“Hogwarts Legacy” has wingardium leviosa-ed Warner Bros. Games’ sales, earning $850 million in global sales and moving more than 12 million units in just its first two weeks post-launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, according to numbers released Thursday by the video game company.
That marks the biggest global launch ever for the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned brand, with the “Harry Potter” action role-playing game also setting the Twitch record for single-player games with 1.28 million peak concurrent viewers at launch.
As Variety previously reported, “Hogwarts Legacy” opened with stunning player engagement, topping 267 million hours played from launch on Feb. 10 through Feb. 21. On Thursday, Warner Bros. Games revealed the game had broken company records with 280 million hours played to date.
Per Warner Bros. Discovery, “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.”
“Hogwarts Legacy” sales figures were released by Warner Bros. Games just ahead of parent company Warner Bros. Discovery fourth-quarter earnings Thursday. During the Q4 earnings call, CEO David Zaslav touted the impressive returns and noted the media giant’s continued focus on Harry Potter, among its other popular IP, with plans to “take full advantage of these one-of-a-kind franchises.”
The game’s arrival and subsequent success has sparked heated debate within the “Harry Potter” fandom, which has become increasingly distraught as author J.K. Rowling continues to publicly express views offensive to transgender people. While Rowling didn’t participate creatively in the game, she benefits financially from its sales, prompting anxiety over whether playing it is tantamount to supporting anti-trans causes. The ongoing PR headache for Warner Bros. will likely only get more complicated as Rowling continues to address her controversial statements on the podcast “The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling,” which debuted Feb. 21.
Developed by Avalanche Software and published by Warner Bros. Games under its Portkey Games label, “Hogwarts Legacy” features 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 filled with thrilling challenges and mysteries.
“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,” David Haddad, president of Warner Bros. Games, 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.”
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 “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). are g
From Variety US
