One of the most lucrative media franchises on the planet, first Harry Potter video game, all the details about Hogwarts Legacy are making it out to be an increasingly ambitious one unlike any other Harry Potter game ever released before.
Initially set to release in 2021, the game was delayed and is currently expected to release in 2022. Details about Hogwarts Legacy have been kept under wraps for the most part and only a small teaser trailer has been released as of yet, but what little is known about the game has been compiled below.
It Will Be Releasing On Most Modern Consoles
The first teaser trailer for Hogwarts Legacy showed off some impressive graphics, which is common when it comes to big-budget AAA games. The game is being developed using the Unreal Engine, the latest version of which generated quite a buzz for its graphical prowess.
Even though the game will release on previous generation consoles like the PS4 and Xbox One, running these resource-demanding games is easier said than done for old hardware. Whatever the case, it is most certainly not going to be a game that is playable without a graphics card.
It Is Being Developed By Avalanche Software
Although the list of games they have worked on is long, Avalanche Software doesn't have anything particularly exceptional under its belt. After being acquired by Disney in 2005, the team started producing games based on popular Disney properties such as Disney Infinity.
But the publishers of the game and also the owner of the film rights to the franchise, Warner Bros., are much more experienced in this particular field as one of the biggest video game and film publishers in the industry.
It Will Be An Open-World Action RPG
While some open-world games are content-rich, others just seem to use the open-world as an excuse to forcibly stretch the playtime of the game. It's too early to make assumptions about what Hogwarts Legacy will be like, but some details about what the gameplay will be like have been revealed.
Players will be able to learn magical spells, interact with magical beasts and also brew potions. Other common RPG elements can also be expected, such as skill trees, collecting resources, side-quests, and dialogue choices.
Players Will Be Able To Choose Their Houses
Hogwarts Legacy wouldn't be a role-playing game worth its salt if it didn't let players make one of the most crucial choices a Harry Potter game could have - about their houses. The four houses of Hogwarts - Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, have been the topic of great discussion among fans since the first book, and everyone's opinion on which house they belong to is subjective.
The house of a Hogwarts student influences their life at the school significantly, and the game would be wise to take this into .
It Will Be Set In The Late 1800s
The Harry Potter books and films take place between the late 1990s and the 2000s for the most part, and Hogwarts Legacy will be reportedly set long before that. Although it certainly would've been amazing to be able to interact with established characters like Harry himself or Hermione, this will allow the game to write its own story.
The world of Hogwarts and the Wizarding World is one with a rich history, and there is no reason for Hogwarts Legacy to be restricted by the timeline of its source material.
It will Be A Completely New Story
Being completely free from the time period of the movies and books will allow the developers of Hogwarts Legacy to write a tale of their own. What has been revealed so far about this fresh and exciting plot is that the protagonist of the game will hold the key to a special, ancient type of magic, and how they will use this is up to them.
But even though it is important to be original, there are some things Hogwarts Legacy should use from the movies.
It Will Have A Fully Customizable Player Character
Character customization is a very common feature in RPGs, but the degree of customization possible is different for every game. Lack of diversity is not a problem a magical world like Harry Potter should have, so it is only natural that there are many Hogwarts Legacy.
The game will reportedly allow players to create a transgender character with options to customize their body type and voice, and the choice of whether they want to be a witch or wizard will be one of the vital ones.
The Game Will Have A Morality System
Player choices in RPGs almost always play a role, to varying degrees. Some even go as far as judging these player choices, whether they are good or bad. That is essentially what a morality system is in the context of a video game, and every game does this in its own unique way. The official website reads "Players will also encounter missions and scenarios that will pose difficult choices and determine what they stand for".
So perhaps the game will give the freedom to be the nicest wizard in training at Hogwarts or if they choose to be, a complete Draco Malfoy.
J.K. Rowling Will Not Be Involved With The Game
Not a lot about the game has been revealed in detail, but if there is one thing that the official website absolutely wants fans to know is that J.K. Rowling will not be involved with the game. The many controversies surrounding her name in recent years have not done any favors to her reputation, and this is something Warner Bros. seems to be aware of.
Rowling's name will always be tied to Harry Potter, but in the same way George Lucas is not directly involved with Star Wars anymore, the Harry Potter franchise can certainly prosper separated from its creator.
It Will Explore Locations Beyond Hogwarts
The Hogwarts Castle will take center stage in Hogwarts Legacy, and there are many hidden details about the Hogwarts Castle that the movies never explored thoroughly and the books only teased that the game can implement.
But the castle is not the only place to go, there are other locations as well that have played an integral part in the plot at times, such as the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade Village, that will be featured in the game. It will be exciting to see which other places the game will allow players to explore beyond these and if there will be any new additions.
