As the PlayStation 5's first major exclusive release of 2021, Returnal had many expectations to live up to, and it seems, despite some bugs and bad patches, to be doing just that. Returnal was reviewed very well by critics and has been a continuing topic of discussion, and it seems to be succeeding financially as well, according to data from Sony.
Developer Housemarque has consistently release well-made arcade-inspired games for PlayStation systems and has gained a following of fans, and with Returnal, it is now receiving mainstream attention. While the game's launch has not been perfect, it is still attracting many new players and selling well.
Sony has released a list of the top downloaded games in April 2021, and it is good news for the game. Returnal was the third most downloaded game of the month in the US, and in the UK and Europe, it was the fourth. While both of these positions are great, in a different month, Returnal could have taken the number one place, at least in the US. Above Returnal in second place for both regions was Outriders, which was on sale for the whole of April, a significantly longer time than Returnal, which released on the last day of the month.
Competition for the top spot was also fierce, as MLB The Show 21, which has a huge established fan base, was released earlier in April. In the UK and Europe, the FIFA series spends a long time at the top of sales charts, and considering Returnal was only on sale for one day in April, rising to fourth place is a success. It is also worth considering that this list only covers digital sales on the PlayStation Store. According to sales data in the UK, Returnal is also selling well in terms of physical sales.
Returnal's release is proving to be financially successful, but the game has also definitely hit a few road bumps. Last week, a Returnal patch corrupted some players' saves, and there have also been a lot of bugs and glitches that have hurt its players' progression. There is also an ongoing discussion surrounding the game's difficulty. A decent level of challenge is always welcome in a video game, but Returnal's saving restriction can be quite punishing, and the harder the game, the more players developers exclude, which could hurt the game's sales in the long term.
Returnal is out now on PlayStation 5.
Source: PlayStation Blog