Marvel's Wolverine sold an estimated 1.9 million copies in its first days, but Spider-Man 2 it is not

Marvel's Wolverine launched on September 15 and has already moved an estimated 1.9 million copies, generating around $130 million in revenue, according to Rhys Elliott, head of market analysis at Alinea Analytics. Sony has not issued an official sales figure yet, though the company has done so for other PlayStation Studios titles in the past.

Of that estimated revenue, roughly 22.9% came from physical sales — notable given Sony's plan to stop producing PlayStation discs by 2028. Elliott says Wolverine is already the top-performing new PlayStation Studios PS5 release of 2026, ahead of MLB The Show, Bungie's Marathon, Housemarque's Saros, and Marvel Tōkon. It has also already surpassed the lifetime PS5 sales and revenue of Death Stranding 2. That said, it is tracking well behind Spider-Man 2, which sold more than 2.5 million copies in its first 24 hours alone — a record at the time, since overtaken by Helldivers 2. For comparison, Ghost of Yotei sold 3.3 million units in its first 32 days per Sony's official figures. On the critical side, Wolverine sits at a 77 Metascore, with IGN scoring it 6/10. Insomniac has already said it is working to "further refine the player experience" based on player feedback.

One of the loudest pieces of that feedback concerns Logan's scent trail — a gameplay mechanic that players have dubbed "fart gas" — which has become a running joke online. Insomniac has since toned the effect down, and some players are calling for a full toggle to disable it. The mixed critical reception is a real factor in the game's commercial outlook. Elliott put it plainly: "Wolverine has sold well, but its commercial long tail is limited by its mixed media and streamer reception. Unlike Spider-Man, which reviewed insanely well and has stayed evergreen for years, this one's tail will be shorter and lumpier, but still there." He added: "Wolverine will keep selling, just not at Spider-Man heights. Spidey's been evergreen. Wolverine will be more ever-yellow."

Elliott does see a few tailwinds ahead. The MCU's Avengers: Doomsday arrives in December and features the X-Men, which could push renewed interest in the game. GTA 6's November release is also expected to expand the PS5 install base, and Wolverine is likely to be a popular holiday gift pick. Whether those bumps are enough to close the gap with Sony's bigger hitters remains to be seen.