Peter Parker isn't quite the same in the PS5 remastered version of Marvel's Spider-Man

By Heidi Nicholas,

Update: Bryan Intihar, creative director at Insomniac Games, has released a statement about the reaction to the new Peter Parker face model, and says the change was a "necessity:"

Original story: If you buy the ultimate edition of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, or pay to upgrade your base version, you'll get the remastered PS5 version of Marvel's Spider-Man. James Stevenson, community director for Insomniac Games, has now detailed this remastered version in full, with screenshots and a trailer of the recast Peter Parker.

Parker isn't the only change in this remaster, but he's possibly one of the most noticeable. Stevenson says "in order to bring the best performances to players with our next-generation Marvel’s Spider-Man games, we have recast the face of Peter Parker. We loved working with John Bubniak on the original game; however, to get a better match to Peter Parker/Spider-Man actor Yuri Lowenthal’s facial capture, we have cast Ben Jordan to be the face model for Peter Parker on the PS5 console. He looks incredible in-game, and Yuri’s moving performances take on a new life."

The team has already discussed some of the PS5 benefits of the remaster, such as updated assets, a new photo mode, three new suits, and new trophies. This is the first time we've had a good look at the remaster in action, and Stevenson describes some more changes we can expect: "the team has done the painstaking work of updating the city’s environment to take advantage of the new console. Beyond improved models and materials, one of the biggest things we have brought to the game is ray-traced reflections and ambient shadows. We now have true reflections on the windows of buildings, and it looks stunning with our new skies and weather."

Characters have been upgraded with "higher fidelity skin, eye, and teeth shaders," as well as "individually-rendered strands of hair." Plus, with the PS5 the game can target 60fps frame rate through Performance Mode. Check out a second clip below:

Along with faster loading, Spatial 3D Audio on compatible headphones, and the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers of the controller, you'll also be able to try new things in Photo Mode, like adding lights and changing Peter's Spider-Suit.

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales launches for PS5 on either November 12th or November 19th depending on region. While there's a free next-gen upgrade for Miles Morales, the PS5 remaster of Peter Parker's Spider-Man isn't free. Purchasing the Ultimate Edition of Miles Morales includes a voucher for the remaster of the first Spidey game, or you can buy the base version of Miles Morales and pay to unlock the remaster.

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Written by Heidi Nicholas

Hey, I'm Heidi! I've just finished studying a Masters in English Literature, but I've been obsessed with gaming since long before then. I began on the PS2 with Spyro, before graduating to the Xbox 360 and disappearing into Skyrim. I'm now a loyal RPG fan, but I still like to explore other genres — when I'm not playing Assassin's Creed Odyssey, or being lured back into Red Dead Redemption 2 or The Witcher 3!