Marvel’s Wolverine sales have officially been revealed, and the numbers aren’t what Sony would have hoped for. According to Sony’s latest earnings report, Insomniac’s game has sold 2.4 million copies since launch. That might sound like a lot, but for a game this expensive, many fans see it as a serious warning sign.
Now a viral video is raising a bigger question. Could a leaked Marvel contract put Insomniac’s future X-Men games at risk?
How are Marvel’s Wolverine sales doing?
Marvel’s Wolverine launched on September 15 as a PS5 exclusive. As Gamereactor reported, Sony’s latest figures put sales at 2.4 million copies across its first 50 days on sale.
On its own, that’s a respectable number. Plenty of studios would be thrilled with it. However, Wolverine isn’t an ordinary game. Leaked documents suggest its budget was around $300 million, putting it among the most expensive games ever made. GameByte has looked at why Wolverine cost so much before.
How do Marvel’s Wolverine sales compare to Spider-Man?
The comparison with Insomniac’s other Marvel games isn’t kind. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 sold 2.5 million copies in its first 24 hours alone. Meanwhile, the original Marvel’s Spider-Man reached 3.3 million in just three days.
Other Sony games have also moved faster. Ghost of Yōtei passed 3.3 million copies in 32 days. As a result, Wolverine’s 2.4 million in 50 days looks underwhelming next to PlayStation’s biggest hits.
Reviews haven’t helped either. The game holds a Metascore of 75, which is solid but well below Insomniac’s usual standard. The studio has also released patches in response to player complaints.
Why is 2.4 million a problem?
In the viral video, the creator argues that sales slumped after the first couple of weeks. According to them, early players weren’t impressed, word of mouth spread and fewer people bought it.
They also suggest the game isn’t on track to pass 3 million within its first 90 days. That’s a big drop from the original Spider-Man, which the creator says sold around 9 million copies in a similar period.
With a reported budget of around $300 million, the maths gets difficult. Big games now need huge sales just to break even, and Wolverine appears to be falling short.
Could Insomniac lose the X-Men rights?
This is where things get more dramatic. In December 2023, hackers leaked a huge amount of internal Insomniac data. Among the documents was reportedly a clause in Sony’s agreement with Marvel for X-Men games.
According to reports, the clause sets a target of 6 million copies sold across PS5 and PC within the first year. If Sony misses it, Marvel could reportedly end or renegotiate the deal for future standalone X-Men games.
There are important caveats, though. Sony, Marvel and Insomniac have never confirmed the clause. It also reportedly applies to the X-Men agreement, not to Spider-Man, which falls under a separate deal. So claims that Insomniac could lose every Marvel game go further than the leak suggests.
Still, Wolverine would need to more than double its sales within a year to reach that target. Game sales usually slow down after launch, which makes that a tall order.
What do Marvel’s Wolverine sales mean for Sony?
The creator sees this as part of a bigger shift. In their view, simply spending hundreds of millions on big-name games no longer guarantees success. Players want great games, not just famous characters.
It’s a debate the whole industry is having. Take-Two’s boss recently defended his company’s line-up against claims it relies on one big hit. Meanwhile, rising hardware costs like those facing the PS6 are putting even more pressure on Sony’s finances.
The creator also points to cheaper games that have done well this year, such as Phantom Blade Zero, a game that’s also been caught up in online debates about character design.
Is this good news for players?
The creator argues it is. If expensive but average games don’t sell, studios will have to aim higher to earn players’ money. In their eyes, that raises the bar for everyone.
Of course, it’s not all doom. Wolverine still sold millions of copies, and post-launch updates could win players back. Sony’s next earnings report will show whether sales pick up. For now, though, the pressure on Insomniac is clear.