 | Digital Release: | Xbox 360 Games on Demand December 18, 2012 (AU, EU, US) |
| Delisting: | January 1, 2014 | |
| Developer: | Shaba Games | |
| Publisher: | Activision Blizzard | |
| Available On: | Retail (Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) | |
| Links: | Wikipedia |
Delisting
The Xbox 360 Games on Demand version of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows 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
“With a story penned by acclaimed Marvel comic book writer, Brian Reed, the title features a New York City devastated by a deadly symbiote invasion, in which players are faced with the choice to play the heroic web-slinger in his classic, agile red suit or the dark, formidable black suit. Battling with or against a huge cast of fan-favorite Marvel Super Heroes and Super Villains, gamers can switch allegiances instantly as they decide which missions will ultimately save mankind.
An all-new combat system, built from the ground up, combining web-slinging and customizable superpowers provides gamers the unrivaled opportunity to fight and explore in an open free-roaming and destructible environment. In battle, Spider-Man’s speed and agility are tested within the diverse cityscape, challenging players to master fast-moving acrobatic combat, powerful new web-slinging moves and destructive combo attacks, as combat seamlessly migrates from the streets, up the sides of buildings and onto rooftops.”
– Activision press release