Less than two weeks removed from its release, Hogwarts Legacy has eclipsed $850 million in global sales and moved more than 12 million units, Warner Bros. Games announced today. The Harry Potter-themed title also became the biggest single-player game ever on Twitch with 1.28 million peak concurrent viewers at launch, the developer reports.
The industry-rocking milestones were announced in a press release today, with Warner Bros. Games president David Haddad confirming Hogwarts Legacy to be the company’s largest game launch to date.
“We are so thrilled and proud to see the player response to Hogwarts Legacy from gamers, fans who are new to gaming and reviewers around the world,” Haddad said. “Our development team at Avalanche delivered an amazing, high-quality Wizarding World experience that truly fulfills the fan fantasy of life at Hogwarts and our publishing teams have executed a globally impactful launch campaign.”
Hogwarts Legacy has also set company records for player engagement with 280 million hours played so far, according to Warner Bros. Games.
“Additionally, there has been an increase of global franchise fan engagement overall with Wizarding World Digital garnering 300% higher traffic over the normal monthly unique visitor average for the first 10 days of February,” the press release reads.
Published under the Portkey Games label, Hogwarts Legacy is the first non-Disney game developed by Avalanche Software since 25 to Life (2006).
Hogwarts Legacy was officially revealed in September 2020 before being delayed from a 2021 release to 2022 and from a holiday 2022 release to its eventual February 2023 launch.
Since its initial announcement, Hogwarts Legacy has been subject to controversy due to Harry Potter universe creator J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans rights views. Although Rowling wasn’t involved in the development of the game, content creators, fans, and other entities have refrained from playing the title due to the money she earns from its sales and revenue.
Set in the 1800s, the open-world, single-player action RPG’s events take place in an original story before the time period of Rowling’s works. Players are able to create their own fifth-year student, choose their house at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and uncover hidden truths.
Available now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, Hogwarts Legacy is still set to release later this year for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on April 4, and Nintendo Switch on July 25.
Published: Feb 23, 2023 06:15 pm