movies. With Jackman having put the role behind him, and a new Wolverine no doubt arriving in the future of theMCU, who could be the voice of the invincible character? Well, someone who is ready to step into the role is David Hayter, known to many as the voice of Solid Snake in theMetal Gear Solidvideo game series.
Hayter’s name came up pretty much straight away on social media as the game was announced, and while he is known for playing rough, tough and gruff antiheroes in general, he was also a writer on both of the first twoX-Menmovies, making him even more tuned into theWolverinecharacter than most. While it is one thing for fans to speculate on who might be cast in the voiceover role, it is another for that actor to comment on the matter himself, which is exactly whatDavid Hayterdid in reply to a Twitter comment.
The announcement of the game’s development was made in a statement by Ryan Schneider, Head of Franchise Strategy & Studio Relations at Insomniac Games. “Marvel’s Wolverineis a standalone game being directed by Brian Horton (creative director) and Cameron Christian (game director), who recently led the creative efforts onMarvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, a game we’re extremely proud of at Insomniac. In the vein of ourSpider-Mangames, our goal here is to not only respect the DNA of what makes the character so popular, but also look for opportunities to make it feel fresh and truly reflect the Insomniac spirit. Even thoughMarvel’s Wolverineis very early in development, from what I’ve seen of its emotional narrative and cutting-edge gameplay (see what I did there?), the team is already creating something truly special.”
Marvel’svideo gameoutput has been massively cranked up recently, with the arrival ofThe Avengersearlier in the year, which has already seen a number of subsequent extensions added to it. There are also games ofGuardians of The Galaxy,Marvel’s Spider-Man 2and numerous others in development. With Marvel movies currently killing the box-office, even in the current climate, their arrival on Disney+ pulling in record streaming numbers and creating a tapestry like nothing seen before in the entertainment industry, it is not surprising that every effort is being made to cash in on the success in all ways possible. As far as merchandise goes, video games are one of the biggest tie ins that a franchise can have and it looks like Marvel are going all out to capture the market as quickly as possible.
Marvel’s Wolverineis only in the very early stages of development, so is not about to arrive anytime in the immediate future, but with theX-Menheading into theMCUin the next few years, there is no doubt that the game’s release will be worked to coincide with that huge cinematic event.
