Hogwarts Legacy Sets Record as Largest Harry Potter Game Launch in History | UK Retail Charts

The launch of Hogwarts Legacy has been nothing short of phenomenal in the UK retail market, effortlessly claiming the top spot for the week, according to GfK data. This achievement marks the most successful launch of any Harry Potter game to date, with sales exceeding those of the previous bestseller, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, by 64%. Notably, even when compared to the highest sales week of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which occurred during its second week on the market due to the hype surrounding the film release, Hogwarts Legacy still managed to surpass it by 2%. This impressive result is all the more remarkable considering it only accounts for physical sales. Once digital downloads are factored in, which will be reported later in the week, the success of Hogwarts Legacy is expected to be even more pronounced. It's worth noting that Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone did not have digital sales in 2001, making the comparison even more favorable for Hogwarts Legacy. The Harry Potter franchise ranks as the 26th largest video game franchise in the UK, narrowly trailing the Forza series but ahead of The Legend of Zelda. In a comparison with last year's major fantasy release, Elden Ring, Hogwarts Legacy's first-week sales are a substantial 80% higher. The sales distribution for Hogwarts Legacy saw 82% attributed to the PS5, with the remaining 18% accounted for by the Xbox Series S and X. It is anticipated that digital sales will reduce the gap between these platforms, given Xbox's tendency to have a higher digital share, partly due to the popularity of the digital-only Xbox Series S. Expect Hogwarts Legacy to maintain a strong presence in the charts, especially with the upcoming releases of the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch versions over the coming months. Holding steady at No.2 is Sony's God of War Ragnarok, with a 10% increase in sales, likely bolstered by its inclusion in a popular PS5 hardware bundle. FIFA 23 dropped from No.1 to No.3 following a slight 3% decrease in sales week-over-week, while Mario Kart 8: Deluxe remained at No.4 despite a 10% decline in sales. This week saw pricing adjustments for several Nintendo Switch games, leading to significant jumps in the charts. Animal Crossing: New Horizons leaped seven places to No.5 after a 40% week-over-week sales increase. New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe jumped eight places to No.10, Mario Strikers: Battle League Football rose 25 places with a 197% sales surge, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury grew 68% and moved from No.27 to No.15, Mario Tennis Aces re-entered the chart at No.17 with sales up 182%, and Luigi's Mansion 3 reached No.20 with an 88% sales increase. Recent release Dead Space fell from No.3 to No.7 after a 52% drop in sales, and Spongebob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake plummeted from No.10 to No.34 in its second week, suffering a 60% sales decline.