Since its debut in February on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, Hogwarts Legacy, developed by Avalanche, has seen impressive sales. The game has consistently ranked as one of the best-selling games each month in the U.S. In a recent interview with Variety, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment president David Haddad revealed that Hogwarts Legacy has now exceeded 22 million sales, achieving this milestone in under a year.
In the interview, Haddad shared that the game reached the 22 million sales mark by the end of 2023, with a significant 2 million sales occurring in December alone. He highlighted that Hogwarts Legacy has become the top-selling game of the year globally, a distinction usually held by titles like Call of Duty or other major triple-A games.
In 2023, Hogwarts Legacy emerged as the most popular game-related search on Google. This surge in interest was likely driven by players looking for trailers, gameplay, and guides. However, it’s also possible that some of the searches were influenced by the controversial comments made by J.K. Rowling, the creator of the Harry Potter series, about the trans community. Warner Bros. Interactive has clarified that Rowling did not directly contribute to the development of Hogwarts Legacy by Avalanche, but since the game is based on her Harry Potter universe, she benefits financially from its success.
In a related note, Variety’s report includes insights from Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, shared during the company’s Q3 earnings call last November. Zaslav discussed the company’s gaming strategy, which involves evolving major franchises from traditional console and PC formats with 3-to-4-year release cycles to more dynamic models. This includes incorporating “always-on gameplay” through live services, multi-platform support, and free-to-play options. The goal is to engage more players across various platforms for extended periods.
David Haddad of Warner Bros. told Variety that achieving this vision involves launching live games with continual updates, maintaining vibrant mobile game services, and introducing significant new content. While Hogwarts Legacy is a single-player game without live-service or multiplayer features, it stands out as 2023’s best-selling game, according to its publisher.
Warner Bros. is poised to enter the live-service gaming arena with Rocksteady Studios’ upcoming release of the multiplayer third-person shooter, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, scheduled for February 2.
The full report in Variety provides more details on Hogwarts Legacy and Warner Bros.’s broader gaming strategies.
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