Hogwarts Legacy had a bigger digital opening week than Elden Ring

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Harry Hotter.

Another day, another milestone in the resounding success of Hogwarts Legacy. According to GamesIndustry.biz’ Christopher Dring, the Wizarding Adventure’s opening week trumped last year’s big release, Elden Ring, topping the latter by a staggering 56% in digital sales across Europe.

True to its title, Hogwarts Legacy has quickly built a legacy of its own, also dominating Elden Ring on the physical sales front in the UK by an 80% margin. The game has proven to be a huge hit on streaming platforms, garnering lightning fast viewership on Twitch and concurrent players on Steam.

It was natural that such a significant intellectual property would make waves, although the sheer impact Avalanche Software’s open-world title has made may have surprised some. The controversial reputation of the wizarding world, once seen as vulnerable to widespread boycotts, actually seems to have turned out to be beneficial.

Elden Ring counted over 13 million units in its first five weeks, a number that is likely to topple Hogwarts Legacy at the same time. Due to the delayed release on various platforms, it will get an extra boost later in the year. PS4 and Xbox One users will join in the fun on April 4th, while Nintendo Switch enthusiasts have an even more excruciating wait until July 25th.

When all is said and done, the Harry Potter prequel will not only have defined 2023, but will likely fend off single-player competitors for years to come in terms of enthusiasm.