Spider-Man PS4 Breaks Sony Game Sales Records

Spider-Man, Spider-Man. Sony sold lots of Spider-Man. Cash registers go cha-ching. Revenue more than Homecoming. Watch out! It's payday for Spider-Man.

USA Today reports that Sony sold 3.3 million copies of Marvel's Spider-Man within the first three days of release, setting a new sales record. That edges out the prior record of 3.1 million in the first three days set by God of War earlier this year. Pre-orders were a record-setter as well, at one million copies. This figure doesn't account for sales of the PlayStation 4 Pro bundle that included a specially painted console and a copy of the game.

As the report notes, the retail price of $60 would translate to roughly $198 million in revenue, which actually tops the $117 million opening weekend box office for Spider-Man Homecoming. Not all of the copies would have sold for exactly $60, so the actual figure could be a bit less. Plus the comparison is a little skewed given that movie tickets cost significantly less than a new video game, but it's still an impressive achievement.

"Our expectations are always set at the highest levels," said Sony global VP of sales Stephen Turvey. "It's met and exceeded all expectations. I think the company, and the campus, and our fans are super proud of it." He added that Insomniac Games brought Spider-Man back "in a way that you want to experience it."

Marvel's Spider-Man is a critical success as well. It scored an aggregate 87 on GameSpot sister site Metacritic. Sony is planning three narrative expansions through the rest of the year, along with a New Game Plus mode. In GameSpot's Spider-Man review, Edmond Tran praised the dynamic combat, fluid web-swinging, and surprisingly rich story.

"There have been open-world Spider-Man games before, but none so riveting and full of personality, none that explore and do justice to this many facets of the universe," Tran said. "Insomniac has created a superior Spider-Man experience that leaves a lasting impression, one that has you longing for just one more swing around New York City, even after the credits roll."