Spider-Man 2 game developer fixes Puerto Rican flag error
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Marvel's Spider-Man 2, before and after today's flag-fixing patch. Screenshots: Insomniac Games (captured by Axios)
Insomniac Games issued a downloadable update to its hit PlayStation 5 game, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, that replaces Cuban flags for Puerto Rican flags. And it promised to "do better."
Driving the news: The hit game, which sold 2.5 million copies in its first day of release, had displayed Cuban flags in the home and neighborhood of Spider-Man Miles Morales, who is of Puerto Rican descent.
- Players pointed out the mistake on social media after the game's release last Friday.
- That same day, Insomniac promised a fix.
Between the lines: The Puerto Rican and Cuban flags are similar in design and are both red, white and blue, but the colors are arranged differently.
What they're saying: "We understand that accurate representation matters, and greatly regret this error," the studio stated on X, formerly Twitter, today, as it announced the flag-fixing patch was available. "We sincerely apologize."
The big picture: Accurate representation of diverse cultures is a perennial topic in video games, which have traditionally not been made by diverse teams and have often traded in stereotypes.
- For its Spider-Man games, Insomniac has populated the virtual New York City where they're set with a diverse array of civilians and has included missions highlighting the city's multicultural strengths.
- An unlockable "boricua" alternate Spider-Man costume for Miles Morales is based on the Puerto Rican flag, displaying it correctly from the start.
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