Don’t Expect Marvel’s Wolverine to Be a Major Financial Hit

Marvel's Wolverine, released earlier this week, has gotten fairly mixed reviews, especially from players, but the game's already posting solid financial numbers on its own. It's been revealed the game sold 1.9 million copies in its first three days, a promising sign for both Insomniac and PlayStation. That said, a follow-up report suggests it might be worth tempering expectations a bit.

Rhys Elliott of Alinea Analytics, the same source behind the original sales figures, has published a separate piece looking at Marvel's Wolverine alongside broader PlayStation Studios sales trends. In his view, despite the strong launch, it's unlikely the game will match Marvel's Spider-Man 2's success, which sold over 18 million copies, largely because the mixed reception could turn off potential buyers going forward. You can check out more from Elliott below:

“So yes, Wolverine has sold well, but its commercial long tail is limited by its mixed media and streamer reception. Unlike Spider-Man, which reviewed insanely well and has stayed evergreen for years, this one’s tail will be shorter and lumpier, but still there. Wolverine will keep selling, just not at Spider-Man heights. Spidey’s been evergreen. Wolverine will be more ever-yellow.”

That said, according to leaked 2023 documents, Marvel's Wolverine needs to hit at least 6 million copies in its first year to meet Sony's targets, a benchmark that would greenlight further Marvel projects at the studio. On a separate note, Insomniac Games has confirmed the studio is listening to feedback and already addressed one of the more polarizing features, the scent-tracking mechanic Logan uses to hunt down enemies.

Marvel's Wolverine is available exclusively on PlayStation 5. You can check out which important characters are mentioned and referenced in the game.