Hogwarts Legacy Sets Record as Europe's Fastest-Selling Game in a Generation

Key Highlights - European game sales decline by 10% despite Hogwarts Legacy's massive success - The game's launch outperforms Red Dead Redemption 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - PS5 sales experience a five-fold increase over last February, while Xbox Series S and X see a 13% rise - Switch sales plummet by 28% across Europe, echoing a similar decline in the UK Hogwarts Legacy achieves the sixth-largest launch for a video game in the history of European charts, which spans six years. The only games that surpass it are FIFA titles, indicating that Hogwarts Legacy has had a more significant launch than every Call of Duty game released since 2017, as well as other notable hits like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Elden Ring. After just three weeks on the market, Hogwarts Legacy becomes the fifth best-selling game of the last 12 months, trailing behind FIFA 23, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Grand Theft Auto 5, and Elden Ring. Despite the immense success of Warner Bros' title, European game sales in February drop by 10% compared to the previous year, with 12.9 million games sold. The data, provided by GSD, encompasses physical game sales across major European markets, including the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and more. It also includes digital game sales from major publishers across all European markets. Detailed information can be found at the end of the article. The decline in game sales can be attributed to fewer releases in February compared to the previous year, which saw the launch of multiple big titles, including Elden Ring, Horizon: Forbidden West, Dying Light 2, and Total War: Warhammer 3. Additionally, Pokémon Legends: Arceus experienced strong second-month sales. Legacy titles also failed to perform as strongly this year, with GTA 5 sales down 35% compared to February 2021, and Mario Kart 8: Deluxe sales down 39%. However, Red Dead Redemption 2 is an exception, with sales increasing by 6% over the previous year. The next highest-charting new release is the war shooter Atomic Heart, which debuts at No. 9. Elsewhere, The Last of Us Part 2 and The Last of Us Remastered see a significant surge in sales, driven by the HBO TV series based on the games. Part 2 sales increase by 317% over February last year, while Remastered sales rise by 285%. Not all of February's major console and PC titles are included in this chart, as Nintendo is the only major AAA games publisher that doesn't share its digital data. As a result, its Metroid Prime Remastered game, which was surprise-launched on the Nintendo Eshop mid-month, is missing. Games from smaller publishers are also not included, which means the highly-anticipated survival game Sons of the Forest is absent. PS5 and Xbox Experience Stronger February Sales In terms of consoles, PS5 sees a massive spike in sales across Europe, with a five-fold increase over February last year. The start of last year was extremely slow for PS5 due to severe stock shortages worldwide. The hardware data from GSD covers multiple European markets but excludes two of the largest territories: the UK and Germany. The UK hardware report can be found here. PS5 comfortably leads as the best-selling console across tracked European markets, with sales more than double those of the Nintendo Switch in second place. Switch sales decline by 28% across Europe, mirroring a similar decline in the UK. Nintendo's next major push around Switch is scheduled for the second quarter of the year, with activities planned around the new Zelda game and Mario movie. Xbox Series S and X secure the No. 3 spot across Europe, with Microsoft witnessing a 13% sales increase compared to February last year. In the accessories sector, 1.27 million items are sold across European markets, representing a slight drop of 0.2%. The console market has boosted this area, with the PS5 DualSense controller continuing to see strong sales. In terms of points and wallet sales, 1.15 million cards are sold across Europe, marking an 8% year-over-year decline. * Digital data is currently unavailable. GSD digital data includes games from participating companies sold via Steam, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and Nintendo Eshop. Major participating companies include Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, Capcom, Codemasters, Electronic Arts, Embracer Group, Focus Entertainment, Konami, Marvellous Games, Microids, Microsoft, Milestone, Nacon, Paradox Interactive, Quantic Dream, Sega, Sony, Square Enix, Take-Two, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros. Notable absentees include Nintendo and 505 Games, alongside smaller studios. Digital data encompasses games sold in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. Physical data includes all games sold in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Console hardware sales cover Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Accessories sales cover the same markets, excluding Switzerland.