The gaming industry is never short of surprises, and this week has been no exception. Hogwarts Legacy, a game that’s been out for seven months, has flown back to the top spot on the UK Boxed Charts, ousting more recent titles from the limelight. Such a resurgence can be attributed to the game’s ongoing promotions, which have led to a staggering 214% sales hike on the Xbox Series X|S platforms, as per GamesIndustry.biz.
Previously reigning at number one, Starfield witnessed a significant drop, settling at the eighth position. This decrease was marked by an 87% decline in sales since its launch. In stark contrast, The Crew Motorfest, Ubisoft’s latest release, debuted at an impressive second spot. It’s interesting to note that the game’s precursor, The Crew 2, charted similarly upon its 2018 release.
Another title that made waves this week was Grand Theft Auto 5, which ascended from the eighth to the fifth position due to a price promotion for its PS4 version.
Hogwarts Legacy has reclaimed the top spot of the UK Boxed Charts this week, with a 214% spike in sales on Xbox Series X|S due to ongoing price promotionshttps://t.co/f3x5rw3L9k
— GamesIndustry (@GIBiz) September 20, 2023
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, despite experiencing a 29% sales drop, managed to counterbalance its decline with a 21% sales surge on Nintendo Switch. Fae Farm, a captivating indie game, held its ninth position, even after a 12% dip in sales. Meanwhile, Red Dead Redemption 2, leveraging price promotions for the Xbox One, re-entered the top ten list. However, NBA 2K24 faced a considerable drop, spiraling down to the thirteenth position with a 46% sales drop. Several titles, most notably Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, made a comeback on the charts due to price cuts.
Discounts also helped Hogwarts Legacy to top the UK sales chart. On the other hand, controversies and criticism was a characteristic of top-billing titles like NBA 2K24 and Starfield on its launch week. The latter, in particular, is one of the worst-reviewed games on Steam.
Ultimately, Hogwarts Legacy’s return to prominence proves it’s an excellent game that didn’t rely on the strength of the Wizarding World brand. The forthcoming festive seasons like Halloween and Christmas will further amplify its sales number. Its upcoming introduction on the Switch could help solidify it as one of this year’s most successful releases – a feat tantamount to magic.
As for Starfield, Microsoft continues to praise Bethesda Game Studios’ latest game. Its availability on Game Pass may have had a negative effect on its sales figures, but with 10 million players enjoying it, this is a compromise Microsoft is willing to make.
Can Hogwarts Legacy maintain its momentum? Or, will a different game surge next week on the Xbox? We’ll find out at this time next week.
Speaking of video game sales, did you know that you could’ve made thousands of dollars by investing in Electronic Arts instead of buying Madden NFL?
