Sony announced on Monday 23, October 2023 that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 sold 2.5 million copies in the first 24 hours. That has made it the fastest-selling PlayStation studio game in the history of PlayStation. But, I have a feeling that this is just the beginning.
“Great news, Spidey fans,” the company shared in a tweet. “Marvel Spider-Man 2 has sold more than 2.5 million copies in the first 24 hours. Thanks for making this a high-flying launch!”
What is particularly important about the Spider-Man 2 number is that it represents the number of copies that are actually in the hands of gamers. “Sold through” copies, as it is called, refers to copies either sold digitally on the PlayStation Store or sold by retailers.
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In most cases, developers will use the term “copies shipped” to represent their numbers. However, this is not a true representation of sales because some of the copies simply end up on the shelves of retailers rather than in the hands of actual gamers.
The game that held the record as Sony’s fastest-selling game before now was God of War: Ragnarök. Sony at that time said the game “sold through” 5.1 million copies in the debut week. However, the company did not provide the figures for the first 24 hours.
Prior to the release of God of War: Ragnarök, Sony had announced in June 2020 that The Last of Us Part 2 sold over 4 million copies in the first three days. Further down memory lane, that record was held by Spider-Man with 3.3 million copies sold in the first three days.
Spider-Man 2 topped UK physical sales charts ahead of Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Data from GfK, the largest German market research company, shows that Spider-Man 2 sold the most physical copies in the UK. The PlayStation exclusive is the biggest PS5 launch this year with sales 5% higher than Hogwarts Legacy which was released in February.
The strong launch makes Spider-Man 2 the fourth biggest game launch of the year behind The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, EA Sports FC24, and Hogwarts Legacy. Compared to Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Spider-Man 2 has recorded 41% more sales in physical copies.
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Interestingly, Super Mario Bros. Wonder was released on the same day as Spider-Man 2. Considering Nintendo and Mario’s large fan base, it was always going to be a tough choice for gamers who could only afford to purchase one game a month. In the end, Mario had to settle for second place.
“Mario games, particularly the 2D ones, tend to be more long-term sellers,” explained Christopher Dring, Head of Games B2B. “Although the launch of Super Mario Bros. Wonder is strong, it hasn’t come close to matching the new Zelda or Pokémon games—Wonder’s launch sales are 62% lower than Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.”
It took the launch of Spider-Man 2 and Super Mario Bros. Wonder to end the three weeks domination of the chart by EA Sports FC 24. Both games displace the soccer simulation game to the third spot with a 53% drop in sales week-on-week. Also, Assassin’s Creed Mirage slipped to No. 5 after suffering a 49% sales drop.
Although Spider-Man 2 took the top sales, Nintendo will still be pleased to have Super Mario Bros. Wonder in the second spot. So far, the company has had a great year with a long roster of games scheduled for release this year.
Since its release on May 12 this year, The Legend of Zelda has sold over 18.5 million copies worldwide which is a great feat for the company. Do you think Spider-Man 2 has what it takes to win the Game of the Year? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
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