Draft:Venom: Lethal Protector (upcoming video game)

Marvel's Venom: Lethal Protector is an upcoming action-adventure video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Based on the Marvel Comics character Venom, it will feature an original narrative that draws from the character's comic book mythology, as well as derive from various adaptations in other media. It a standalone entry in the Marvel's Spider-Man franchise, serving as the second spin-off title after Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020) and a continuation of events from Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (2023).

A standalone game featuring Venom was first discussed by Insomniac Games in October 2023 prior to the launch of Marvel's Spider-Man 2, which debuted their iteration of the character. The game's development was leaked in December 2023 following a targeted ransomware attack on the studio.

Marvel's Venom: Lethal Protector is scheduled to release for the PlayStation 5.

Development
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (2023) introduced Insomniac Games' iteration of the character Venom, an extraterrestrial symbiote capable of bonding to other humans as hosts. In addition, the game also featured a supporting appearances from other symbiotes from the comics, including Scream, which bonded to Mary Jane Watson and temporarily corrupted her during the game's narrative, and supporting antagonist Cletus Kasady / The Flame, who appeared in a series of side missions that culminated in the character securing an OsCorp container housing Venom's offspring symbiote, Carnage, as an allusion to possible events in future games. Shortly before the game's release, narrative director Jon Paquette was asked regarding the potential for a standalone game focused on Venom that would spin out of the character's appearance in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, saying that the team would take fan expectations into consideration, and that they would " talk about stuff after we've all had time to sleep and take vacations."

In December 2023, Insomniac Games was targeted in a ransomware attack by the Rhysidia ransomware gang that involved over 1.67TB of data being leaked, compromising over 1.3 million files, including various development documents, HR documents, personal employee information, gameplay footage, level design, and character materials. Rhysida threatened to publish all procured images and resources obtained from the hack seven days from the incident, holding an auction for the data with a starting price of 50 Bitcoin, equivalent to $2 million USD. Upon the deadline's conclusion, company information including employee data, model dumps and pre-production slates for various games in development were published online at Rhysidia's behest. Among these included a roadmap for future titles through 2036 from the developer, including a standalone Venom spin-off titled Marvel's Venom: Lethal Protector, its subtitle derived from the comic book storyline of the same name. Alongside the title's existence, internal company presentations pertaining to the game's direction were revealed publicly, including the game's eight-ten hour game length comparable to spin-off title Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020), alternating gameplay between Venom and the two Spider-Men, Peter Parker and Miles Morales, and a "Carnage-infected New York City", insinuating the character's presence as the story's main antagonist.

Release
Marvel's Venom: Lethal Protector is scheduled to release for the PlayStation 5. The title is currently projected to release in 2025.

Future
Marvel's Venom: Lethal Protector is expected to act as a bridge between the events of Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and a lead-in to the events of Marvel's Spider-Man 3.