Hogwarts Legacy is about to break a gaming record last set when we were playing Wii

For the last 15 years, the best-selling videogame of the year has either been an iteration of Call of Duty or on two occasions, claimed by Rockstar Games (GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2).

The last time, reports Comicbook Gaming, that a different title was a top-seller was back in 2008 when Wii Play outsold everything else.

This year, currently the best-selling game (via Gamespot) is WB Games and Avalanche Software’s iconic Hogwarts Legacy which was released back in February but has since benefitted from a Nintendo Switch release much later in the year.

At the start of the year Hogwarts Legacy was embroiled in controversy surrounding Harry Potter author JK Rowling and talk of a boycott was strong. 

There have not been any sales figures since the middle of the year when the number was at 15 million, but since then we have had the arrival of the Switch, PS4, and Xbox One versions.

In a year in gaming that has had such massive releases such as Baldur’s Gate 3, Diablo IV, and Starfield it will be quite the achievement for Hogwarts Legacy, should it manage to hold on to top spot.

Shunned at The Game Awards

In fact, while Baldur’s Gate 3 scooped the Game of the Year award, Hogwarts didn’t receive a single nomination in any category – much to the chagrin of its fans.

Hogwarts Legacy is as close as we have yet got when it comes to placing a player in the Harry Potter universe. It is charming, huge, and features solid storytelling and voice acting. It’s difficult to tell how much the Rowling controversy may have affected its standing in any nominations, but if sales figures are to go by, it seems the gaming public does not agree with Geoff Keighley’s annual trailer showcase.

There are still December’s figures to tot up, so the parity may yet be restored for Call of Duty, but with MW3 not being as warmly received as in previous years, unless there is a Confringo spell (look it up!) on sales of the shooter, the 15-year stretch could well be coming to an end.

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Paul McNally

Gaming Editor

Paul McNally has been around consoles and computers since his parents bought him a Mattel Intellivision in 1980. He has been a prominent games journalist since the 1990s, spending over a decade as editor of popular print-based video games and computer magazines, including a market-leading PlayStation title published by IDG Media. Having spent time as Head of Communications at a professional sports club and working for high-profile charities such as the National Literacy Trust, he returned as Managing Editor in charge of large US-based technology websites in 2020. Paul has written high-end gaming content for GamePro, Official Australian PlayStation Magazine, PlayStation Pro, Amiga Action, Mega Action, ST Action, GQ, Loaded, and the The Mirror. He has also hosted panels at retro-gaming conventions and can regularly be found guesting on gaming podcasts and Twitch shows. Believing that the reader deserves actually to enjoy what they are reading is a big part of Paul’s ethos when it comes to gaming journalism, elevating the sites he works on above the norm. Reach out on X at @Iampaulmcnally

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