Marvel’s Wolverine: Insomniac details its Japan location-scanning trip

What we know

Insomniac Games has outlined how a location-scanning expedition across Japan helped inform the environments of Marvel’s Wolverine, due for PS5 on September 15, 2026.

The trip took place early in production as part of a wider series of research visits to locations around the world. The team’s goal was to record real-world assets, study natural environments, and better understand the geographical and cultural references behind both real and fictional places in the game.

A route built around sharply different environments

Before departing, Insomniac spent months virtually scouting locations and planning the route, with support from Sony Interactive Entertainment teams in Japan. The Marvel’s Wolverine environment team had blocked out levels and assembled detailed requests for the assets and biomes it needed to document.

The itinerary ran from Tokyo to Joetsu, Tsumago-juku, Magome-juku and Kyoto before returning to Tokyo. Unlike previous trips, where the studio generally sought to reduce travel time in order to maximize scanning time, this mission involved more travel within the country than any earlier effort because the target environments were spread across distinct regions.

Over the course of the journey, the group captured materials and references in snow-covered mountains, bamboo forests, underground train stations, roadside temples, and hot urban streets.

In the mountain areas, the team focused on snow, stone, bark, ground cover, and the effect of winter conditions on materials. Bamboo forests provided vegetation, organic layering, and the landscape’s distinctive density. Urban areas enabled the team to document pavement, walls, public infrastructure, and signs of everyday wear, while underground stations supplied their own architectural patterns and material references.

Alongside the scans, the team took reference photos covering the shape language, textures, and scale of each area. Insomniac said firsthand observation let it study building methods, weathered materials, and local cultural details. That documentation is intended to give artists a stronger foundation even when creating fictional locations.

More than 600 scans and nearly 190,000 photos

By the end of the expedition, the team had gathered more than 600 scans across four biomes and 5.6TB of data. It also walked over 100 miles, often while carrying roughly 20 pounds of scanning equipment.

The photo count reached 189,589, excluding additional reference photography. The trip also brought a few equipment setbacks: two cables and a plastic case were broken, while one phone suffered a shattered glass back.

According to Insomniac, the assets and references gathered in Japan provided information the team could not have collected elsewhere. Together with the studio’s other scanning expeditions, the material will help build Marvel’s Wolverine with more specific real-world reference and attention to the inspirations behind its setting.

Marvel’s Wolverine launches for PS5 on September 15, 2026.