Summary
Hogwarts Legacyhas officially been crowned the best-selling new video game release of 2023, marking the first time that a non-Call of Dutyor Rockstar Games title has taken the spot since 2008.Hogwarts Legacyreleased to positive reviews and record-breaking sales last February, and many were predicting that it would be the top-selling game of the year well before it even hit store shelves.
To say that there was an incredible amount of hype forHogwarts Legacywould be an understatement. The concept of anopen world game set at Hogwartsis a “dream game” for many people, and theHarry PotterIP meant that it would appeal to more than just hardcore gamers. By appealing to both hardcore gamers and the more casualHarry Pottercrowd,Hogwarts Legacywas able to beatCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3to become the best-selling game of 2023.
This is according to data shared by Mat Piscatella, who revealed the top 10 best-selling video games of 2023.Hogwarts Legacywas followed byCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3,Madden NFL 24,Marvel’s Spider-Man 2,The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,Diablo 4,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2,Mortal Kombat 1,Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, andEA Sports FC 24. Since 2009, every year has been dominated byCall of Dutyor Rockstar. In fact,Call of Dutyhas been the best-selling gameevery single year except for 2013 when Rockstar releasedGrand Theft Auto 5and 2018 when Rockstar launchedRed Dead Redemption 2.
Best-Selling Games of 2023 List
BeyondHogwarts Legacy’s hype and the massiveHarry Potterfanbase it was able to appeal to, there are other reasons why the game managed to become the best-selling game of 2023. For one, it released early in the year, so it was on the market longer thanModern Warfare 3. Secondly,Hogwarts Legacywas available on the Nintendo Switch, whereasModern Warfare 3was restricted to PC, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles.
Hogwarts Legacyhad a staggered release schedule that likely helped boost its sales throughout the year. It initially launched for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X withPS4 and Xbox One portsreleasing a few months later.Hogwarts Legacythen made its way to the Nintendo Switch this past November, ensuring that the mega popular game was readily available on the third-best selling video game console ever just in time for the big holiday shopping season.
Hogwarts Legacywill likely continue to sell well in 2024, though it remains to be seen if it will be able to appear in the top 10 best-selling games of the year like how 2022’sModern Warfare 2made it for the 2023 list. In the meantime, fans can expect plentymoreHarry Pottergamesfrom WB in future.
