According to current player numbers, Hogwarts Legacy appears to be the biggest launch for WB Games on Steam to date. Although the much-anticipated game isn't hitting stores until February 10, fans can get early access via the Deluxe Edition of Hogwarts Legacy. With only a couple of days left for its release, the latest figures for Steam suggest that the title may be set for a massive launch.
The excitement around an open-world RPG in the Harry Potter universe was bound to generate excitement among fans. During the week ending January 29, Hogwarts Legacy already became the second best-selling Steam title. Now, as early access leads into the worldwide release on February 10, Avalanche Software's project is seemingly turning into a massive hit.
As per SteamDB data, the number of Hogwarts Legacy players on Steam has peaked at a whopping 489,139 which marks the biggest title for WB Games on the platform. This is more than twice the peak player count on Multiversus which sits in second place with 153,433. At the time of writing, Avalanche's title is also the seventh most played single-player on Steam, though that number could go higher in the coming days. It's worth noting that Hogwarts Legacy is currently in early access exclusively with the $70 Deluxe Edition. This means that the game has already generated over $33.5 million in Deluxe Edition sales alone.
Of course, news of the game's reception may not come as a surprise considering Hogwarts Legacy broke the Twitch record for the most-watched single-player game at 1.3 million viewers. The previous record holder on the platform was Cyberpunk 2077 which gained 1.14 million viewers back in 2020. In any case, it should be reiterated that Hogwarts Legacy is yet to fully release on current-gen platforms.
However, that's not to say the game isn't without its controversies. Many from the trans community have been vocally opposing the title, particularly due to its association with J K Rowling and her own vocal views on trans people. The IP continues to be troubled due to its links with the original author, and it's now at a point where some Hogwarts Legacy discord server mods allegedly ban people for talking about trans rights.
But even amid the ongoing controversies, the addition of a transgender character named Sirona Ryan to the game indicates that Avalanche Software still made room for inclusivity. Of course, this in itself may not undo the title's tainted reputation thanks to Rowling. Though it would be interesting to see how Hogwarts Legacy will continue to fare in weeks to come.
Hogwarts Legacy is scheduled to release on February 10 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, April 4 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and July 25 for Nintendo Switch.
Source: SteamDB
