God of War becomes fastest-selling first-party PlayStation game ever
SonySony and Santa Monica Studio celebrate as the recently released God of War Ragnarok breaks PlayStation sales records.
God of War Ragnarok launched earlier this month on PS4 and PS5, effectively concluding what developers have deemed the franchise’s Norse saga.
Given the accolades that followed the rollout of its predecessor in 2018, the hype surrounding Ragnarok hardly came as a surprise.
The sequel’s astronomical sales figures shouldn’t come as much of a shock, either. But putting its early success into context can make a world of difference in some respects.
God of War Ragnarok sales outpace other PlayStation heavy-hitters
According to a social media post from PlayStation, Ragnarok now counts as the “fastest-selling first-party launch game in PlayStation history.”
The God of War sequel sold an impressive 5.1 million units on PS4 and PS5 during its debut week. (It’s unclear exactly how many days Sony is counting, given that the title launched on a Wednesday.)
Ragnarok’s incredible launch figures also helped it set a franchise record, Sony noted in a graphic featured in the following Twitter post:
The previous fastest-selling first-party game on PlayStation was The Last of Us Part II, which moved a staggering four-plus million units after three days.
Interestingly, Marvel’s Spider-Man constituted the record holder before the summer of 2020, with 3.3 million copies sold within three days of release.
Since God of War (2018) reigned supreme in this regard just a few months prior, reason suggests Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 may retake the crown come 2023.
PlayStation’s stable of first-party studios has enjoyed quite a few victories this year. Horizon: Forbidden West launched to rave reviews this past February. The likes of Uncharted and Spider-Man finally migrated to PC storefronts. And The Last of Us Part I’s PS5 remake seemed to have sold appreciably on PS5.
The launch of PSVR2 and Insomniac’s Spider-Man sequel could beget another solid year for the Sony-owned platform.