After over a year of silence surrounding a new RPG set in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Avalanche Software and WB Games finally revealed more about Hogwarts Legacy in a State of Play presentation. Most importantly, we learned that the game would finally be released this holiday season, though the game doesn’t have an exact date yet.
Players control a fully customizable character who’s coming to Hogwarts for the first time as a fifth-year student in the late 1800s. After getting assigned to a house, players will have to attend various classes and explore the giant campus that is Hogwarts. They will then have to use the skills they learned to explore the wider Wizarding World and work with Professor Figg to deal with a Goblin rebellion and uncover the mysteries of ancient magic.
Obviously, the game features a robust spellcasting system for combat. The player will be able to upgrade their talents and other skills with experience gained while completing games and augment their abilities with potions. There’s also magical gear that can be bought, crafted, and upgraded, as well as companions that can accompany the player on their journey.
While the idea of a big-budget Harry Potter game seems like a slam dunk on paper, enthusiasm for the title is mixed. That’s due to the series’ controversial creator J.K. Rowling, who has repeatedly been called out in recent years for transphobic comments. That’s putting a damper on the game’s pending release, as the controversy has closely followed the game’s hype cycle.
For those still planning to pick the game up, it’s clear that Avalanche went all out in making the most thorough and detailed Harry Potter game ever. And while Hogwarts Legacy got its own Sony State of Play stream, it isn’t a PlayStation exclusive. Harry Potter fans can expect the game to launch on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S sometime during the holiday 2022 season.
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