Marvel's Wolverine: 35 Percent of Sales Are Physical – Despite Sony Phasing Out Discs

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Sony plans to phase out PlayStation disc production by 2028 – and yet, the current hit game shows that many players are still opting for physical copies. According to data from Ampere Analysis (via The Game Business), 35 percent of Marvel’s Wolverine sales were physical discs. IGN picked up on these figures.

Artwork for Marvel's Wolverine by Insomniac Games — Image source: IGN (https://www.ign.com/articles/35-percent-marvels-wolverine-sales-disc)

How Often Was Marvel’s Wolverine Bought on Disc?

The figures in detail:

According to Ampere, around 2.16 million units were sold in September (released on September 15th)
35 percent of those were physical discs
In Europe, the share of disc sales was 51 percent
In France, more than two-thirds of sales were physical, while in the UK, two-thirds were digital

Wolverine was thus the second-best seller on PS5 in September – only EA Sports FC 27 was ahead, with nearly 5 million sales on PS5 and 1.65 million on Xbox.

Why is the Disc Debate So Heated at Sony?

Sony’s announcement to cease disc production by 2028 sparked an outcry in the community. The Video Game History Foundation is demanding solutions so that archives and museums can legally and securely preserve digital games. According to our report on his criticism, former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden called the move significant brand damage. Sony spoke of „strong opinions“ in July but is sticking to its stance – a change of course is not in sight, according to IGN.

What Does This Mean for Players?

Those who value collector’s items, reselling, or independence from the store should prepare for the selection of discs to shrink. Even the GTA 6 release, according to IGN, will not have a disc version; the special edition only contains a code in an otherwise empty box. Thus, digital is increasingly becoming the standard on the PlayStation platform.

From our perspective, the figures primarily show one thing: the share of disc sales varies greatly from country to country. Whether this strategy still pays off for Sony depends on whether buyers in Europe actually switch to digital – the Wolverine data so far suggests otherwise.

Source: IGN

Are you still buying discs, or have you long since gone completely digital? Let us know in the comments!