The 'Harry Potter' Video Game 'Hogwarts Legacy' Has Been Delayed Until 2022
Video game fans will have to evanesco the upcoming RPG Hogwarts Legacy from their most anticipated games of 2021 lists. Warner Bros. has delayed the Harry Potter game to next year, giving developers time to perfect the first open-world video game set in the Harry Potter universe.
Warner Bros. announced Wednesday that Hogwarts Legacy, the first-ever open-world action role-playing game set in the Wizarding World, will be launching in 2022 instead of 2021, as had been originally announced.
"We would like to thank fans from around the world on the tremendous reaction to the announcement of Hogwarts Legacy from our Portkey Games label. Creating the best possible experience for all of the Wizarding World and gaming fans is paramount to us so we are giving the game the time it needs," the developer said in a tweet.
— Hogwarts Legacy (@HogwartsLegacy) January 13, 2021
No specific release date was announced, but giving the game another year to be developed is good news for video game fans. As the world saw when CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 was rushed to release to disastrous results, more development time is always a good thing, especially if means the people making the game don't have to endure harsh crunch.
Hogwarts Legacy was first revealed last year during a PlayStation 5 event, but it has been in the works for years, with plot details and even some footage leaking out during focus group sessions back in 2018. Developed by Avalanche Software (the team behind Disney Infinity), the game takes place during the 1800s, long before the events of the Harry Potter books and films.
While many may be tired of hearing about Harry Potter – and especially of hearing about its creator and her crummy opinions – Hogwarts Legacy is hoped to reinvigorate goodwill toward the franchise. J.K. Rowling is not involved in the project, which is solely overseen by Portkey Games, a new division created to oversee interactive Harry Potter experiences. The new time period that Hogwarts Legacy showcases, and will allow its players to explore, feels fresh and exciting enough to establish the "Wizarding World" as a cultural fantasy staple that can hopefully be divorced from its creator.
Here's the official synopsis for the game:
Experience a new story set at Hogwarts in the 1800s. Your character is a student who holds the key to an ancient secret that threatens to tear the wizarding world apart. Make allies, battle Dark wizards and decide the fate of the wizarding world.
When Hogwarts Legacy finally does launch, it will be available on a wide range of platforms including PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.