Hogwarts Legacy | Everything we know about the new game based on the Harry Potter franchise

Hogwarts Legacy will open the school's doors in 2022. Warner Bros. Games and WB Avalanche starred in a State of Play in which the developers showed more than 14 minutes of gameplay. The game ran on a PlayStation 5, although it will also be released for previous generation systems. This open-world adventure takes us into the Harry Potter cinematic universe, but in a different timeline than the main products. In this article, we will review the main features of the video game and the keys that have been revealed over the years.

What is Hogwarts Legacy?

When Electronic Arts owned the rights to develop Harry Potter video games, several installments focused on exploring Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as well as other settings from the films. These were interconnected sections, so it was not an open world. With Hogwarts Legacy, Warner Bros. Games will go further and offer RPG-like gameplay, where players will be thrown into an immersive experience. The studio's goal is to reproduce the day-to-day life of a student, with all that that entails.

The RPG approach is particularly well-suited to realize these ideas, as we'll be able to visit and travel through different locations beyond Hogwarts Castle and its vicinity. "We wanted you to have new locations to discover; to see what lies around and beyond the Black Lake, to meet new witches and wizards in the dwellings that dot the landscape beyond Hogsmeade and learn what other undiscovered chambers lie within Hogwarts or scattered across the Scottish Highlands."

As a game with role-playing elements, it is built on several main pillars: exploration will give us the opportunity to visit large and detailed scenarios, even from the sky (the character has been seen on a hippogriff, one of the fantastic creatures that appear in the saga, or on the broom).

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Is the main character Harry Potter and when is it set?

The saga created by J.K. Rowling tells the story of Harry Potter, the boy who lived. His fight against Lord Voldemort will not be reflected in Hogwarts Legacy, mainly because the narrative is set many years before the events narrated in the original books. The brand has already explored other periods in the Fantastic Beasts films, but now it will also do so in the realm of video games.

Avalanche's title is set in the late 19th century, which means we won't see Harry Potter, Hermione Granger or Ron Weasley. Albus Dumbledore, born in 1881, has not confirmed his presence either, but given that he is a young wizard in this timeline, there is a chance that he may appear at some point. Be that as it may, the protagonist is a Hogwarts student that we will be able to create from scratch.

"Players will experience life as a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry like never before, as they live the unwritten and embark on a dangerous journey to uncover a hidden truth of the wizarding world," the official description reads. The player's decisions will shape the storyline, although it is unknown how they will affect the storyline as a whole.

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What is the story of Hogwarts Legacy about?

As we said, the story is set in the nineteenth century, but already at that time, Hogwarts students put on the Sorting Hat to determine which house would be their Hogwarts house: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin or Hufflepuff. The protagonist (created from scratch) has ties to ancient magic, so he will be involved in the goblin rebellion led by Ranrok. This has allied with the dark wizard Victor Rookwood, so the association represents a real threat to the magical world.

“Ranrok has seen a glimmer of a magic that wizardkind tried to hide – even from themselves – and he wants that power in particular. His worldview is skewed by his hatred of wizards, which makes his alliance with Victor Rookwood particularly tenuous,” explained Moira Squier, narrative lead “Once Ranrok gets what he wants, no one will be able to stop him and the wizarding world will be doomed.”

Unraveling the mysteries of ancient magic and putting an end to the rebellion will not be easy, but the protagonist will have the invaluable help of Professor Eleazar Fig, who has investigated the matter, even if the Ministry of Magic looks at him with reluctance. The studio has let slip that there will be other allies, including a Weasley.

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Combat and the progression system

Magic will be the protagonist in combat, while there will also be puzzles to add some color to the gameplay. The fighting system is built for the player to explore the weaknesses of enemies, perform spell combos and use the environment's elements against opponents in duels.

According to Warner Bros. Games, different spells provide different ways to engage in combat, either by wielding the wand directly or by using accio to lure the enemy before hitting them with fire. It is also possible to use stealth by conjuring the disillusioning spell or petrify opponents with petrificus totalus. In order to adapt the experience to different players, the developer will introduce several difficulty levels.

Regarding the progression system, the State of Play video took a look at all of these systems. In addition to attending classes and learning spells, "players will have access to a large set of upgrades, talents and skills". The character will gain experience and skills will level up. At the same time, pieces of equipment "can be specialized to increase offensive and defensive capabilities."

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Is J.K. Rowling involved and has she written the story?

The reputation of the writer behind the Harry Potter saga is not at its finest moment. Her statements about trans people have sparked controversy, to the point that actors such as Emma Watson or Daniel Radcliffe, Hermione and Harry in the films, issued statements to support this community. Faced with this situation, some people on social media have even suggested boycotting Hogwarts Legacy. In order to move away from this controversy, Warner Bros. Games has offered an answer to the issue of whether or not J.K. Rowling has participated in the development of the videogame:

“J.K. Rowling is not directly involved in the creation of the game, however, her extraordinary body of writing is the foundation of all projects in the Wizarding World. This is not a new story from J.K. Rowling.”

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When is it coming out and on which platforms?

When Warner Bros. Games announced the delay of Hogwarts Legacy no release window was shared, but this has been gradually opening up. Both the official website and company statements pointed to 2022. Now, after the State of Play, we know that the game will be released at the end of 2022.

WB Avalanche production is still planned for all platforms on which it was originally announced: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC. Furthermore, by surprise, it has been confirmed for Nintendo Switch. At this time it is still unknown whether it will be a Cloud Edition or a native version.

The game has been in development for years, but was first shown during the PlayStation 5 launch event. It was originally expected to be released in 2021, but the studio released a statement saying they needed more time: “we would like to thank fans around the world for the phenomenal response to the announcement of Hogwarts Legacy by our label Portkey Games. Creating the best possible experience for the entire wizarding world and gaming fans is paramount to us, so we’re going to give the game the time it needs.”

Customization: Will there be microtransactions?

Hogwarts Legacy will start its story as one might expect, in the Great Hall of Hogwarts and with the Sorting Hat on the head of the main character. Thus, we will be able to choose between the houses Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. The customization options will allow us to create a custom character. What has transpired is that Avalanche Studios is going to outline a more inclusive videogame, with trans characters.

In the presentation video, the character creation process was briefly shown, which allows you to modify different aspects such as hair, skin, eyes, etc. It remains to be seen if the options will be deep enough.

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WB Avalanche has addressed the questions and informed that Hogwarts Legacy will not include microtransactions of any kind. The following words come from Chandler Wood, studio's CM: “We've seen this question coming up and want to set the record straight. There are no microtransactions in Hogwarts Legacy.”