PlayStation 5 exclusive Saros has sold around 300,000 copies in its opening fortnight, generating over $22 million in revenue, according to analyst data.
Analytics firm Alinea Analytics called the debut "slow but interesting," albeit tagging it as a "niche game" that's currently only playable on Sony's console. It's selling "a little slower" than Sony-owned studio Housemarque's previous game, Returnal, Alinea Analytics added.
Analyst Rhys Elliott suggested that Returnal's stronger 2021 launch could be down to a smaller number of console-exclusive first-party games available at the time, suggesting it appealed to "early adopters" of the PS5 who "inherently buy a lot of new games at full price" and were "dying for something to play."
Saros, on the other hand, follows on the heels of Crimson Desert, Pragmata, and Resident Evil Requiem, leaving it fighting for space Returnal didn't have to compete with.
"It really is a shame, as Saros is a fantastic game and frankly deserves better numbers than this," Elliot said. "But 3D bullet-hell-type games, especially those with a $70+ price tag, are a tough sell in today’s market. Particularly without a big IP behind it, or a studio that’s recognised outside of the PlayStation hardcore."
It's not all bad news for Housemarque, though. The data suggests the people who have bought Saros are loving it and sticking with the game. "The DAU data is where things get a bit more encouraging," Elliott wrote. "Saros launched with around 43,000 daily players on its early-access day (29 April), then jumped to 83,000 on its full-launch day (30 April), and peaked at almost 142,000 on May 2. The post-launch curve has held up well, too, with DAUs settling into a 115-140,000 range across the first 10 days, only dipping below 100,000 once (May 11, at 96,000)."
Returnal is known for its difficulty, but Saros has auto-saves enabled and multiple save slots available, something Returnal did not have at launch. While Saros still poses a similar level of challenge in its action as its predecessor, it does come packed with some added kindness, with Housemarque taking feedback from Returnal on board when designing Saros.
“I think the lesson we learned from Returnal was that people really loved what we created, and we were going on the right track,” Saros’ creative director, Gregory Louden, told IGN ahead of the game's release. “But I think the feedback we did get is that more players wanted to love Returnal; they wanted to get further. So for us, it was about providing that ability. So it means we don't dilute the challenge; there's still a very challenging game there, but there is also the ability to kind of modify the challenge.”
The upshot, according to Elliot, is that Saros may struggle to break even, but as a PS5 exclusive there's more to consider. "Exclusives sell consoles, and then inertia from previous generations does the rest, and the real PlayStation money is made on third-party launches and legacy third-party live services," Elliot said. "Plenty of core PlayStation players have picked up Saros, which is the underlying job an exclusive is meant to do."
One of the question marks around Saros is whether it will eventually release on PC, as Returnal did. Sony is reportedly pulling back from PC to focus on PS5 exclusives again, and there's no indication Saros will leave the console. While this may boost PS5, it does mean Saros will miss out on generating revenue via Steam. In late April, former PlayStation exec Shuhei Yoshida suggested that Sony will struggle to recoup the huge budgets invested in its first-party games without porting them to PC. "Releasing games on PC after a couple of years must have helped recoup the investment of these big budget games and help[ed] the team and company to reinvest that money into their new games," Yoshida said. "So, from a business standpoint, I think it made sense for me.
"If they were releasing new AAA games day one on other platforms, I don’t think that’s a good strategy for [a] platform holder like PlayStation. I’m not seeing any proof of them changing their strategy this generation, but if they are changing its going to be interesting how they are able to maintain the investment on the big budget games on the first-party side going forward."
IGN's Saros review returned a 7/10. We said: "Saros tries at an interesting and ambitious story it isn't always able to effectively tell, but Housemarque has once again proved that its bullet-hell sensibilities mesh incredibly well with fluid and challenging action."
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
