Marvel’s Wolverine sold 756,000 boxed copies in a month: physical still matters
Marvel’s Wolverine had a huge first month. Sony says it sold 2.16 million copies, brought in $130 million, and 35% of those sales, about 756,000 units, came from boxed copies. That’s a pretty blunt reminder that physical PlayStation 5 game sales still matter, even as Sony and the rest of the industry keep pushing harder toward digital.
That also helps explain the reaction to Sony’s earlier comments about discs. The company said PlayStation games released after January 2028 would drop them, then later walked that back after backlash, saying it would scale down manufacturing instead and allow reorders. Wolverine shows why that matters: Sony says the game sold 1.9 million copies in three days, and 35% of buyers still chose a physical copy.
The regional breakdown is telling. Sony’s numbers show Europe coming in stronger at 51% physical, with France at more than two-thirds physical and the UK going the other direction at about two-thirds digital. Other recent games point the same way, even if the split isn’t quite as sharp: Silent Hill: Townfall reached 45.4% physical, The Blood of the Dawnwalker hit 36%, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword landed between 30% and 31%.
If you care about ownership, this isn’t some side issue. Digital purchases are licenses tied to platform agreements. Sony has already removed hundreds of movies people bought through the PlayStation Store after licensing deals expired. Collectors have been saying for years that this is where things can go, and former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden has made the same point. The industry may be moving faster than some buyers want to.
Digital is ahead, and US market-tracking data shows physical spending is still below its 2008 peak. Even so, players spent $1.5 billion on physical games in 2025, and most of the reporting still focuses on North America and Europe, not Japan, South Korea, Latin America, Australia, or Africa. Marvel’s Wolverine is available now as a PlayStation 5 exclusive.
{
"de-DE": "Ich bin Journalist mit über 30 Jahren Erfahrung in Videospielen und Technologie. Obwohl Videospiele schon immer mein Fachgebiet waren, habe ich begonnen, auch die komplexen Strukturen von Projektmanagement-Tools wie Asana sowie die Automatisierungen mit Make.com und N8N zu entdecken und zu genießen.",
"en-US": "I’m a journalist with more than 30 years of experience in video games and technology. Although my specialty has always been video games, I’ve recently started enjoying exploring the intricacies of project-management tools like Asana, as well as automations with Make.com and N8N.",
"es-ES": "Soy periodista con más de 30 años de experiencia en videojuegos y tecnología. Aunque mi especialidad siempre ha sido el videojuego, he empezado a disfrutar también de descubrir los laberintos de los programas de project management como Asana y las automatizaciones de make.com y de N8N",
"fr-FR": "Je suis journaliste avec plus de 30 ans d’expérience dans le jeu vidéo et la technologie. Bien que ma spécialité ait toujours été le jeu vidéo, j’ai commencé à prendre plaisir à explorer également les méandres des outils de gestion de projet comme Asana, ainsi que les automatisations avec Make.com et N8N.",
"it-IT": "Sono un giornalista con oltre 30 anni di esperienza nei videogiochi e nella tecnologia. Anche se la mia specialità è sempre stata il videogame, ho iniziato a divertirmi anche a scoprire i meccanismi degli strumenti di project management come Asana e delle automazioni con Make.com e N8N.",
"ja-JP": "",
"nl-NL": "Ik ben een journalist met meer dan 30 jaar ervaring in videogames en technologie. Hoewel videogames altijd mijn specialiteit zijn geweest, ben ik ook begonnen te genieten van het verkennen van de ingewikkelde wereld van projectmanagementtools zoals Asana en van automatiseringen met Make.com en N8N.",
"pl-PL": "Jestem dziennikarzem z ponad 30-letnim doświadczeniem w grach wideo i technologii. Choć moją specjalizacją zawsze były gry wideo, ostatnio zacząłem również czerpać przyjemność z odkrywania zawiłości narzędzi do zarządzania projektami, takich jak Asana, oraz automatyzacji w Make.com i N8N.",
"pt-BR": "Sou jornalista com mais de 30 anos de experiência em videogames e tecnologia. Embora meu foco sempre tenha sido os videogames, recentemente passei a gostar de explorar também os labirintos de ferramentas de gestão de projetos como o Asana e das automações com Make.com e N8N.",
"social": {
"email": "jesus.bosque@softonic.com",
"facebook": "",
"twitter": "",
"linkedin": ""
}
}
View all posts by Jesús Bosque
