The Venom game from Insomniac Games was supposed to be dead. Fans heard it, believed it, and mourned it. But a brand new leak just flipped that entire narrative on its head — and if the source is right, the symbiote is very much alive.
For months, the PlayStation community has been split over the fate of a standalone Marvel’s Venom spin-off. Some swore it was canceled after the heartbreaking passing of Venom voice actor Tony Todd in 2024. Others pointed to whispers that the project was quietly rebooted. Now, reliable insider NateTheHate has dropped the kind of claim that gets an entire fandom screaming: the game is still in active development at Insomniac.
The Story So Far: A Game Born from a Data Breach
Everything we know about this project traces back to the massive 2023 ransomware attack on Insomniac Games. Hackers dumped thousands of internal files online, including a roadmap of the studio’s future releases. Buried in that leak was Venom: Lethal Protector — a spin-off planned for 2025 that would “continue Spider-Man 2 and lead into Spider-Man 3.”
According to the leaked documents, the game was designed as a single-player, open-world adventure with a campaign clocking in at roughly 8-10 hours. Players would be able to switch between Venom and Spider-Heroes, and the optional content would revolve around symbiote-infused bases, crimes, and collectibles. In other words: a smaller-scale title in the same spirit as Spider-Man: Miles Morales, but with a lot more teeth.
Why Everyone Thought It Was Canceled
Then came April 2026. Nadji Jeter, the voice actor behind Miles Morales, claimed during a live show that the Venom game had been scrapped — allegedly because the studio refused to recast the role after Tony Todd’s death. Todd’s performance as Venom in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was one of the most celebrated aspects of the game, so the idea that Insomniac would shelve an entire project out of respect made painful sense to fans.
But Jason Schreier of Bloomberg, one of the most trusted reporters in the industry, immediately pushed back with a blunt two-word response: “This isn’t true.” The contradiction left the community more confused than ever. Was Jeter misinformed? Was Schreier protecting a secret? Or was the game genuinely caught in development hell?
The New Leak That Changes Everything
Enter NateTheHate. On Twitter, the leaker — who has a strong track record with PlayStation and Xbox news — stated plainly that Marvel’s Venom is still in development at Insomniac Games. No cancellation. No recasting drama. Just a project that appears to have shifted timelines.
It’s not hard to see why. Insomniac has had its hands full with Marvel’s Wolverine, which launches later this month. The 2023 leak originally slated Wolverine for 2026 and Venom for 2025 — and with 2025 coming and going in silence, it’s very plausible that Venom’s development was rebooted or deprioritized rather than killed. Once Wolverine ships, all eyes may finally turn back to the symbiote.
What a Venom Game Could Look Like
Fans have spent three years theorizing about this one. The most popular theory: the game adapts the classic Lethal Protector storyline from the comics, where Venom leaves New York and becomes an anti-hero in San Francisco, protecting the innocent while still eating the occasional bad guy.
- Gameplay: Web-swinging mixed with symbiote tendril combat, wall-crawling chaos, and brutal finishers that make Spider-Man look polite by comparison.
- Story: A bridge between Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3, setting up Peter Parker’s next chapter while giving Venom his own arc.
- Scale: Likely shorter and leaner than the main Spider-Man entries — think Miles Morales rather than a 40-hour epic.
- Connections: Expect links to the larger Insomniac universe, including Wolverine and the teased X-Men project reportedly planned for 2030.
According to that 2023 roadmap, Insomniac’s future still includes Spider-Man 3 in 2028, a new Ratchet & Clank in 2029, and an X-Men game in 2030 — some of which may land on the PlayStation 6 era. A Venom game tucked between Wolverine and Spider-Man 3 would fit that timeline perfectly.
Why This Matters to PlayStation Fans
Insomniac is currently the crown jewel of PlayStation Studios. After the record-breaking success of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which sold over 11 million copies, the studio has effectively built its own Marvel universe. Venom was the breakout star of that game — his ominous introduction and Tony Todd’s chilling voice performance turned a “meh” villain into a phenomenon. A full game where you play as that monster isn’t just a spin-off; it’s a license to print hype.
And with Marvel’s Wolverine dropping this month and the launch of Spider-Man 3 still on the horizon, a Venom project would give Insomniac the perfect mid-size release to keep the momentum rolling between blockbusters.
What Do You Think?
Is the Venom game really alive, or is NateTheHate feeding on the same rumor mill that fooled everyone once already? Would you want a full Lethal Protector adventure, or would a shorter Miles Morales-style spin-off be enough? And most importantly — should Insomniac recast the voice, or is Venom simply not Venom without Tony Todd? Drop your take in the comments. The symbiote is listening.
Related coverage: Check out everything announced at the PlayStation State of Play September 2026 and the most anticipated games launching this September, including Marvel’s Wolverine.
