Call of Duty didn’t top the yearly sales charts for one of the first times since 2009

Just like death and taxes, you can usually rely on a Call of Duty game to top the sales charts each year. The various entries in Activision’s warfare simulation franchise have mostly done just that, going all the way back to 2009. This year’s a bit different. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III has fallen to second place, as reported by media research firm Circana. According to the list, Hogwarts Legacy topped the charts for 2023, selling around 22 million copies. This is despite the not insignificant controversy the game generated, both by its association with franchise creator JK Rowling — who has leveraged her celebrity position to espouse anti-trans views — but also tropes within the game itself which some (but not all) saw as drawing from antisemitic caricatures. Still, fans had been waiting for a high-quality AAA game set at the wizarding school for decades and Hogwarts Legacy delivered on the promise of a true open-world Harry Potter title. The sales obviously reflect that. As a matter of fact, there have been only two other occasions in which Call of Duty was knocked from first place. Those were the years in which Grand Theft Auto V (2013) and Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018) were released. Both Rockstar titles absolutely dominated the conversation upon launch, becoming bona-fide cultural touchstones. Hogwarts Legacy, while very good, hasn’t approached that level of buzz, so maybe this data illustrates that players are finally getting sick of Call of Duty, or maybe it's... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2024-01-18 19:16:41 UTC ]

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Announcing the Best Book Cover of 2024

December marks the start of the holiday season and the return of one of our favorite year-end traditions: the annual best book cover tournament. Now in its fourth year, this contest is our way of recognizing and celebrating the talented designers behind the books. After all, the cover is the... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-12-17 12:05:00 UTC ]
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WICKED Becomes Highest-Grossing Musical Adaptation in History, and More Book News!

The holiday season is upon us, but book news stops for no one. Here’s all the book news that’s popping ... Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-12-10 13:30:00 UTC ]
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Indie Bookstores Report a Strong Start to a Short Holiday Season

Independent bookshops around the country are reporting that, despite a late start to the holiday season, sales last weekend were mostly on par with or better than the 2023 post-Thanksgiving weekend, with Small Business proving especially busy. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-12-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
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New Harry Potter ride at Universal Orlando will have British Ministry of Magic as setting

Harry Potter fans anticipating the third attraction based on the popular book and movie franchise at Universal Orlando Resort learned that the fictional setting for the ride will be the British Ministry of Magic Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2024-11-19 19:10:32 UTC ]
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The best Lego Black Friday deals include up to 40 percent off Star Wars, Super Mario sets

We’re big Lego fans here at Engadget, so it’s not difficult for us to understand why the building block sets are some of the first items to sell out during the holiday shopping season. Kids and adults alike seek out Lego sets all year round, and they make particularly good gifts. Whether you... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-11-14 15:00:13 UTC ]
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Sonos Arc Ultra review: New tech powers a big audio upgrade

2024 has been a rough year for Sonos. The company’s would-be triumphant entry into the crowded headphones market was overshadowed by a disastrous app redesign. In the fallout of the botched software update, the company decided to delay products that were ready to be shipped to give itself more... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-11-11 13:00:11 UTC ]
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Greg Hildebrandt, iconic Star Wars and Lord of the Rings artist, has died at 85

One of fantasy and sci-fi’s all-time greats has passed away. Artist Greg Hildebrandt, known for his iconic work on Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Marvel and Magic: The Gathering, died on Thursday at 85. He and his twin brother Tim, who died in 2006, were a powerhouse duo — the Brothers... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-11-01 19:30:27 UTC ]
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Engadget Podcast: Apple’s M4 chip heads to the iMac, Mac mini and MacBook Pro

It's been a Mac-heavy week! In this episode, Devindra and producer Ben Ellman dive into all of Apple's new M4 hardware: the new iMac, Mac mini and refreshed Macbook Pros. The Mac mini, in particular, looks like it'll be a huge hit for anyone who needs a simple desktop system. Also, we dive into... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-11-01 13:20:04 UTC ]
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Literary Publishers Embrace the Midnight Release Party

Move over, Harry Potter! Hotly anticipated adult novels from such authors as Haruki Murakami and Sally Rooney are the latest to get the midnight book release party treatment. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-10-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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These trending Harry Potter-style floating LED candles are 55% off

Want your house to have extra atmosphere on Halloween? Or maybe you just love Harry Potter and have enough adult money to decorate your home however you wish? Either way, these floating candles are absolutely gorgeous and a perfect addition to any magic-filled room. Right now, you can... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2024-10-25 12:30:34 UTC ]
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Super Nintendo World Orlando opens next May

The Super Nintendo World theme park in Orlando is nearly ready for visitors. Universal Orlando Resort just announced that the Mario-friendly attraction will open its doors on May 22, 2025. That gives you over six months to find the perfect Goomba costume to wear on opening day. This is the third... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-10-17 16:45:06 UTC ]
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Prime Day deals on Legos are still available: Get up to 41 percent off Super Mario and Star Wars sets

October Prime Day may have come and gone, but you can still save on Lego sets at the moment. While you may think it's early to think about holiday shopping, these kits make amazing presents — for the young and full-grown adults alike. At Engadget, we're most interested in specific sets from... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-10-11 14:13:50 UTC ]
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The best Prime Day deals you can still get after the October Big Deal Days sale: Apple, Anker, Sonos, Lego and more

Another October Prime Day is on the books, but all of the deals haven’t disappeared from Amazon’s site just yet. This year’s Fall Prime Day brought a bunch of discounts on smartphones, speakers, wearables, robot vacuums and more tech, and you can still grab some of the sale prices right now even... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-10-10 14:00:36 UTC ]
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The best Prime Day deals to shop for on the last day of Amazon's Big Deal Days sale: Apple, Anker, Sony and more

October Prime Day 2024 has given Prime members another opportunity to save one some of our favorite tech and maybe even snag some holiday gifts early and for less. If you checked out Amazon's site yesterday or today, you may have quickly gotten overwhelmed by the volume of deals — we wouldn't... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-10-09 23:00:18 UTC ]
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Amazon Prime Day 2024: The best deals we found from Apple, Anker, Sony, Lego and others before October Big Deal Days ends tonight

October Prime Day 2024 is half over but you can still save thanks to a slew of deals across the entirety of Amazon’s online storefront. Props to you if you came prepared with a wishlist of items you hope to buy on sale, because it can be easy to get distracted by the thousands of other deals... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-10-09 15:14:28 UTC ]
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Alfonso Cuarón Subverted Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Now He’s Coming for TV

Gravity, Children of Men, the best Harry Potter movie—and now a seven-part miniseries? With Disclaimer, director Alfonso Cuarón has set out to conquer TV in the name of cinema. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2024-10-09 10:00:00 UTC ]
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Prime Day Lego deals are up to 41 percent off for Super Mario and Star Wars sets

October Prime Day is here, and we're seeing great deals on tech devices — but we also wanted to point out a few choice Lego deals we've had our eye on as well. You could use this as an opportunity to kickstart the holiday shopping season — even if you haven't even thought about the holidays yet,... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-10-08 23:27:33 UTC ]
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Amazon Prime Day deals are available to shop before October Big Deal Days starts tomorrow

Amazon Prime Big Deal Days is back this year, returning on October 8 and 9. The “fall Prime Day” of sorts has served as the online retailer’s unofficial kickoff to the holiday shopping season for the past few years. We expect most of the deals to be Prime exclusives, meaning you must be an... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-10-07 21:00:14 UTC ]
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