Hogwarts Legacy has grossed $1 billion

Warner Bros. game Hogwarts Legacy is one of the highest-grossing games of 2023. The game has been confirmed to have sold 15 million copies and grossed over $1 billion.

But although it was expected with hype, there was also criticism and boycott attempts from the community. With mostly positive reviews, the game was praised for the detailed, beautiful design of its world and castle, but also griped about its lagging main quest. In any case, the game was a huge commercial success.

A blockbuster

Despite the online controversy and boycott attempt, Hogwarts Legacy has proven to be a huge hit with Harry Potter fans and gamers who haven’t seen the series before. At the end of February 2023, the title had already sold 12 million copies in just two weeks and also had many viewers on Twitch.

In a recent conference call, Warner Bros. updated those numbers, and CEO David Zaslav confirmed that the game has surpassed 15 million in sales. The game’s success has meant that it has already grossed over $1 billion in less than half a year.

Over time we’ll see how many times the game will sell. Apparently, there is already a new DLC in the works and if the game is also available for the last-generation consoles, the sales numbers are likely to increase even further.

JK Rowling’s controversies

The main reason for boycotting Hogwarts Legacy prior to its release was its association with JK Rowling. The author of the popular saga has been accused of being transphobic on several occasions throughout the years.

Most notably, Blame the Boycott in an essay she published on June 10, 2020, in which she “listed five reasons why she’s concerned about the new trans activism.”

A veritable war has erupted on social media between people who want to play the game but don’t automatically approve of what the author says and the online moral knights who have accused every harmless gamer of being transphobic.

The whole thing even went so far that the famous German YouTuber and streamer Erik “Gronkh” Range received death threats because he said in a stream that he didn’t care about the author and that he would play Hogwarts Legacy.