Sales of a New PlayStation 5 Exclusive, Saros, Reportedly Not Impressive

On April 30, Housemarque studio, which is known for its title Returnal, has released the latest exclusive for PlayStation 5—Saros. Despite the fact that the game did not have an extensive PR campaign and was not perceived by many as a truly significant product, shortly before its release, the reviews from game critics impressed many gamers.

A significant number of gaming media highly praised Housemarque's creation, Saros, for its engaging gameplay, combat system, well-crafted atmosphere, and level design, calling it one of the main games of the year. Nevertheless, despite predominantly positive reviews, it seems that the game's sales are far from satisfactory.

According to a new report from Alinea Analytics, in the first two weeks after the game's release, Saros sales reached approximately 300,000 copies sold, generating over 22 million dollars in revenue. This is still a decent result for a new IP, but compared to Returnal, released in 2021 when the PlayStation 5 had only just come out and was gaining momentum, sales of Housemarque's new game are noticeably lagging behind.

As you can check out on the photo below, analysts estimated that 78% of Saros players played Returnal, which is a significant figure. In addition, 56% tried last year's hit from Sucker Punch Productions, Ghost of Yotei, and another 37% of them - Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Except for these titles, Pragmata (33%), Crimson Desert (27%), and Hades II (14%) are also mentioned in the report.

As for peak player activity in Saros, the indicators are more positive here. In the first week after the game's launch, the number of gamers simultaneously in the game exceeded 142,000, but then the average number dropped roughly from 115,000 to 140,000.

Analysts note possible problems with Saros sales due to high competition in the market, especially in April of this year. Shortly before the game's release, a new IP from Capcom, Pragmata, was launched, which turned out to be a grand success. In addition to it, one cannot fail to mention the already aforementioned Crimson Desert, which is selling very well on PlayStation 5, as well as the expansion to Diablo IV—Lord of Hatred and some new promising titles, like Mouse: P.I. for Hire or Tides of Tomorrow.

Are you concerned about the sales of Saros, the new exclusive for PlayStation 5 from Housemarque? Share your thoughts in the comments below!