Just a few months ago, Marvel’s Wolverine was released to mixed reception. Some people thought the game was pretty good, while others thought that it was everything wrong with AAA gaming. But regardless of how they felt about it, a lot of people assumed that it didn’t matter if reception was mixed; the game was going to sell well anyways. Even I was on board this thought train. Well, as it turns out, that’s not really the case.

During Sony’s Q2 FY2026 Consolidated Financial Results speech, it was revealed that Marvel’s Wolverine sold 2.4 million units. Nowhere in the speech does it say that the company is disappointed with this number or that they were expecting it to be much higher. However, by just comparing it to the company’s previous titles, it’s obvious that this number is not in the same ballpark.

I compared it to previous Sony games. Take a look:

I couldn’t figure out how many units Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales sold within the first 50 days of its launch, or else I would’ve put it here. But let’s take a look at the other 3 games. Wolverine is trailing behind all three.

Although Ghost of Yotei is the highly anticipated sequel to a beloved game, I would’ve thought that Marvel and Wolverine’s brand recognition would’ve allowed it to surpass it. Then, we have to compare it to its predecessors, the Spider-Man games. I think most people would agree that Spider-Man is more well-known than Wolverine, but it’s not like he’s a C-list character or anything. It’s not surprising that Spidey’s games sold better, but it’s surprising that they sold way, way better.

By all counts, Marvel’s Wolverine should’ve been a smash hit. It was made by a studio that has developed a reputation as being the video game adaptation studio. They had 3 great-selling games, with each game having a positive reception with fans and critics alike. Spider-Man 2 less so than the others, but at the time of its release, that game was being praised to the high heavens.

So, what happened? I think word of mouth killed the momentum of this game. Sure, the critics were mixed about it, but a lot of people choose to ignore reviews. However, what was really hurtful to the game’s reputation was what people were saying about it online. Those who’ve played it hated the story, repetitive gameplay, and the over-the-top hand-holding. Most importantly, I think a lot of people were just tired of PlayStation’s “cinematic game” formula. And unfortunately, for Marvel’s Wolverine, it was released at the wrong time.

Okay. We’ve looked at the game’s sales, compared it to similar titles, and talked about why it didn’t sell as much as it probably should’ve. We haven’t talked about the most important thing, though. Is 2.4 million units sold a good number for Marvel’s Wolverine?

The answer is: There’s no way this met sales expectations. When the studio’s previous games did way better in an even shorter timeframe, Wolverine’s sales can only be seen as disappointing. Nobody is saying that this game is a colossal flop and that Insomniac Games will shut down by the end of the year, but it’s safe to say that this game wasn’t the home run that Sony expected.

So, where do we go from here? Hopefully, Insomniac Games and PlayStation listen to the feedback and realize that the formula has to change. Fans have made it loud and clear that what worked 10 years ago won’t work now. I, for one, have faith that they can regroup and come back stronger for their next game.

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