As we approach one big September, select press got a sit down with Marvel’s Wolverine, Sony’s largest first party game of the year. It confirmed that, unlike Insomniac’s Spider-Man series, the surly X-Man will be clawing his game through a more straightforward action game. The type we used to get a lot more of. Regardless of written takeaways, the response was led by memes and misery. Pushing one member of the team to speak out.
I think the wild way this algorithm amplifies and forces negativity upon you has me reconsidering my philosophy on telling devs to look or post here.
It’s a relentless onslaught that I cannot believe is good for anyone’s mental health nor representative.
— James Stevenson (@JamesStevenson) August 14, 2026
“I think the wild way this algorithm amplifies and forces negativity upon you has me reconsidering my philosophy on telling devs to look or post here,” posts Insomniac’s community and marketing director James Stevenson. “It’s a relentless onslaught that I cannot believe is good for anyone’s mental health.”
In the days following Wolverine’s preview event, online yucksters found their soft spots. Posts highlighted some of the modern AAA game stereotypes about difficulty, as well as how a Sentinel encounter looked like a boss fight from the early 2000s. These posts have racked up millions of views, if you believe X’s metrics. While Insomniac’s track record and the leaked build of the game made some expect Logan’s adventure to be open world, the final product is a once traditional, level to level hack and slash. Which, to be fair, was the same recipe for the best Wolverine game thus far.
Old school design sensibilities aren’t likely the core of criticisms. Even in a world where Sony wasn’t bailing on physical media, social media is a hater’s paradise. These platforms inherently reward fast takes and bad faith, and why people overly concerned with minute facial features have achieved so much oxygen. In recent years, the preemptive trashing of a game has become the occasion itself. 2026 kicked off with the sinking of Highguard, a generic looking live service shooter whose greatest sin was catching too much of Geoff Keighley’s affections.
Stevenson is correct that the negative feedback loops on major platforms is a major component to the continued mania around gaming. Around everything, frankly. How much attention should be brought to that by a first party is tricky, but at least the source of torment isn’t an x-factor. And not the kind with Multiple Man either.