Who would have thought that wizards and sorcery would beat the giants of Rockstar and COD? To its credit, the Harry Potter universe is one of the most popular franchises. It is popular not just in fantasy but also in movies and games. Hogwarts Legacy allowed every player to become a student and live out their wildest wizardry fantasies. This ability to make the protagonist look like you, plus the amazing world-building, sold millions.

In this article, we look into why and how it became the best selling game 2023. Plus, we discuss why it became the best Harry Potter Legacy game ever.

The Road to The Best

It isn’t easy to sell so much and break all records. It takes quality and capitalizing on an IP to succeed, but one wrong move can cause it to crumble.

Marred by Controversy

Before it was a massive hit, the game needed to be on the right track. Even if the developers were working hard on polishing the game for the final product, one single tweet could have destroyed its future.

The tweet was by JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books. In her tweet, she proclaimed that “men cannot change into women” made massive waves. Even though Rowling’s tweet might support that not anyone can say they are a woman and willy-nilly become one, people didn’t take it well.

The initial reviews were bombed hard by fans who were not taking her tweet well. But that didn't stand long, as the game still had substance. Even though she will profit from the game, it was a love child from the developers to the fans.

Hogwarts Legacy and Its Competitors

Only in December, 2 million copies got into the hands of excited fans, while the overall sales number was a whopping 22 million. The top three competitors best selling game 2023 were:

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
• Madden NFL 24
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

A CoD game was finally dethroned from the best-selling position, followed by a sports game. Spider-Man still made its mark because it was only released on PS5 and might have given HL the run for its money if it was released on other platforms. The only other game that pushed the Beasts out of the top position was previously Rock Band, another fan-favourite game.

But don't forget Fortnite, as it is still going strong every month and isn't backing down. It still has the most player engagement on the PS and Xbox platforms, which is still increasing. Being a free-to-play game says a lot about why it still is the most-played game every month.

More Harry Potter Legacy Games to Come

We are talking about a Legacy game, not just Harry Potter and Voldemort going against each other. Rightly so, because if we can take anything from Hogwarts Legacy, it is one thing that gamers want to be part of the Potterverse and not play as the famous bespectacled wizard. Warner Bros. has realized this demand, and most game series will follow this design where players can be part of the story now.

What’s So Special About Hogwarts Legacy?

If you are new to the scene and have yet to have the time to buy a copy yourself, here are a few things that make the game so special.

Become the Wizard That Changes the Course of Events

You are not playing as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley or Hermione Granger, but a totally new and fresh character. You can make the character any gender and even look as much like you as you want.

Your character will do everything as a student at the school of witchcraft and wizardry. You will take up new quests, find treasures, take classes, and battle monsters. The game will guide you to amazing magics, new spells and tons more to do around the school.

Everything you do will shape the game world, and you will be at the centre of it all.

A Fully Realized World

There were tons of Harry Potter games in the past, and even though many had a good sizable school in them, none comes close to HL. The world in the game is expansive, with tons to do and amazing creatures to see and explore every nook and cranny of the school.

Combat and Spells

Hogwarts Legacy is one of the best Potter games, and the combat is amazing and quite fluid. You learn many spells and upgrade them to do different things. The quality of combat mechanics and the inclusion of RPG elements take the game to a whole new level.

Adding your character and amazing world into the mix makes for a compelling adventure that is not just fun but very captivating.

A Great Team

Avalanche has recently worked on Mortal Combat 1 last year and brought the franchise back to its roots. With their experience and the realization of the source material, they knew what the game needed. They wanted to build something that the fans would love and enjoy. And that's what they did.

Even if it is an open-world RPG game at its core, the way it all came together is pure magic.

Final Words

Even though the game is built on the fantasy universe of Harry Potter books, it is no small feat to make a game about it and sell so well. Still, it wasn't hit right out the door. It took some twists and turns, a few mistakes here and there. But when the development and game team worked really hard and had the fun of the gamers at their heart, they pulled through.

The result was one of the most loved games of the franchise and the gaming industry.