Hogwarts Legacy’s huge sales are looking good for a sequel
It looks like the "legacy" of Hogwarts Legacy will live on, as the numbers speak for themselves and Avalanche Software's magical adventure massively beat expectations. While some of us thought we'd never see this foray into the Wizarding World release, Hogwarts Legacy is already one of 2023's biggest games.
Despite controversy surrounding author J.K. Rowling and the fact we've not got the title's last-gen or Nintendo Switch ports, Hogwarts Legacy has absolutely smashed its expected sales. There's already been the buzz of a potential sequel, and now, we'd be surprised if Warner Bros. didn't wave its wand.
Disclaimer: While the creator of the Harry Potter franchise was not directly involved in the creation of Hogwarts Legacy, their comments on social media around transgender people are hurtful and dangerous given the size of their platform.
We’d implore you to read our explainer of the controversy so far, and consider supporting trans rights charities where possible.
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How well did Hogwarts Legacy sell?
According to Warner Bros. Games' Senior Brand and Marketing Manger, Hogwarts Legaxy smashed expectations by 256%. Posting on LinkedIn, Arien Darby hyped that Hogwarts Legacy achieved a "256 percent to plan sell-thru at launch and exceeded 12 million units in sales in first two weeks earning $850M+."
He goes on to mention how the game's 1.3 million viewers on Twitch broke the platform's all-time record for concurrent viewers. As FIFA has been rebranded as EA Sports FC and the status of a mainline Call of Duty game releasing in 2023 remains up in the air, Hogwarts Legacy has a chance to be this year's biggest game.
There's some stiff competition from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, while Bethesda is hoping the long-awaited Starfield will be another chart-topping smash. Still, Hogwarts Legacy got in there early and is off to a flying start.
To put this into context, GamesIndustry.biz recently referred to Hogwarts Legacy as the "savior" of the UK gaming scene and how it's already outsold 2022 juggernauts including LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and Elden Ring. In the US, Hogwarts Legacy is also 2023's best-selling game.
What's been said about a Hogwarts Legacy sequel?
Click to enlargeSelling 12 million in just two weeks is a jaw-dropping sales total, meaning a Hogwarts Legacy sequel is looking more likely by the day. In February, WB Games President David Haddad referred to the IP as a franchise and set tongues wagging about multiple sequels.
As you can imagine, the team is still busy trying to get out the other ports and fix the slew of glitches that left Hogwarts Legacy as a sometimes buggy mess at launch. Avalanche has also downplayed rumours of a DLC, so a sequel is likely a million miles away...if it's even on the way.
In the meantime, there's a separate Quidditch game to fly into. It's easy to conjure up the idea of a trilogy of Hogwarts Legacy games that end with the introduction of Dumbledore, but for the time being, WB is sitting pretty on a pile of Galleons and is refusing to reveal what's next for the Wizarding World.