You couldn't avoid the controversy around Hogwarts Legacy. Even if you think the debate was without merit, whatever your opinion of JK Rowling, there's no doubt that everything surrounding the game was toxic. There were pledges to boycott the game, but mass game boycotts have never worked. There was a whole host of other nonsense, such as sites, and writers of sites, claiming a moral high ground when they were happy to review Ubisoft or Activision-Blizzard games during the height of the abuse, sexual harassment and even rape allegations); it was unmissable.
Only it never really mattered a great deal. You can be transphobic or a supporter of trans rights; the writing was on the wall from the beginning. No matter the controversy, Harry Potter is a towering IP that will rake in cash. The issues and constant talk around it about JK Rowling (who had next to nothing to do with the game) only increased its exposure, likely increasing sales. What sales they were.
For the first two weeks, Hogwarts Legacy has sold 12 million units in its first two weeks, bringing in $850 million for Warner Bros. Games. On top of this, Hogwarts Legacy has set the record as the biggest single-player game ever on Twitch, with a staggering 1.28 million peak concurrent viewers at launch. Add onto this the news we posted earlier, showing that people have played it for over 30,000 years. David Haddad, president of Warner Bros. Games, is right to see a bright future.
Of course, the most important thing to the people playing the game is if it's good. I would argue that it is good. Indeed, I did argue that it's good in my very own review on the site, which you can read here. As for the summary of my review, take a look below:
Hogwarts Legacy is, for better or worse, an entertaining and engaging game. By far the best digital version of the wizarding world, it offers a vast swathe of things to do. Even the more mundane elements (bandit camps!) are improved by a robust combat system that genuinely makes you feel like you're a part of the Harry Potter universe.
One can only hope that they improve and expand on Hogwarts Legacy. I admit I would like to see some DLC, and I can't help but imagine a sequel is already in the planning stages. Will we eventually see some Quidditch? Let's wait and see. We also know that this game alone has seen an uptake across the "wizarding world" franchise, so it only makes sense for WB to ride the high.
About the author: Chris Wray has been writing at Wccftech gaming section since 2015 and is an opinionated bloke from the north of the UK (think Ned Stark). He enjoys video games, films, books, beer, whisky and other alcohol. He also supports Manchester Utd and for some reason he writes profile pages in the third person. His expertise is in gaming and the games industry, primarily on the PC. In addition to this, he works with and contributes to the finance and tech sections.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
