Hogwarts Legacy
GameBy Avalanche Software · Released Feb 10, 2023
Documents about Hogwarts Legacy
Hogwarts Legacy Sold 22 Million Copies, Quidditch Game Coming
Hogwarts Legacy established itself as a dominant force in the 2023 gaming landscape, achieving a significant commercial milestone with 22 million units sold.
- Hogwarts Legacy sold 22 million copies by the end of 2023, with 2 million units sold during the December holiday season, making it the top-selling game of the year.
- Players spent 707 million hours playing Hogwarts Legacy since its launch on February 10, with many replaying the game to experience different Hogwarts houses.
- Warner Bros. Discovery Games plans to expand its franchise strategy beyond traditional console and PC releases to include more 'always-on' gameplay through live services, multi-platform, and free-to-play extensions.
Top-Grossing and Best-Selling New Game Releases of 2023
This analysis provides an overview of the top-performing video game releases of 2023 across major platforms, including Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III led unit sales on both PlayStation and Xbox, while also generating the highest total revenue on Steam.
- Sons of the Forest outperformed major AAA titles like Hogwarts Legacy and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III to become the best-selling new release by unit volume on Steam.
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom secured the top position for digital unit sales on the Nintendo Switch.
Newzoo Global Games Market Forecast 2023
The global games market experienced a modest recovery in 2023, reaching $184 billion in revenue, a 0.6% increase year-over-year.
- The global games market reached $184 billion in 2023, representing a modest 0.6% year-over-year recovery following the industry's first decline in 15 years during 2022.
- Global gaming revenue is projected to grow to $205.7 billion by 2026, though the industry remains in a period of cautious recalibration and operational efficiency.
- Market performance in 2023 was split between high-performing new releases like Hogwarts Legacy, Diablo IV, and Baldur’s Gate 3, and long-standing live-service titles like Fortnite that dominate monthly active user rankings.
What Were the Top New PC & Console Games of 2023?
This analysis identifies the top-performing new video game releases of 2023 across major PC and console platforms, including Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.
- Steam's market shows a clear bifurcation where independent titles like Sons Of The Forest lead in unit sales, while high-priced AAA releases like Hogwarts Legacy capture the majority of gross revenue.
- Console markets on PlayStation and Xbox remain heavily reliant on established intellectual properties and sequels, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, EA Sports FC 24, and Spider-Man 2 serving as the primary revenue drivers.
- Consumer behavior differs significantly by platform, as Steam players demonstrate a high appetite for mid-priced indie games, whereas console users prioritize premium AAA experiences or subscription-based access.
Starfield Takes Over Steam Charts
The primary purpose of this analysis is to document the commercial performance of the video game Starfield during its early access period on the Steam platform.
- Starfield topped the Steam weekly revenue chart for the period of August 29 to September 5, 2023, during its early access phase.
- The game’s revenue-based ranking was driven by strong sales of its Premium edition, allowing it to outperform established titles like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Baldur’s Gate 3.
- Starfield reached a peak of 248,632 concurrent users on Steam, marking the fifth-largest release of 2023 at the time of the report.
Which Games Got Most Steam Hyped for the Rest of 2023?
Anticipation for the remainder of 2023 on Steam is dominated by a mix of high-budget sequels and viral multiplayer titles.
- Starfield, Payday 3, and Party Animals are the most anticipated upcoming Steam releases for the remainder of 2023, based on a proprietary Hype score derived from over 16,000 unreleased titles.
- Sea of Stars and Payday 3 are demonstrating the highest wishlist velocity, indicating stronger pre-launch momentum than games relying solely on follower counts.
- Market trends show a divergence where AAA action titles like Lies of P and Lords of the Fallen are positioned for PC and console crossover, while simulation and roguelite games like Cities: Skylines II and Endless Dungeon remain PC-centric.
BattleBit Remastered: A 254-Player Indie Shooter Win?
BattleBit Remastered has emerged as a significant breakout success in the competitive multiplayer shooter market.
- BattleBit Remastered, a three-person indie project, achieved over 31,000 concurrent users in its first week by successfully supporting 254-player matches.
- Diablo IV continues to lead console sales on PlayStation and Xbox as of June 2023, maintaining top-grossing status alongside evergreen titles like Street Fighter 6 and Hogwarts Legacy.
- The success of BattleBit Remastered is attributed to a $15–$33 price point and strong pre-release community engagement, though long-term viability faces challenges from high server costs.
Top 10 Games by First Week Hours Watched: May 2022–2023
Live streaming performance for major video game releases between May 2022 and May 2023 demonstrates a clear dominance of established franchises.
- Overwatch 2 was the most-watched gaming debut in live streaming over the past year, reaching the #3 spot in its first week and attracting 249,000 unique streaming channels.
- Sequels dominate top-performing debuts, with sequel titles generating an average of 30 million more hours watched during their launch week compared to their prequels' performance the week prior.
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom generated over 26.6 million hours watched in its first week, ranking as the 9th most-watched video game debut in live streaming history.
Plus: Outlast Trials, Starship Troopers FPS Go Out Big on Steam!
The analysis of recent video game market performance reveals a strong preference for cooperative multiplayer experiences and established horror franchises.
- Cooperative multiplayer and established horror franchises are currently outperforming, with The Outlast Trials reaching 25,000 peak concurrent users (CCU) and Starship Troopers: Extermination hitting 13,000 CCU.
- High-priced titles featuring aggressive monetization models face immediate market resistance, evidenced by LEGO 2K Drive’s modest 1,000 CCU debut due to its $60 price point combined with microtransactions.
- The console market remains dominated by a small group of blockbuster titles, specifically Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, MLB The Show 23, and Hogwarts Legacy, which continue to capture the majority of top-grossing positions.
Jedi: Survivor and Dead Island 2 Top April Sales Charts: Circana April 2023
The April 2023 U.S. video game market analysis, provided by Circana, highlights the performance of new software releases against a backdrop of overall industry contraction.
- The US video game market experienced a 5% decline in total dollar sales in April 2023 compared to April 2022, reaching $4.123 billion.
- Video game content spending (physical, digital, DLC/MTX, subscriptions across all platforms) decreased by 6% year-over-year in April 2023 to $3.598 billion, with only non-mobile subscription content seeing a 2% increase.
- Video game hardware sales rose by 7% in April 2023 to $367 million, marking the highest April hardware spend since April 2020, driven by double-digit growth in PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch sales.
Plus: How Pre-orders Affect Your Launch Splash
This analysis explores the relationship between pre-order volume and launch day performance metrics on Steam, specifically focusing on how high pre-release engagement can skew traditional sales estimation models.
- High pre-order volume front-loads player activity, causing launch day concurrent user (CCU) counts to disproportionately inflate relative to total sales.
- For games with significant pre-order incentives and hardcore fanbases, the multiplier for estimating week-one sales from peak CCU should be adjusted downward to 7x–10x.
- Standard game launches without heavy pre-order bias typically follow a 20x–40x multiplier when estimating week-one sales from peak CCU.
Hogwarts Legacy Hits $1 Billion in Retail Sales: Nearly 10% of WB Discovery’s Quarterly Revenue
The financial performance of Hogwarts Legacy, developed by Avalanche Software, represents a significant milestone for Warner Bros. Discovery.
- Hogwarts Legacy generated over $1 billion in retail sales by March 31, 2023, following its February launch.
- The title accounted for approximately 9.3% of Warner Bros. Discovery’s $10.7 billion total revenue in Q1 2023.
- The game reached 15 million units sold globally within its first few months of release.