Fresh Sales Analysis: PlayStation 5 Exclusive Saros Struggles While Marathon’s Future Hinges on Second Season Success

The gaming industry is witnessing a tale of two titles as fresh analytics reveal contrasting fortunes for Sony’s latest releases. According to experts at Alinea Analytics, the science-fiction extraction shooter Marathon has approached the 1.5 million copies sold mark since its launch, while the PlayStation 5 exclusive Saros appears to be significantly underperforming expectations. These figures paint a complex picture of the current state of Sony’s gaming portfolio and raise questions about the company’s strategy in an increasingly competitive market.

Marathon, developed by Bungie — the studio behind the massively successful Destiny franchise — represents Sony’s ambitious push into the extraction shooter genre that has gained tremendous popularity in recent years. The game, which revives the classic Marathon IP originally released in 1994, has been positioned as Bungie’s next major project following their acquisition by Sony for approximately $3.6 billion in 2022. While 1.5 million copies might seem respectable on the surface, industry analysts suggest that Sony’s expectations for the title were considerably higher, especially given the substantial investment made in acquiring Bungie.

The extraction shooter genre has seen explosive growth over the past few years, with titles like Escape from Tarkov pioneering the concept and games like The Cycle: Frontier and Hunt: Showdown expanding its appeal. Marathon entered this competitive landscape with significant hype but has faced criticism from players regarding its gameplay loop, matchmaking systems, and content variety. Industry observers note that the game’s second season will be absolutely critical in determining whether Marathon can build sustainable momentum or fade into obscurity like many live-service titles before it.

Perhaps more concerning for Sony is the apparent struggle of Saros, a PlayStation 5 exclusive that was expected to showcase the console’s capabilities and drive hardware sales. While specific numbers have not been publicly disclosed, analysts describe the situation as “very much not great,” suggesting sales have fallen well below projections. This represents a troubling trend for Sony’s first-party exclusive strategy, which has historically been a cornerstone of PlayStation’s market dominance.

The challenges facing both titles reflect broader shifts in the gaming industry. The live-service model, which Sony has aggressively pursued in recent years, has proven to be a double-edged sword. While successful live-service games like Fortnite and Genshin Impact generate billions in revenue, the market has become increasingly saturated, and players have limited time and money to invest in multiple ongoing games. Sony’s Concord, another live-service title, famously shut down mere weeks after launch in 2024, becoming one of the most high-profile failures in gaming history and resulting in the closure of its development studio, Firewalk.

Historical context reveals that Sony has enjoyed tremendous success with its single-player narrative experiences — titles like God of War, The Last of Us, and Spider-Man have consistently delivered both critical acclaim and commercial success. However, the company’s pivot toward live-service games has yielded mixed results at best. Industry experts suggest that Sony may need to reconsider the balance between its proven single-player formula and its live-service ambitions, particularly as development costs continue to rise and market competition intensifies.

Looking ahead, Marathon’s second season will serve as a crucial test case for the title’s viability. Live-service games often experience rocky launches but can recover through consistent updates, community engagement, and meaningful content additions. Games like No Man’s Sky and Final Fantasy XIV have demonstrated that redemption is possible, but it requires substantial investment and genuine responsiveness to player feedback. For Marathon, the coming months will determine whether Bungie can recapture the magic that made Destiny a cultural phenomenon or whether the title will become another cautionary tale in Sony’s evolving gaming strategy. The pressure is mounting, and both players and investors will be watching closely to see how these situations develop.