Vancouver artist helps bring B.C. scenery to Marvel’s Wolverine

Marvel’s Wolverine is scheduled to arrive on PlayStation 5 on Tuesday, Sept. 15, with B.C. scenery appearing in the game through work that includes Vancouver developer Gavin Goulden. Goulden is a senior art director at Insomniac Games and said it was important to him that the character visit Canada and that Vancouver appear as itself.

Goulden said Vancouver is often used as a filming location but portrayed as another city. He said showing the Vancouver area while remaining authentic to the real-world setting was personally meaningful. The game’s original story takes the X-Men character through Japan, the Marvel island nation of Madripoor and Canada.

Recent footage shows Wolverine racing to rescue kidnapped mutants. Although the setting is not explicitly identified, the action appears to begin in North Vancouver with a sequence at the sulphur pile. Canada Place’s sails, the Vancouver Lookout at Harbour Centre and the Lions Gate Bridge are also visible behind a cutscene.

Goulden said the location suited the game’s story and gameplay and offered views from the North Shore toward Squamish. He said the sulphur pile provides a distinctive setting for Wolverine’s combat style, one that local residents may immediately recognize while prompting other players to investigate it.

In the first trailer released last fall, Wolverine rides a motorcycle past a highway sign referencing Squamish. Squamish Nation language is prominently displayed on the sign. Goulden said its clear inclusion was important, adding that recreating a real place should aim for authenticity and respect the communities that belong there, even when artistic changes are made.

Goulden, who takes his dogs to Kits Beach and hikes in Stanley Park, said he was proud of his team’s work. He said the game honours a character with a long history while telling a distinct story across several locations, including Canada, with realistic PS5 visuals and combat true to Wolverine.