Warner Bros. Games’s Biggest Global Launch: “Hogwarts Legacy” Is the Newest Beast in Gaming

by · February 24, 2023

Hogwarts Legacy has made waves (more like tidal waves) in the gaming community in its first two weeks post launch. After breaking records and outselling other significant video games, this single-player fantasy titan is still reaching impressive milestones.

According to a press release from Warner Bros. Games, Hogwarts Legacy has already sold over 12 million copies for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC consoles worldwide, totaling $850 million in sales. This makes Hogwarts Legacy Warner Bros. Games’s biggest global launch. Ever.

 

A screenshot of "Hogwarts Legacy" looking over the Hogwarts grounds.

 

Sale stats aside, the single-player open-world wizarding game has also set new records for other sites. Twitch, the popular streaming platform for gaming content creators, saw a massive spike in viewership as 1.28 million people tuned in to watch their favorite gamers stream Hogwarts Legacy at the time of launch, making it the biggest single-player game viewed on the site. Warner Bros. Games also reports a new record for player engagement. To date, players have accumulated 280 million hours on the game, with more sure to come.

As many gamers are probably aware by now, as soon as you start the game, it allows the option to connect your Wizarding World Digital account. This allows Hogwarts Legacy to grab information about the player, like their Hogwarts House and wand style preferences. Warner Bros. Games noted “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.”

 

A screenshot of "Hogwarts Legacy" as a character runs through Hogwarts castle.

 

President of Warner Bros. Games David Haddad commented on the renowned success of the game and his appreciation for the team responsible for its development.

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. 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.

 

A screenshot of "Hogwarts Legacy" as a character practices spell combinations.

 

Hogwarts Legacy has also accrued positive reviews as more players share their opinions of the game. Metacritic offered a score of 84 from critics and a user score of 9.0. A quick search for the game on Steam, the platform for purchasing the game for PC users, has shown “very positive” reviews, a rating that has been tallied from more than 110,000 player reviews to date.

It’s quite an astonishing feat for Warner Bros. Games, Avalanche Software, and Portkey Games. Hogwarts Legacy will be available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on April 4, while the Nintendo Switch version will be available on July 25.

What do you think of Hogwarts Legacy so far? Was it worth the long wait? Let us know. Happy gaming, players!

Press Release

HOGWARTS LEGACY IS BIGGEST GLOBAL LAUNCH EVER FOR WARNER BROS. GAMES
Over 12 [M]illion Units Sold and $850 [M]illion Sales Worldwide in First Two Weeks
Also Sets Record as the Biggest Single-Player Game Ever on Twitch
with 1.28 [M]illion Peak Concurrent Viewers at Launch

Burbank, Calif. – Feb. 23, 2023 - Warner Bros. Games’ Hogwarts Legacy, the critically acclaimed, open-world, action role-playing game (RPG), has sold more than 12 million units and $850 million in sales globally in its first two weeks of launch on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, which surpasses all of the company’s previous game launches. The game has exceeded sales records across the three platforms it is currently available on and broke records for streaming by becoming the biggest single-player game ever on Twitch, with 1.28 million peak concurrent viewers at launch.

Hogwarts Legacy is also breaking company records for player engagement, with 280 million hours played to date. Additionally, there has been an increase [in] 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.

“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,” said David Haddad, President, Warner Bros. Games. “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 was developed by Avalanche Software and published by Warner Bros. Games under the Portkey Games label and will also be available for PlayStation®4 and Xbox One on April 4 and Nintendo Switch™ on July 25.

Hogwarts Legacy introduces an original story first introduced in the Harry Potter books that puts players at the center of their own wizarding world adventure. Set in the 1800s, the game invites players to embark on an epic journey as a fifth-year student at Hogwarts, gifted with a rare ability to tap into ancient, powerful magic. Guided by the Wizard's Field Guide and unique instruction from professors and other characters, fans will uncover a compelling storyline [sic] filled with thrilling challenges and mysteries. The Hogwarts Legacy Deluxe Edition is available now for PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S for $79.99 (SRP) and PC for $69.99 (SRP) and will be available on April 4 for PlayStation®4 and Xbox One and July 25 for Nintendo Switch™ for $69.99 (SRP). The Deluxe Edition includes the Dark Arts Pack, which provides access to an exclusive wardrobe via the Dark Arts Cosmetic Set, a flying Thestral Mount players can ride, and access to the Dark Arts Battle Arena, where players can test their mastery of the Dark Arts against waves of challenging enemies.

The Hogwarts Legacy Standard Edition is available now for PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S for $69.99 (SRP) and PC for $59.99 (SRP) and will be available on April 4 for PlayStation®4 and Xbox One and July 25 for Nintendo Switch™ for $59.99 (SRP).

Join the Hogwarts Legacy conversation on Facebook (https://facebook.com/HogwartsLegacy), Twitter (https://twitter.com/HogwartsLegacy), Instagram (https://instagram.com/HogwartsLegacy) and YouTube (https://youtube.com/HogwartsLegacy). Website: http://www.hogwartslegacy.com