Spider-Man 2's digital deluxe edition was removed from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia PlayStation Stores last month. Fans also noted that they could no longer pre-order the game mere hours after the store pages launched. The two also do not show the release date, price, and, as of this week, rating, all things that other countries are displaying given its impending October release. As such, fans in the Middle East speculate that a ban is imminent, if not a delay.
This was spotted by MSM Access on Twitter, "Marvel's Spider-Man 2 might be getting banned in Middle Eastern countries. The age rating has been taken off from the ME PS store. Games like The Last of Us Part 2 and Final Fantasy 16 have been previously banned for featuring LGBTQ+ content."
Right now, the UAE and SA storefronts simply say that the game is "Announced" and that the "Release date [is] to be determined." By comparison, the UK store says that it's launching on October 20 at 12am GMT+1, priced at £69.99. It also lists a Pegi 16 rating. Middle Eastern players on the Spider-Man PS4 subreddit claim that they had pre-ordered the game before it was pulled, and similar information was recently removed, but no word has been given as to why.
The UAE and SA stores initially listed the game at the same rating, 16, but this is no longer available to view. However, on the Saudi Arabia PlayStation Store homepage, you can still see the digital deluxe edition, but if you try to open it, you'll be redirected to a "zero items" error.
It could be that Spider-Man 2 is getting delayed for localisation or to remove certain aspects, but given that FF16 was banned in Saudi Arabia for featuring a gay kiss between two men in the story, it's more likely that a similar situation is unfolding here. The leading theory among fans is that there will be a prominent LGBTQ+ character that can't be cut, whether that's Felicia Hardy, AKA Black Cat, (who is bisexual in the comics) or Harry Osborn.
Insomniac and PlayStation have not said anything regarding these changes, and the store pages--while barebones--are still live. However, since going live, they've been changing and removing key details, which isn't promising, especially for those who have already placed pre-orders.