Critics panned it, players bought it: Marvel's Wolverine hits 1.9M copies in three days
Marvel's Wolverine launched September 15 as a PS5 exclusive and shifted an estimated 1.9 million copies in its first three days, generating roughly $130 million in revenue according to Alinea Analytics. That makes it Sony's best-performing first-party release of 2026 — despite holding a 77 Metascore, the lowest of any PS5 Sony exclusive to date.
Mixed reviews, strong sales
Criticism has been consistent: a linear structure, repetitive combat, and mechanics that feel a decade behind the curve. None of that stopped the game from outselling Death Stranding 2 at the same point in its life cycle — Hideo Kojima's well-reviewed title had moved 1.8 million copies and $129 million in revenue by comparison. Wolverine beat it on both counts.
Insomniac's other 2026 releases didn't come close. MLB The Show 26 pulled in $99 million and 1.5 million PS5 copies. Marathon, across all platforms, reached $60 million and 1.8 million units. Neither touched Wolverine's opening numbers.
Wolverine has sold through 1.9M copies (1M in pre-launch digital pre-orders), generating $130M - @alineaanalytics estimates.
— Rhys Elliott (@superhys) September 18, 2026
Of these revenues, 22.9% were physical. As always, these estimates don’t include unsold retail copies, which publishers often report in their sold-in… pic.twitter.com/QIFd0Qjz7X
The US carries the weight
American players account for 53% of sales — not a surprise given Marvel's deep roots in US pop culture. The UK sits at 7%, France at 5%, and Canada at 4%, per Insider Gaming. For UK buyers, that comes with a significant price premium: the game retails at around £93.62, a 33.8% markup over the $70 US price — one of the steepest regional gaps globally, largely driven by VAT and retail positioning.
One other figure worth noting: physical copies accounted for 22.9% of total revenue. In 2026, with Sony pushing disc-free hardware, that's a meaningful share — suggesting retail gift-buying and physical collectors remain a real market.
What comes next
Alinea analyst Rhys Elliott doesn't expect Wolverine's long-term tail to match Marvel's Spider-Man, which the same studio developed. But he points to two potential sales drivers: upcoming X-Men media projects that could renew interest in the IP, and the wave of new PS5 owners expected to arrive alongside GTA VI. If either materialises, the game's back-catalogue numbers could improve well beyond its launch window.
