Saros<\/em> is Sony\u2019s first big 2026 exclusive. Its performance so far has been a little slow, but this is a niche game, and the context around its launch matters.<\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s dig in.<\/p>\n Saros<\/em> hit PS5 on 30 April, with an advanced access period kicking off two days earlier. It\u2019s a PS5 exclusive, and rumour has it that it\u2019ll stay that way. In the two weeks since launch, <\/span>Saros<\/em> has passed 300K copies sold and generated over $22M in revenue.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n Almost a third of those copies came during the early-access period, which suggests that Housemarque superfans (including myself!) are propping this one up. More on that later. <\/p>\n Launch-aligned, our data shows <\/span>Saros<\/em> is actually selling a little slower than <\/span>Returnal<\/em>, despite there being only about 8M PS5s in the wild when <\/span>Returnal<\/em> launched vs the 93M install base Saros launched into.<\/span><\/p>\n On first look, that seems rough. But there\u2019s a bit more to it:<\/p>\n When <\/span>Returnal<\/em> hit in April 2021, less than six months after the PS5 launch. Those early PS5 adopters (the ones who inherently buy a lot of new games at full price) were <\/span>dying<\/em> for something to play. <\/span>Returnal<\/em> was the first big first-party PlayStation release since launch, and it made <\/span>amazing<\/em> use of the unique DualSense haptics and spatial audio. Many core PS5 players flocked to it almost by default.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n It\u2019s a different story for <\/span>Saros<\/em>. It\u2019s launched not too long after <\/span>Crimson Desert,<\/em> <\/span>Resident Evil Requiem<\/em>, <\/span>Hades 2<\/em> on PS5, <\/span>Pragmata<\/em>, and a whole bunch of rad 2026 games. This is a more niche PlayStation Studios game. It was never going to do numbers like <\/span>God of War<\/em> or <\/span>Ghost of Yotei<\/em>. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Of course, <\/span>Saros<\/em> is also competing with the whole cumulative backlog of PlayStation releases that have built up across the cycle. The PS5 install base is over 11x bigger than it was at Returnal\u2019s launch, but the share of that audience actively shopping for a new niche first-party title is structurally smaller.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n It really is a shame, as <\/span>Saros<\/em> is a fantastic game and frankly deserves better numbers than this. But 3D bullet-hell-type games, especially those with a $70+ price tag, are a tough sell in today\u2019s market.<\/span><\/p>\n Particularly without a big IP behind it, or a studio that\u2019s recognised outside of the PlayStation hardcore.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s plenty to love about <\/span>Saros<\/em>. I\u2019m loving it, and so are many others. It\u2019s also already sold more copies than <\/span>Marathon<\/a><\/em> on PS5, so there\u2019s that. <\/span><\/p>\n Players who consistently show up for PlayStation\u2019s other first-party games at launch \u2013 or shortly after \u2013 make up a significant share of Saros\u2019 early players:<\/p>\n 56% of <\/span>Saros<\/em>\u2018 players previously played <\/span>Ghost of Yotei<\/em> (released in October 2025).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n 37% played <\/span>Death Stranding 2<\/em> (released last June).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n 11% played <\/span>God of War: Ghost of Sparta<\/em> (a February 2026 shadow-drop).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n And 8% played <\/span>Marathon<\/em> (early March).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n The Housemarque fandom also showed up in full force. Our audience overlap data shows that about 78% of <\/span>Saros<\/em>\u2018 players previously played <\/span>Returnal<\/em>. Of course, <\/span>Returnal<\/em> has been on PS Plus, inflating lifetime crossover numbers. Much of the genuine overlap will be early <\/span>Returnal<\/em> buyers rather than subscription samplers, though.<\/span><\/p>\n Looking at our monthly player-overlap data on PlayStation (yes, we have that!), we can see that around 17% of <\/span>Saros<\/em>\u2018 April players also played <\/span>Returnal<\/em> that month. I was part of that group, getting the homework in (and my arse kicked).<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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