Hogwarts Legacy breaks Twitch viewer record despite streamer boycott

Although there was as much going for the RPG as there were things dragging it down, Hogwarts Legacy has broken a record on Twitch for the most-watched single-player game, with 1.3 million concurrent viewers at the time of writing.

Hogwarts Legacy has been shamed for its association with Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling, who has publicly espoused critical opinions about transgender identities time and time again. Last month, in spite of Hogwarts Legacy's status as the best-selling game on the storefront, Steam players attached user-assigned tags to the game that suggested inappropriate elements like "NSFW," "World War II," and "psychological horror."

Moreover, a website was created to track which Twitch streamers had played the game on their channels, acting as a record of content creators to avoid. In the case of Girlfriend Reviews, they had received the game for free and streamed the RPG with a fundraiser for The Trevor Project. Unfortunately, their act of generosity wasn't received well and fans have since castigated those who came for the two for seemingly supporting Rowling's anti-transgender rhetoric.

Check out what Hogsmeade looks like in Hogwarts Legacy below:

Have these controversies spoiled Hogwarts Legacy's chances of success? No. Not at all, arguably. The reviews are pretty positive, bar judgements on the datedness of the open-world, and it's now shifted Cyberpunk 2077 from its throne on Twitch as the most-watched single-player game on the website.

For a frame of reference, CD Projekt Red's dystopian Keanu Reeves dating simulator scored 1.14 million concurrent viewers in 2020. Now, Hogwarts Legacy blows it out of the water with 1.3 million concurrent viewers. It's even ahead of ever-popular categories like Just Chatting, League of Legends, Escape from Tarkov and more.

Obviously, not everyone has their hands on Hogwarts Legacy yet. The game officially launches in two days time but a select handful have opted for early access. That's unlockable through purchase of the Deluxe or Collector's Edition of the game, which also adds goodies like an Onyx Hippogriff, Thestral Mount and Dark Arts Cosmetic Set.

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