Wolverine sells 1.9M, despite the online mauling

Key Points:

• Wolverine has sold 1.9 million copies and generated $130 million in its first three days, surpassing Death Stranding 2's lifetime PS5 sales and revenues, and becoming the top-performing new PlayStation Studios game on PS5 this year.
• Despite its commercial success, Wolverine has received mixed reviews, with a Metacritic score of 77, Insomniac’s lowest non-DLC score in over a decade, and criticism for handholding, linearity, and a departure from the studio's usual visual style.
• The game’s audience mainly consists of superhero-game enthusiasts, with significant overlap among players of previous Insomniac Spider-Man titles and other superhero games, as well as casual mainstream players who are less engaged in online criticism.
• Wolverine's sales momentum is expected to continue moderately, boosted by upcoming MCU X-Men marketing, holiday gifting, and new PS5 owners upgrading for high-budget games, although it is unlikely to achieve the long-term evergreen success of the Spider-Man series.
• Social media negativity and mixed media reception have limited Wolverine’s commercial long tail, but the game remains a solid seller driven by brand recognition and appeal to a broad, casual audience.