‘Marvel’s Wolverine’ Sales Reveal a Brutal Reality Check for Sony’s Biggest Superhero Bet
Insomniac Games built its reputation on turning Marvel heroes into PlayStation system sellers. The studio’s Spider-Man series has moved around 60 million units in total, setting a bar that few superhero games have ever cleared. When ‘Marvel’s Wolverine’ was announced in September 2021, many fans assumed the same magic would carry over to Logan.
Expectations stayed high through years of development. The game arrived exclusively on PS5 on September 15, with Liam McIntyre voicing Wolverine and an ensemble that includes Jean Grey, Omega Red and Lady Deathstrike. Reviews, however, were more mixed than anyone at the studio likely hoped, and the first sales figures now suggest the audience has been just as divided.
In its latest earnings report, released on November 5, Sony confirmed that ‘Marvel’s Wolverine’ has sold 2.4 million copies to consumers as of November 4. That works out to roughly 50 days on the market. The figure arrived alongside strong overall results for PlayStation, where operating profit in the gaming division jumped 83%, even though PS5 shipments slipped to 2.6 million units in the quarter from 4 million a year earlier. The console’s lifetime total now stands at 97.9 million, and PlayStation Plus has 127 million active subscribers.
Context is where the number starts to sting. Insomniac’s ‘Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’ sold 2.5 million units on its first day, and the original ‘Marvel’s Spider-Man’ reportedly sold 3.3 million copies in just 3 days before climbing to 9 million within 90 days. By that standard, Logan’s debut looks modest.
Other games in Sony’s catalog also moved faster. ‘Ghost of Yotei’ passed the Wolverine total in just a few days, and one report noted that ‘Rhythm Heaven Groove’ is currently ahead by half a million units.
The picture is not entirely bleak. ‘Marvel’s Wolverine’ was the best-selling game of September in the United States by dollar sales, and it posted the highest launch-month dollar sales for a Sony-published title since ‘Helldivers 2’ in February 2024. Early estimates from analyst firm Alinea Analytics had it at roughly 1.9 million PS5 copies within days of release.
The problem is what happened afterward. Several outlets have since described the game as losing momentum, pointing to how quickly the total trails Sony’s other major first-party releases. The crowded release calendar did not help, as several major games landed ahead of ‘GTA 6’ on November 19.
Sony has not revealed how much the game cost to make, but reports have put the budget at around $300 million, with development spanning at least 5 years. Those figures are unconfirmed, and Sony has not said whether the game met its internal expectations. A 2023 leak claimed the project needed 6 million copies in its first year to hit Sony’s targets.
If that target is accurate, ‘Marvel’s Wolverine’ has a long way to go. Sony has not commented on profitability, and it is too early to draw firm conclusions.
The launch trailer for Insomniac’s ‘WOLVERINE’ game has been released. Releasing on September 15. https://t.co/Wq7D12gsEh
— Cosmic Marvel (@cosmic_marvel) September 3, 2026
Critics gave the game a 75 Metascore based on 149 reviews, the lowest result for an Insomniac Marvel title so far, with user reviews sitting at 6.7. Reviewers praised the brutal combat and the performances, but criticized the linear level design, uneven pacing and excessive hand-holding. Insomniac has since addressed complaints about the scent trails and audio indicators.
That reception matters for a franchise built on high review scores. Insomniac’s previous Marvel games all scored well above this, and only a PC port of ‘Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’ came close at 76.
Sales can still recover. The holiday season and a possible Black Friday discount often give games a second wave, and ‘Marvel’s Wolverine’ remains a PS5 exclusive. Sony also noted that the game contributed to improved results in its gaming division, even though it did not say by how much.
For now, though, the numbers give Insomniac and Sony plenty to think about as they weigh the future of the character on PlayStation.
Do you think Marvel's Wolverine can recover from its relatively slow sales start?
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