It’s official now: Hogwarts Legacy has surpassed the sales of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in 2023.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment president David Haddad confirmed in an exclusive interview with Variety that Hogwarts Legacy sold over 22 million copies last year, vaulting it past the two aforementioned games.
According to Nintendo’s most recent financial report, the sequel to 2017’s Breath of the Wild sold 20.28 million copies in its first year, including digital sales.
Hogwarts Legacy’s commercial success was reflected across various platforms, securing the top sales position on PlayStation and ranking second on Xbox platforms. On the Nintendo Switch, it placed fifth, which highlights the game’s broad appeal and the effectiveness of its multi-platform strategy. Meanwhile, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 claimed the title of the best-selling game in December, finishing the year as the third best-selling game. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 ended the year ranked seventh, maintaining Call of Duty’s status as the best-selling franchise in U.S. full game dollar sales for a record 15th consecutive year.
Hogwarts Legacy’s commercial performance did not directly correlate with critical acclaim during awards season, as it did not receive any nominations at Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards, despite its high Metacritic score of 84. The game was praised by players and critics alike for its immersive world and detailed attention to the Harry Potter universe, but it had several areas that needed improvement.
Fortunately, this success should pave the way for a much improved sequel if not additional content to expand on the established foundation.
For now, it appears that the plan is to go for the latter. The game’s developers, Avalanche Software, have teased future updates and features for Hogwarts Legacy to further enrich the gaming experience. This includes making previously PlayStation-exclusive content available on other platforms later in the summer, along with other unrevealed updates and features.
Critiques of the game have centered around a desire for more dynamic and detailed NPCs, a healthy dose of better written quests, and a more engaging living world. But it wouldn’t hurt for the developers to lean into the “slice-of-life” approach to the game if a sequel happens. In this particular scenario, players can fully immerse themselves in the lives and adventures of a Hogwarts student. After all, the world doesn’t always need saving.
While a sequel suspiciously remains unconfirmed, Warner Bros. plans to build on Hogwarts Legacy’s success with Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions and a new live-action adaptation of the original books that promises to approach the source material more faithfully.
