Tag: avalanche software

Hogwarts Legacy Sold Over 22 Million Copies in 2023, WB Claims; More Harry Potter Games in Development

Hogwarts Legacy, the RPG set within the Potterverse, sold over 22 million copies in 2023. Speaking to Variety, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment president David Haddad claimed that it was the best-selling game of the said year and that about 2 million of those sales were made during the Christmas holiday season, presumably owing to heavy discounts. Despite his statement, several developers in the industry, including Larian Studios (Baldur’s Gate 3) and Activision (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3) have yet to reveal the latest sales numbers; so, take the claims with a grain of salt.

“It brought Harry Potter to life in a new way for gamers where they could be themselves in this world, in this story,” Haddad said in the interview. “And that’s what the team at Avalanche set out to do when they were developing the game and I think that’s really why it resonated so well and remains the best-selling game of the year in the entire industry worldwide.” Going forward, WB will continue betting on well-established franchises and using its namesake to generate better sales. In fact, CEO David Zaslav touched upon this in November, with plans to heavily veer into a live service model that would transform the company’s biggest names into long-term products, dropping new content regularly and deep monetisation. This also includes free-to-play mobile games and MultiVersus, the fighting game featuring characters from WB properties, which is expected to undergo a full launch this year.

Launched in February 2023, Hogwarts Legacy got off to a great start, with players worldwide discovering secrets, while developer Avalanche enjoyed staggering sales, partly bolstered by the drama revolving around the boycott of author J.K. Rowling. Although the interest gradually decreased in the following months — the game failed to earn a single nomination at The Game Awards 2023 — WB still seems hellbent on expanding its Harry Potter portfolio with its Quidditch Champions game, which underwent a closed playtest last year. The magical sport was not included in Hogwarts Legacy, so it would be interesting to see how it plays out as a multiplayer entry. Could the company try to make it a live service affair? Only time will tell. Regardless, there are plans for more Harry Potter spin-off games.

So far, wizards around the world have brewed 819 million potions, harvested 1.3 billion magical plants, bested 4.9 billion dark wizards in combat, and rescued 593 million fantastical beasts in Hogwarts Legacy. As per Haddad, another key area of success was NetherRealm Studios’ latest fighting game Mortal Kombat 1, which he alluded to have garnered more players than any other entry in the fighter franchise in its ‘30-plus year history.’ Selling 3 million copies as of November, the fighting game featured some aggressive microtransactions — something gamers have always shown a dislike for. WB Games’ upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League also falls under the live service umbrella, causing longtime fans of developer Rocksteady to be sceptical of it.

Hogwarts Legacy is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and Nintendo Switch.

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Hogwarts Legacy PS4 and Xbox One Versions Delayed to May 5

Hogwarts Legacy’s PS4 and Xbox One versions have been delayed yet again. In a tweet, studio Avalanche Software confirmed that the versions of the open-world Harry Potter RPG for previous-gen consoles will now release on May 5, in an effort to deliver the “best possible experience on all platforms.” All versions were originally meant to launch on February 10, but these ports were delayed to April 4 last year and have now been postponed again. Currently, there is no word on any further delay for the Nintendo Switch version, which is likely still on track to release on July 25.

While Avalanche Software has not explicitly stated what the extra month of development time will be used for, we can assume that it is for better optimisation on the outdated specs of the PS4 and Xbox One. Since its launch, there have been multiple reports of microstutters and lighting glitches that cause Hogwarts Legacy on PC to get too dark or bright, on occasion. It is quite possible that such performance issues have also been affecting the experience on last-gen consoles in testing.

For what it’s worth, it’s nice that the developers aren’t giving up on these versions of Hogwarts Legacy yet, given that this seems to be an easy solution. Another WB Games-published title Gotham Knights comes to mind — the team outright cancelled previous-gen versions midway through development.

Late last month, publisher WB Games confirmed that Hogwarts Legacy sold 12 million copies in the two weeks since its release on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X. That figure makes it the biggest game launch for the company. Hogwarts Legacy has also dominated the Twitch charts, peaking at 1.28 million concurrent players and becoming the no.1 single-player game on the streaming platform. Its impact has been nothing short of surreal, and has even been seen on the Wizarding World website — the official destination for all Potterheads — which saw 300 percent higher traffic than usual in the early days of February, as per Warner Bros. Discovery. That being said, the developer has no stated plans to capitalise on the hype by releasing any DLC yet — besides patches — as it continues to work on the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch versions.

Set in the 1800s, long before the Chosen One was born, Hogwarts Legacy puts you in the shoes of a fifth-year witch/ wizard who possesses the rare ability to see and tap into ancient magic. While on the run from a hostile goblin, you must juggle between responsibilities — attending classes at the iconic magic-laden castle, exploring the dense Forbidden Forest, learning to make potions, and fighting Dark wizards and hostile creatures that cross your path. Quidditch has been cancelled for the year, as per lore, but you can still fly around the world on broomsticks.

Hogwarts Legacy on the PS4 and Xbox One is now set to release on May 5. The Switch version is currently on schedule for a July 25 launch.

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Hogwarts Legacy Sets Biggest Single-Player Game Record on Twitch With 1.28 Million Viewers

Hogwarts Legacy is completely dominating the Twitch charts with record-breaking numbers. In a tweet, developer Avalanche Software confirmed that their new open-world Harry Potter RPG hit a peak concurrent viewership of 1.28 million viewers on the live-streaming platform. The news broke amidst some streamer drama, where individuals completely boycotted the game, owing to its association with the original author J.K. Rowling. This milestone perches Hogwarts Legacy as the no. 1 single-player game on Twitch — during the launch period — surpassing the records set by Cyberpunk 2077 and 2022’s Game of the Year winner Elden Ring.

For now, Hogwarts Legacy is playable as part of a 72-hour early access, granted to those who pre-ordered the Deluxe Edition. (The global launch is set for later tonight.) The aforementioned numbers, alongside it being one of the most wishlisted titles on Steam, go to show how much hype and anticipation Hogwarts Legacy generated since its initial gameplay footage leaked in 2018. As per the performance metrics website Gamesight (via Kotaku), the multiplayer FPS title Valorant currently stands in the first position with a peak viewership of 1.7 million on Twitch, during its launch period. Part of it was fueled by a Riot Games campaign, which granted viewers early access to the game, in exchange for watching participating streamers.

Hogwarts Legacy Early Impressions: A Worthy Return to the Wizarding World

Hogwarts Legacy, while positioned third on that chart, comes out on top, generating the most traffic for a single-player game launch. Cyberpunk 2077 falls right behind, reaching a peak concurrent viewership of 1.14 million, despite the technical and performance issues plaguing the game at launch. Earlier this week, Félix “xQc” Lengyel, one of the biggest streamers on Twitch, streamed Hogwarts Legacy to over 108,000 live viewers.

As per data tracking site SteamDB, Hogwarts Legacy amassed 489,139 concurrent players — marking one of the biggest early access launches on the platform. Games analyst Benji-Sales tweeted that the figure represents the second-highest player peak in history, for any paid, single-player-only game. With these numbers, Hogwarts Legacy has dethroned 2015’s Fallout 4 (472,962 peak active players) and stands behind Cyberpunk 2077, which broke the 1 million mark. Technically, the second place goes to Elden Ring, but it has a multiplayer PvP and summoning element to it — essentially removing it from the race. For what it’s worth, the GOTY winner had an all-time peak of 953,426 concurrent players.

Despite gaining good traction, some streamers on Twitch have been going through a hard time trying to broadcast it. Harry Potter author Rowling’s highly-controversial comments against the transgender community inspired backlash from the LGBTQ+ community — some of which seeped into Hogwarts Legacy, as launch time neared. While the developer affirmed on its FAQ page that Rowling was not involved in the creation of the game, some fans are boycotting it in protest, as the author still stands to earn royalties from the enchanting universe she created. A vocal minority of the group took to Twitch, as a means to berate streamers who chose to play Hogwarts Legacy. Sam Gibbs, a web developer, even created a watchdog website — now offline — that monitored whether a particular Twitch streamer played “THAT wizard game.”

Hogwarts Legacy launches tonight at 12am IST (midnight), across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X. The old-gen PS4 and Xbox One versions are set for an April 4 release, while the Nintendo Switch version drops July 25.

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Hogwarts Legacy PC System Requirements Announced Ahead of Release

Hogwarts Legacy developer Avalanche Software has dropped PC system requirements for the game ahead of its February 10 release. While the specifications aren’t as demanding as Gotham Knights, the studio highly recommends that you install the game, which takes up 85GB of storage space, on an SSD. There’s also a mild inconsistency with regard to the memory (RAM) required to run the game. Even when paired with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 graphics card, Hogwarts Legacy on PC demands a minimum of 16GB of RAM to run at the lowest setting — at 720p resolution and 30fps framerate.

A spec sheet for Medium settings isn’t explicitly mentioned, but the jump to an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti card for High-quality presets suggests that rigs packing something around a GTX 1060 should run Hogwarts Legacy just fine. The card also happens to be one of the most popular graphics cards, as per Steam’s Hardware Survey. Furthermore, Hogwarts Legacy will be relying on Denuvo’s anti-piracy measure — like other WB Games titles — which has earned a reputation for crippling game performance on PC. Gotham Knights, a recent WB Games title, suffered from heavy performance issues at launch, where the developers were forced to briefly remove the DRM protection to resolve it. Unfortunately, this led to pirates creating multiple free copies of the title.

Hogwarts Legacy PC system requirements

Hogwarts Legacy’s PC specs list comes directly from the developer, with a Windows 10 64-bit operating system and 85GB of available storage space being a common requirement.

Hogwarts Legacy ‘minimum’ PC requirements

  • Processor (CPU): Intel Core i5-6600 or AMD Ryzen 5 1400
  • Graphics (GPU): Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 or AMD Radeon RX 470
  • RAM: 16GB
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Resolution: 1,280 x 720 at 30fps, at Low Quality settings

Hogwarts Legacy ‘recommended/ high’ PC requirements

  • Processor (CPU): Intel Core i7-8700 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600
  • Graphics (GPU): Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT or Intel Arc A770
  • RAM: 16GB
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Resolution: 1,920 x 1,080 at 60fps, at High Quality settings

Hogwarts Legacy ‘ultra’ PC requirements

  • Processor (CPU): Intel Core i7-10700K or AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
  • Graphics (GPU): Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
  • RAM: 32GB
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Resolution: 2,560 x 1,440 at 60fps, at Ultra Quality settings

Hogwarts Legacy ‘ultra 4K’ PC requirements

  • Processor (CPU): Intel Core i7-10700K or AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
  • Graphics (GPU): Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT
  • RAM: 32GB
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Resolution: 4K at 60fps, at Ultra Quality settings

Set in the 1800s, Hogwarts Legacy has you create your own custom witch or wizard and play through an immersive RPG, as you learn spells, battle dark wizards, and explore familiar locales such as the dense Forbidden Forest. Players will be able to hone their skills in herbology, potions, and other fields, and upgrade their talents to become the ultimate wizard. Earlier this week, its studio announced the voice cast lineup, which includes the likes of Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz) as Hogwarts Headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black, ancestor of Sirius Black. Lesley Nicol of Downton Abbey fame was also cast as Professor Matilda Weasley, the Deputy Headmistress.

Hogwarts Legacy comes out February 10 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X. Last-gen version on PS4 and Xbox One has been delayed to April 4, while Nintendo Switch owners will have to wait until July 25.

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Hogwarts Legacy Gameplay Trailer: Avalanche Software to Reveal Showcase Tonight at 11:25pm IST

Hogwarts Legacy is getting a gameplay showcase trailer tonight. Developer Avalanche Software has scheduled a YouTube premiere for 11:25pm IST/ 10am PT, promising a brand-new tour of the Hogwarts castle, alongside a deep dive into the character creation system, combat, and a first look at the general UI. The showcase will also be hosted on the official Avalanche Software Twitch channel, presented by community guest host “XpectoGo.” Originally set for a 2021 launch, Hogwarts Legacy underwent multiple delays before settling for a February 10, 2023 release date. It will be out on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.

The last time we saw a Hogwarts Legacy showcase was during PlayStation’s September State of Play event, highlighting a console-exclusive quest, based on a shop set in the Hogsmeade village. The storyline will be available on the PS4 and PS5 versions, and adds a dungeon, a shopkeeper’s cosmetic set, and the aforementioned Hogsmeade shop. The premise follows an eerie Madame Mason, eager to sell her store to the player character, at an irresistible offer. But, there’s something amiss about her desire to sell, as the abode comes packaged with a creepy basement that leads to neverending hallways and living statues that hunt you down. In a blog post, Sony confirmed that finishing the quest rewards you with the shop in question, where you can “sell items and gear at rates better than anywhere else in-game.”

Later that same month, Avalanche Software quietly updated the FAQ section for Hogwarts Legacy, noting that the Quidditch sport will not be playable in the game. That said, broom traversal will be included, allowing players to take flight and explore the far ends of the magic-laden castle. A Quidditch pitch was included in an earlier trailer for the game, featuring what appeared to be the player character donned in the appropriate gear. While the developers have not confirmed a reason for this change, perhaps we would still be able to watch AI matches from the house Grandstands. At this point, we cannot be sure. Other modes of airborne traversal include magical beasts — hippogriffs and dragons — which can be tamed and ridden upon in Hogwarts Legacy.

Set in the 1800s, long before the Chosen One — Harry Potter — was born let alone stepped foot at the wizarding school, Hogwarts Legacy is an immersive open-world RPG that lets you create custom witches and wizards, and embark on a whimsical journey through the mystical castle and the surrounding, dense Forbidden Forest. You’re presented with a deep set of upgrades and talents to aid in progression, whilst taking lessons to hone your skills in Herbology, Potions, Charms, and more. Last month, the Hogwarts Legacy Twitter handle dropped details on its Imperio curse, which canonically grants the spell-caster total control over their subject. In the game, however, the curse will temporarily force enemies to fight alongside you as allies. While under the spell’s control, they take reduced damage, whereas, once it has lifted, you’ll be able to eliminate them quickly, thanks to a debuff.

Hogwarts Legacy launches on February 10, 2023, across all major platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X. A Nintendo Switch version is also in development, but there are no release details for the same.

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