'Wolverine' Is Sony’s Bestselling Game of 2026, Despite Massive Criticism

Sep 18, 2026 - 22:16

0 0

'Wolverine' Is Sony’s Bestselling Game of 2026, Despite Massive Criticism

Published Sep 18, 2026, 1:13 PM EDT

While Wolverine is getting pulverized on social media, it seems to be selling well so far

Wolverine reeling back his claws for an attack.

Marvel's Wolverine has been getting roasted online. Detractors have mocked the game for its “fart trail” UI hints, overrliance on quick-time events, mind-numbing platforming, and so-so combat. However, despite sitting at 77 on Metacritic, one of the lowest scores for a Sony first-party game in years, it still seems to have sold well out of the gate.

According to estimates from Alinea Analytics, Wolverine has sold 1.9 million copies so far, generating $130 million. That puts it ahead of every PlayStation Studios game released on PS5 in 2026, which includes MLB The Show 26 (1.5 million copies sold on PS5 for $99 million), Marathon (1.8 million units sold across all platforms for $60 million), Saros (510,000 sold for $40 million), and Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls (740,000 sold on all platforms for $49 million).

Admittedly, this hasn’t been a strong year for Sony in terms of game sales. Marathon seems to be on the verge of a crisis, having recently lost its director amid rumors that it is underperforming. Housemarque co-founder Ilari Kuittinen announced he was leaving the company last month after Saros sold poorly. Tokon’s seemingly low sales sparked an online debate about what qualifies as a “successful” fighting game. Overall, Sony’s first-party game sales have declined sharply over the last five years, from 58.4 million unitsin fiscal year 2020 to 28.9 million in fiscal year 2024.

Why has Wolverine sold relatively well despite poor reviews?

Alinea Analytics’ Rhys Elliot speculates that Wolverine has done well because of the character's general popularity, especially in the U.S.: Americans accounted for 53% of the player base, followed by the UK (7%), France (5%), and Canada (4%). Additionally, many players aren’t tuned into critical discourse or social media reactions, so they might see a new Wolverine game and instantly buy it regardless of chatter. That said, Elliot also assumes that Wolverine's lackluster critical reception and bad online reputation are likely to hurt its long-term sales, causing it to underperform compared to Insomniac’s Spider-Man games.