A leaked contract reveals that Marvel's Wolverine needed to sell at least 6 million copies combined on PS5 and PC within its first year of launch. Failure to reach this threshold could lead Marvel to terminate its agreement with Sony regarding future X-Men games.
These clauses stem from the internal data leak suffered by Insomniac in 2023. In December of that year, hackers obtained the studio's internal documents, including the X-Men intellectual property licensing agreement between Marvel and Sony, which disclosed the sales requirements for the related games.
The leaked content states that Marvel's Wolverine and other X-Men games covered by the agreement must each achieve sales of 6 million copies within their first year of release. According to one clause, if Marvel's Wolverine fails to meet this target, Marvel can terminate the contract for subsequent X-Men projects.
The documents also reveal that Insomniac had planned multiple X-Men titles. These games were to remain exclusive to Sony platforms for ten years, though Wolverine could still appear in Marvel's cross-title collaborative games.
The agreement also stipulates that if Sony voluntarily withdraws from the partnership, it must pay Marvel $9 million, in addition to any other outstanding financial obligations. Therefore, the first-year commercial performance of Marvel's Wolverine not only affects the single title but could also directly impact whether the subsequent X-Men game agreement between the two parties continues.