 | Digital Release: | Xbox 360 Games on Demand February 26, 2013 (US) |
| Delisting: | January 1, 2014 | |
| Developer: | Next Level Games | |
| Publisher: | Activision Blizzard | |
| Available On: | Retail (Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, PC, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360) | |
| Links: | Wikipedia |
Delisting
The Xbox 360 Games on Demand version of Spider-Man: Friend or Foe was confirmed delisted on January 1, 2014.
Speculation
Activision’s initial license to Marvel’s Spider-Man and X-Men properties was established in 2000. In 2003 and again in 2005 Activision announced extensions to the “long-term, broad-based strategic alliance” through the year 2017.
One possibility for the delisting in 2014 rather than 2017 could be due to Disney’s purchase of Marvel in 2009. Activision may have negotiated or been granted an extension up to 2014 on these Spider-Man and X-Men titles which were all delisted on or near January 1st, 2014:
- Spider-Man: Friend or Foe
- Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
- Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (see below)
- Spider-Man: Edge of Time
- Spider-Man 3
- X-Men: The Official Game
- X-Men Destiny
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine
One exception to the list was Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions which reappeared on Xbox 360 in August of 2015 while debuting on Steam in October and on PlayStation 3 in December. It was most recently delisted on all platforms in 2017. All of the other titles above were delisted alongside Activision’s Deadpool game which itself was relisted in 2015 before being delisted again in 2017.
Activision’s more recent games based on Sony Pictures’ The Amazing Spider-Man movies were not delisted in 2014. Presumably, these two were secured under the original 2005 deal or a subsequent deal with Sony Pictures that may have expired in 2016, clearing the way for Insomniac’s Spider-Man game. They were ultimately delisted in January of 2017 alongside many of Activision’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games.
About the Game
“As the Spider-Man: Friend or Foe experience unravels, Spider-Man and his sidekicks unlock a variety of arenas and secret areas containing special tokens which allow players to revisit previously explored levels at any time as well as fortify their cache of collectables and power upgrades. Gamers can also replay levels as Spider-Man’s darker, more mysterious persona, Black-Suited Spider-Man, and experience a robust Versus mode, with multiple arenas, where players match up any two characters and battle it out to see who wins.
Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is available now for the Xbox 360(TM) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the Wii(TM) home video game system from Nintendo for a suggested retail price of $49.99, the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system and PSP(R) (PlayStation(R) Portable) system for $39.99, the Nintendo DS(TM) for $29.99 and the PC for $19.99. The game is rated “E10+” (Everyone 10 and older – Cartoon Violence) by the ESRB.”
– Activision press release