To make a lasting impression on the executives at PlayStation, Team Ico pitched Shadow of the Colossus with a grand Hollywood-style soundtrack—a composition they would later discover was actually from a Sam Raimi Spider-Man film. Known for its impressive scale, Shadow of the Colossus presented a stark contrast to its predecessor, Ico. While Ico offered a more intimate and solitary experience, the sequel felt expansive and cinematic, all while maintaining its sense of loneliness. A significant contributing factor to this cinematic atmosphere was its score, which adeptly swelled at pivotal moments, instilling feelings of heroism, even if the player’s actions were morally ambiguous.
In an interview for Design Room’s “Shadow of the Colossus: An oral history,” former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden revealed that the music used during Shadow of the Colossus’ initial pitch was quite memorable, even though it didn’t make it into the final version. Similar to the final game—which features a score that enhances the epic quality of the experience—this original music was reminiscent of a significant Hollywood blockbuster score. The reason for this was straightforward: it was.
“Later on, we found out that was actually the theme music to the original Spider-Man movie,” Layden explained, referring to the Sam Raimi film released in 2002, rather than the 1970s television adaptation. Team Ico used this track as a temporary placeholder. “We probably violated some usage rights,” Layden added. “It was 20 years ago, no harm done, and Sony owns the Spider-Man stuff anyway.” It’s worth noting that Danny Elfman’s Spider-Man theme indeed evokes similar feelings to the major motifs found in the score of Shadow of the Colossus, making it easy to envision a scenario where that piece could fit perfectly (especially since Design Room included a fan-made recreation of the demo featuring this music).
Battlefield 1942 served as an unexpected inspiration for the classic PS2 title Shadow of the Colossus, which focused on cooperative gameplay against towering monsters.