PlayStation gambles with 18-rated Wolverine game - will it pay off?

2026-09-12 | original

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Why This Matters

Sony is releasing Marvel's Wolverine, its biggest PS5 exclusive of the year, but with a Pegi-18 rating that legally locks out the child and family audience that made Insomniac's Spider-Man games a 50-million-selling franchise. It's a test of whether a major platform holder can build a blockbuster licensed superhero title around mature, gory content rather than broad-appeal family fare.

Key Takeaways

Marvel's Wolverine is the biggest PS5-exclusive release of the year, from Spider-Man developer Insomniac.
The Pegi-18 rating means under-18s can't legally buy it, narrowing the audience versus Spider-Man's 50 million sales.
The game's heavy blood, gore and violence make it a notable strategic gamble for Sony and Marvel licensing.

Worth a Look

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On Tuesday, Sony will release Marvel's Wolverine - the biggest game exclusive to the PlayStation 5 this year.

It's made by Insomniac, the studio responsible for the recent Spider-Man titles, which have sold 50 million copies in recent years.

But unlike the friendly neighbourhood superhero, Wolverine has a Pegi-18 rating in the UK, meaning a child cannot legally buy the game, and it contains considerable levels of blood, gore and violence.

It represents a gamble for the studio responsible for some of Sony's biggest hits - will it turn out to have been worth it?

This review does not reveal the game's biggest moments, but beware minor spoilers for some of the characters that appear and a few early sequences. Some of the images contain blood.

Explore topics: playstation 5 marvel's wolverine insomniac games sony pegi-18