Wolverine Tops Sales Charts for Sony in 2026 Amidst Heavy Criticism

Marvel’s Wolverine has been taking some heat online. Critics have poked fun at its “fart trail” UI hints, heavy reliance on quick-time events, tedious platforming, and average combat mechanics. Despite landing a score of 77 on Metacritic—one of the lowest for a Sony first-party title in recent years—the game appears to have made a solid debut.

Estimates from Alinea Analytics suggest that Wolverine has sold around 1.9 million copies, raking in approximately $130 million. This performance puts it ahead of every PlayStation Studios release on PS5 in 2026, including MLB The Show 26 (1.5 million copies for $99 million), Marathon (1.8 million units across all platforms for $60 million), Saros (510,000 sold for $40 million), and Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls (740,000 sold across all platforms for $49 million).

This year hasn’t been particularly strong for Sony in terms of game sales. Marathon seems to be facing challenges, especially after losing its director amid concerns about its performance. Housemarque co-founder Ilari Kuittinen announced his departure last month following Saros’s disappointing sales. The low numbers for Tokon have sparked discussions online about what defines a “successful” fighting game. Overall, Sony’s first-party game sales have seen a significant drop over the past five years, plummeting from 58.4 million units in fiscal year 2020 to 28.9 million in fiscal year 2024.

Rhys Elliot from Alinea Analytics speculates that Wolverine’s success can be attributed to the character’s widespread appeal, particularly in the U.S., where 53% of players are located, followed by the UK (7%), France (5%), and Canada (4%). Additionally, many gamers may not be engaged with critical discussions or social media reactions, leading them to purchase a new Wolverine game without being swayed by the buzz. However, Elliot also believes that the game’s lukewarm critical reception and negative online sentiment could hinder its long-term sales, making it less successful compared to Insomniac’s Spider-Man titles.

Insomniac’s latest entry seems to be trying a bit too hard to emulate the God of War formula.