Despite negative reviews, Marvel’s Wolverine smashes PS5 sales charts
After receiving little love on social media, with widely circulated clips criticizing the game’s user interface as a “fart trail” and its weak chase sequences, Marvel’s Wolverine seems to have fared quite well from a sales perspective. According to new data from market research firm Circana, it was the best-selling game in the US in September, both physically and digitally. Not bad for a console exclusive with an already questionable reputation.
September was a jam-packed month for game releases: eight of the top ten best-selling titles were released this month. Sports games performed well as always, with NBA 2K27 in second place, EA Sports FC 27 in third, and Madden NFL 27 in tenth. Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave landed in fourth place – a remarkable achievement considering it was a console exclusive – followed by The Blood of Dawnwalker, Wardogs, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Halloween: The Game, and Ace Combat 8.
While these figures only capture US sales, Sony has released EU PlayStation Store data from last month, showing Wolverine in second place behind EA Sports FC 27. Previous sales data from Ampere Analysis indicates that Wolverine performed particularly well on disc, with physical sales accounting for 35%. Given that Sony is discontinuing disc production for PlayStation games in 2028, the game’s success there contradicts the company’s claim that its customers are no longer interested in physical releases. Overall, Ampere estimated that Wolverine sold approximately 2.35 million copies in September.
Why did Wolverine receive so much criticism?
After years of hype and anticipation, Marvel’s Wolverine was released to rather lukewarm reviews. Many critics complained about the repetitive gameplay, the superficial nature of the gameplay, and the weak story. While the game wasn’t completely panned, and some even praised the graphics and the spectacle, it fell far short of the exuberant enthusiasm that many other AAA titles from Sony have enjoyed in recent years.
As if that weren’t enough, Wolverine was caught in the crossfire of criticism surrounding Sony’s decision to discontinue support for discs. The PlayStation exclusive was being promoted around the same time Sony made this less-than-successful announcement. Fans of physical media flooded the comment sections of all PlayStation-related posts, including Wolverine’s, to vent their frustration.
The main reason for the scathing criticism was probably that the game lent itself easily to trendy videos. It embodied many game design elements that players now despise, such as excessive explanations of the next path (scent trails) and the over-prioritization of cinematic presentation over gameplay.
