The long-rumored Venom spin-off from Insomniac Games is back in the spotlight—this time thanks to a surprisingly candid claim from Nadji Jeter, the actor behind Miles Morales in the Marvel’s Spider-Man series. Jeter says a Venom game (and even Venom DLC) was in the works but got derailed after the death of Venom actor Tony Todd in 2024—only for journalist Jason Schreier to jump in publicly and flatly dispute that account.
The result is the kind of uncertainty that drives superhero game fandoms feral: a project that was never officially announced, referenced in major leaks, seemingly planned for years… and still nowhere to be seen on PS5 as Insomniac marches toward Marvel’s Wolverine this September.
What Jeter Actually Said About the Venom Game
In an interview posted April 24 with content creators Love it Film, Nadji Jeter didn’t dance around the topic—he went straight for the headline.
“Let me give y’all an exclusive,” Jeter said, before claiming Insomniac was planning to release a Venom game and Venom DLC. He then tied the project’s apparent collapse to Tony Todd’s death, saying: “We were going to have a Venom game. We were going to drop a Venom game and a Venom DLC, but we lost Tony Todd…”
Jeter didn’t stop at vague “plans existed” language, either. He described being shown how the game would begin and what it was going to be, repeatedly emphasizing that it wasn’t just a small add-on or a mode—it was “gonna be a Venom video game.” He even pointed back to the playable Venom sequence in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 as a kind of proof-of-concept for what the standalone project would have expanded into.
That’s a huge statement for two reasons:
- Jeter is not a random rumor account—he’s a core performer in the franchise.
- It frames the Venom project not as a “maybe someday” idea, but as something far enough along to have a defined opening and a clear pitch shown internally.
But almost immediately, that narrative ran into a wall.
Jason Schreier’s Blunt Rebuttal (and Why It Matters)
Shortly after Jeter’s comments started circulating, Jason Schreier weighed in on ResetEra with a simple, loaded response: “This isn’t true.”
That’s it. No thread of clarification. No follow-up explaining whether he meant:
- the Venom game was never canceled, or
- it was canceled, but not because Tony Todd died, or
- Jeter’s understanding of what he was shown (game vs. DLC vs. internal prototype) is off.
And that ambiguity is exactly why this has exploded. Schreier’s track record on PlayStation-related reporting has made his words carry real weight, so a two-sentence contradiction doesn’t calm the waters—it churns them.
One outlet even reached out to Schreier for clarification and indicated it would update if he responds, but as of now there’s been no public elaboration attached to that “isn’t true” comment.
So we’re left with two competing realities: an actor saying the project was real and effectively dead, and a reporter saying that version of events is wrong—without specifying which part.
The Leak That Won’t Go Away: Insomniac’s 2023 Roadmap and the “Bridge” Game Idea
The Venom game rumor didn’t come out of nowhere. It’s been hanging over Insomniac since the studio suffered a massive hack in late December 2023, with leaked internal materials referencing an unannounced Venom spin-off.
Those leaked materials reportedly included a tentative roadmap that pegged the Venom project for a 2025 release window. Obviously, it’s now 2026, and that window has come and gone with no Venom announcement, no teaser, no logo reveal—nothing.
What’s especially interesting is that the leaked presentation material also framed a Venom game as a strategic “bridge” release—something that could sit between Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and a future Marvel’s Spider-Man 3. That idea fits Insomniac’s established pattern: Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales proved the studio can ship a smaller, standalone spin-off between mainline entries without it feeling like a throwaway.
And from a business perspective, the leaked pitch was bluntly practical: a mid-sized release could help fill the gap before the next giant sequel, especially as blockbuster budgets continue to balloon. That’s not just corporate-speak—it’s the reality of modern AAA development. A “bridge” game can keep a franchise culturally hot while buying time for the bigger swing.
But here’s the catch: none of this has ever been officially confirmed by Insomniac or Sony Interactive Entertainment. The Venom game has lived in that uncomfortable space where leaks are detailed enough to feel real, but official silence keeps it in limbo.
Why Tony Todd’s Death Complicates the Story (But Doesn’t Settle It)
Jeter’s explanation hinges on Tony Todd, who portrayed Venom in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and who died of stomach cancer in 2024.
It’s a plausible-sounding reason on the surface—Venom is a voice-and-performance-heavy character, and Todd’s portrayal was a major part of Spider-Man 2’s Venom identity. Losing that talent could absolutely force a creative reset.
But the counterpoint is equally strong: big franchises recast roles all the time, especially when a project is important enough to justify the effort. If Insomniac and PlayStation believed a Venom game was strategically valuable—as the leaked “bridge” framing suggested—it’s hard to accept “we can’t do it without this one actor” as an automatic deal-breaker.
That’s why Schreier’s pushback matters so much. Even if Todd’s passing created complications, it doesn’t necessarily follow that the entire project would be scrapped. Schreier’s “This isn’t true” could be read as a direct rejection of the idea that Todd’s death killed the game.
And there’s another wrinkle: the leaked materials indicated the Venom project had been in development for some time before Todd’s death. That doesn’t disprove Jeter’s claim, but it does suggest the project’s existence wasn’t dependent on a single late-stage decision.
Other Voices Add Fuel: “Active Development” Claims and GDC Chatter
The uncertainty didn’t stop with Jeter vs. Schreier.
A verified developer from Allfather Productions posting on ResetEra (under the username “LordHuffnPuff”) claimed the cancellation narrative contradicted what had been discussed at GDC—and also pointed out that Todd died well before GDC 2026, implying that if the game were truly dead because of Todd, that would have been old news by now.
That same swirl of chatter has also included a claim from a leaker (identified as @REDACTEDSpider in one write-up) suggesting the project’s platform strategy is still being debated—whether it should be cross-gen in the way Miles Morales was, or potentially positioned as a PS6 title that leads into Spider-Man 3.
It’s important to be clear: those platform claims are not official, and the “PS6” angle is especially speculative in the absence of any formal announcement. But it does underline the broader theme here: people who sound like they’re adjacent to the industry conversation are not speaking as if the Venom game is definitively dead.
So the public story right now is a tug-of-war between “it was canceled” and “it’s still alive, just quiet.”
Where Insomniac Actually Is Right Now: Wolverine Is the Only Confirmed Next Step
While Venom rumors ricochet around forums and social feeds, Insomniac’s only officially confirmed upcoming release is Marvel’s Wolverine, launching September 15, 2026, exclusively on PS5.
That matters because it explains the silence—even if a Venom project exists in some form, Insomniac and PlayStation may have zero incentive to talk about it while marketing focus needs to stay locked on Wolverine. Sony tends to run tight, sequential hype cycles for its biggest exclusives, and Insomniac is one of its crown-jewel studios. Mixed messaging doesn’t help anyone.
It also matters because it highlights the timeline problem. If the leaked roadmap once targeted 2025 for Venom, Wolverine’s 2026 release suggests Insomniac’s schedule has shifted—whether due to normal development realities, internal reprioritization, or something more disruptive.
And yes, the studio is widely believed to have other projects in the pipeline as well—leaked materials have pointed to things like Spider-Man 3, a new Ratchet & Clank, and even plans for X-Men—but none of that is officially locked in publicly the way Wolverine is.
Why Fans Care So Much: Spider-Man 2 Basically Begged for More Venom
This isn’t just fandom being fandom. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 put Venom front and center and even let players step into the symbiote’s shoes for a full level. That’s not a throwaway gimmick; it’s a deliberate taste of what a Venom-centric action game could feel like with Insomniac’s combat and traversal tech.
And Insomniac has already proven the “spin-off as a major event” model works. Miles Morales wasn’t treated like a side dish—it was a full release with its own tone, its own arc, and its own identity. A Venom game could follow that template: smaller than a numbered sequel, but still premium, still polished, still essential.
That’s why the current situation is so frustrating. The idea feels obvious, the groundwork feels laid, and the leaked roadmap made it feel inevitable. Yet here we are in 2026, with nothing official to point to—just conflicting comments and a community trying to read tea leaves from half-statements.
What Remains Unknown
- Was a standalone Venom game ever formally greenlit as a full product, or was it at some stage a DLC/expansion concept?
- What exactly did Jason Schreier mean by “This isn’t true”—the cancellation, the reason for it, or the entire premise?
- Is the Venom project still in development, paused, re-scoped, or quietly shelved?
- Would a Venom game be PS5-only, cross-gen, or positioned for future hardware? No official announcement has been made.
- Who would voice Venom going forward if the project continues, given Tony Todd’s death in 2024?
For now, the only concrete date on Insomniac’s calendar is Marvel’s Wolverine on PS5 this September. Until Insomniac or PlayStation breaks silence on Venom—one way or the other—this “missing game” is going to remain one of the most tantalizing loose threads in modern superhero gaming.
