Was Hogwarts Legacy really the biggest game of 2023? In the U.S., at least, it apparently was. It’s a condemnation of the American games industry as a whole, and a sign that consumers really didn’t care about trans players’ feelings around the Harry Potter game.
New data shared by consumer analyst Circana reveals that the game was the best-selling video game of all of 2023, at least in terms of dollar sales. For some added context, Hogwarts Legacy launched on February 10, 2023 for PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S. The game had a PlayStation 4 and Xbox One release several months later in May, followed by its Nintendo Switch debut in November.
Created by Avalanche Software in conjunction with Warner Bros. Games, it was met with swift controversy when it launched due to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s transphobic history. Despite this, the game promised an immersive ARPG setting that expanded the Harry Potter universe’s lore into the 19th century. Finally, fans could live out their dreams of attending Hogwarts as a real wizard or witch. That allure proved too tempting to resist, leading many gamers to spend their hard-earned cash on the game, per Circana’s data.
Was Hogwarts Legacy really that popular in 2023?
According to data shared by Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, Hogwarts Legacy was the 2023’s best-selling game across U.S. physical and digital purchases on PlayStation, Steam, Xbox, and the Nintendo eShop. With data based on dollar amounts, Hogwarts Legacy led against Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 at second place, Madden NFL 24 at third, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 at fourth.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom hit fifth place, although digital sales were not factored into Circana’s data. Theoretically, that means Tears of the Kingdom might have sold more than Hogwarts Legacy. Granted, it’s worth keeping in mind that Hogwarts Legacy had a much higher audience reach due to its availability on multiple consoles. Additionally, per Google Trends, Hogwarts saw a higher peak for Google search queries than Zelda. In other words, it’s totally plausible that Hogwarts Legacy still remained the number one game of the year, even with Tears of the Kingdom’s digital sales factored in.
Hogwarts Legacy topped Google as the most searched game of 2023 in the U.S., and in terms of revenue, it was the second most popular Steam game for 2023—beaten only by Baldur’s Gate 3 (no surprise there). Screen Rant was quick to note Hogwarts Legacy’s success in December 2023, pointing out that the ARPG surpassed Call of Duty as the best-selling game of 2023, unseating CoD for the first time in five years.
Hogwarts Legacy: a depressing tale for trans gamers
Yes, Hogwarts Legacy was the biggest game of 2023. Which is quite depressing. Trans gamers asked their fellow players to avoid playing the game last February, noting that Hogwarts Legacy would sanitize J.K. Rowling’s image, further increase the cultural power her IP has in the world, and embolden bigots who purposefully purchased the game to show their support for Rowling—all while the Harry Potter creator continues to spout transphobic drivel on her Twitter account. Meanwhile, others alleged the game had a serious problem with antisemitic tropes, while controversy stirred around the game’s seemingly shoehorned trans character.
All this criticism and more, however, did little to stem the nostalgia for the Harry Potter series. I remember playing a Valorant match in February 2023, and after a player asked if I was trans, she requested my permission to purchase Hogwarts Legacy—you know, despite all the controversy around J.K. Rowling. In her eyes, it was just a game. When I politely dismissed the question to avoid transphobic harassment, saying I didn’t really care what she did with her money, she was pleased with my response—more or less calling me “one of the good ones.”
I suspect most gamers feel the same way as that random Valorant girl. It’s, after all, easy for a cis person to excuse what they do with their money. It doesn’t really matter. It’s just a toy! Some trans people just have too much free time on their hands to complain! Say what you want, Hogwarts Legacy fans, but your support for the game is damning: a clear sign that people won’t listen to trans gamers’ boycott requests if the product in question is too alluring to avoid.
(featured image: Warner Bros. Games)
