Hogwarts Legacy sales trounced predictions amid Rowling controversy


Hogwarts Legacy sales trounced predictions amid Rowling controversy Urtkot character

Despite the popularity of the Harry Potter series, publisher Warner Bros didn’t expect Hogwarts Legacy sales to be quite as high as they were. In its first two weeks of release, the Harry Potter-inspired open world RPG ended up selling more than 12 million copies, earning over $850 million.

Revealed by marketing lead at Warner Bros. Games Arian Darby on LinkedIn, Hogwarts Legacy sales were a staggering 256% higher than anticipated. If all signs are correct, this is likely to become a future major franchise for Warner Bros.

Amidst a rise in anti-trans violence, legislation, and sentiments across North America and Western Europe, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has faced intense scrutiny for expressing views that many critics argue are transphobic. Gamers had been trying to organise a boycott, in a pretty loose manner, which has not produced the hoped response.

Some gamers, despite sharing the criticism over Rowling's views on trans people, have not joined the boycott, while others - such as famed Twitch streamer Felix Lengyel, openly disagreed with the boycott, noting that people "fund all sorts of evil with their purchases across the board".

Other popular streamers that attempted to play the game online also saw heavy criticism. YouTuber and streamer Girlfriend Reviews was bullied on stream; a popular VTuber quit Twitch following numerous hate raids.

The inclusion of a trans character in the videogame has further complicated things, with some gamers noting that the character is indeed nothing more than a "token" as with other similar inclusions in the books.

Clearly, sales numbers this high, exceeding even the company's predictions and the biggest launch for Warner Bros Games yet, might mean that a sequel might be on the way. Or, perhaps more probable, a DLC. While no announcements of the sort have been made, as of yet, it is definitely probable to think news might come in the following months.

Following the success of Hogwarts Legacy sales, Warner Bros Games has revealed a new Potter game. A free-to-play multiplayer Quidditch game will release on modern consoles and PC, and it may be the reason why the sport was absent Legacy.

This is definitely not the last we will hear of Hogwarts Legacy and, also, of the controversy that will follow future iterations of the franchise.

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