At this point, it should come as no surprise that Netflix’s The Witcher, itself an adaptation of the books by author Andrzej Sapkowski, was very popular. How popular? Well, in addition to simply being a big deal for Netflix, some new data indicates that the release of the series actually had a wild impact on the entire Witcher ecosystem, and helped drive sales of both the books and the video games to major heights.
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According to a new report from the NPD Group, Netflix’s The Witcher had an obvious and immediate impact on book sales, for example. “During the two weeks following The Witcher’s premier on Netflix, USA physical book revenue was 562 percent higher than the same period in 2018,” the report reads. “This increase in revenue was driven primarily by The Last Wish: Introducing the Witcher, a book that contains short stories, which take place before the main book series.”
And while the exact numbers on how popular The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was during the same period varies depending on whether you include the recently released Nintendo Switch version, NPD reports that physical sales for copies of the game were up 554% year-over-year from 2018, and if you remove the Nintendo Switch title, it was still up 63%. That isn’t even taking into account digital sales of course, so the game’s popularity on Steam during that time would likely only push that number higher.
What do you think of Netflix’s The Witcher? Did it make you want to go buy The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt or maybe read the books? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming!
Here’s how Netflix describes the series:
“Based on the best-selling fantasy series, The Witcher is an epic tale of fate and family. Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts. But when destiny hurtles him toward a powerful sorceress, and a young princess with a dangerous secret, the three must learn to navigate the increasingly volatile Continent together.”
CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is currently available on… a whole bunch of platforms, the most recent of which being the Nintendo Switch. The first eight-episode season of Netflix’s The Witcher is available to stream on the platform now. It has already been renewed for a second season. Lauren S. Hissrich serves as showrunner. It stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer, and Freya Allan as Ciri. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the latest and greatest adaptation right here.
