It’s been well over a year since we last heard word of Harry Potter-themed open world RPG Hogwarts Legacy, but developer Avalanche Software had promised updates in 2022. That information could end up being a delay, as word has it the title has been stupefied behind-the-scenes. Ex-IGN scribe and Sacred Symbols host Colin Moriarty revealed on his latest PlayStation podcast that the “game isn't coming out this year” and “it's in some sort of trouble”.
Moriarty is obviously well-connected, but it’s always worth treating rumours like this with an ounce of scepticism. Nevertheless, it’s not the hardest story to believe: the long-awaited title was originally slated to release in 2021, before it disappeared for the entire year. As mentioned above, the developer did promise to remove the release’s invisibility cloak over the coming months, but even if it is ready to show a little more, that doesn’t necessarily dispel this report.
Sony published a list of upcoming 2022 titles overnight, with Hogwarts Legacy being a notable omission. It’d be a shame if this project got stuck in development hell, because we’ve been waiting for a full-scale Harry Potter RPG for practically our entire adult lives, and this seemed like a dream game when it was first revealed. Here’s hoping either the speculation is inaccurate, or Avalanche Software can steady its Nimbus broom soon.
[source podcasts.apple.com, via eurogamer.net]
Comments 47
What are the chances that the game will be targeting adults instead of children/teenagers? I was never able to get into the movies.
@get2sammyb - they're saying the same about GTA V: E&E as well today.
I'm fine with delays if it leads to a great game. Far rather wait than have buggy rubbish, which seems to be the norm these days.
Please be good, please be good, please be good
@Mauzuri You say "they can't afford to delay the game" yet delayed games still sell well. It's the ones that release early and full of bugs that end up losing big time financially.
to be fair - it seems like most games end up in trouble at some stage of development
I trust Stand Down Media's reporting.
I have a bad feeling about this. I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being cancelled or in development hell for years on end.
That isn't good news. Either way I wouldn't have minded if they delayed it another year or two. The stakes are too high. People have high expectations for a HP game, myself included. It needs to be good. It can't be a half-arsed game, so hopefully they take (and get) all the time they need.
I hope the end product is good, I want a great single player harry potter rpg
@DrJames Yup, I don't think I ever heard a games that have no problems in their development lol.
As much as I want this game to come out soon, I would rather have it delayed and be great than rushed and be terrible.
Something of this creativity probably won't be pitched again if the game flops.
Plus my backlog of games appreciates the time in between new purchases.
A game takes its time as it should and suddenly all hell breaks loose. Good it's delayed.
I had a feeling this wasn't gonna be a surface level game like most games nowadays and I'll keep that faith for this one.
People forget WB released Arkham Knight. I find that game more of an achievement than Horizon and infinitely more of achievement than Spider-Man. There, I said it lol.
Impressive and flushed out games is what WB does, even if I didn't like the Mordor games
It's a tricky one...though given WB's record for microtransactions let's hope the delays aren't down to "how much live-service/NFT's can we cram in?!" 🤔
Then again,according to a certain PC/Xbox "games reviewer"/channel,it was a Microsoft "exclusive",(& Xbox owned Bioware,& Sony didn't have any good games coming out),so guess that's why its disappeared of the PS5 radar,being a "dead console walking"!, supposedly!!😋😂🙄
this is ok.... my 2022 schedule is jam packed so this falling to 2023 is totally ok with me
I’d be disappointed about it being delayed, but honestly I just want the developer and publisher to be transparent about the state of the game. Two weeks ago there were rumors the game is closer to release than expected and it was reported that the game was in the process of localization. Today, it’s reported the game could be in trouble. Which one is it? This is a time where there’s contrasting rumors, so just come out and tell us what’s going on, if only so we can temper expectations.
I think it puts an uneccessarily negative spin on the whole issue of it being delayed by saying it's in trouble. Whilst a delay isn't ideal purely from an impatient gamer's point of view, it's totally preferable to it being released unready; all publishers and devs should delay any game that isn't going to meet standards before it's scheduled to go gold, be encouraged to do so, and given credit for it.
We should be wary of how we present news like this as language that skewers towards a delay equating to being a problem is going to potentially increase the pressure on the devs from all sides to their detriment.
@Bismarck I was wondering this earlier myself. I'm expecting it to definitely be designed with a younger audience in mind. The visuals look a little bit cartoonish even.
There's nothing wrong with that of course.
@Shepherd_Tallon @Bismarck nailing down a target audience for a game like this seems like an impossible task and I do wonder if it’s a major contributing factor to the delays.
Producer: "Hey guys we're ready to go gold just as soon as we get back the last report from QA"
QA: "Play test items that must be changed before release: HIGH PRIORITY: It's Levi-o-sa, not Levios-aa"
Producer: "Well there goes chapter 4, we need to redesign it...we're not going to make Holiday, guys...."
It was always going to be too ambitious for its own good. Never mind the fact HP is a bit of a poisoned chalice these days. It’s the sort of game that does get cancelled quietly after not being shown for a couple years but this looked relatively far along in that trailer.
Don’t worry gang they’re just figuring out the most pro-consumer way to monetize the s*** out of it!
@lolwhatno Of course they made money, because no-one knew what was coming. Did they make as much money as they could've? Heck no. The game was pulled from multiple stores, there's the lawsuits, the pee'd off share holders, the amount of extra staff to pay to fix the mess. The delays to whatever project was coming next, the inevitable wariness of sales in the future, the extra money that'll now be needed to mend bridges with their annoyed userbase. I could go on but what's the point.
If they'd waited and released a fixed game they'd have had a few annoyed people but a far far bigger amount of revenue sat in their respective bank accounts. And all without a guilty conscience.
@Bismarck have you tried the books, they are miles better then the movies
@PlayNation5 if true about GTA then playstation deal 1mil each month for gta online be extended unless the launch of gta online separate stil on schedule means stil be free on ps5 for 1st 3 months
@Earthbound28 I can't think of a book that isn't 😊
@PlayNation5 you forgot to put “Expanded and Enhanced” edition in quotes
honestly i don't have high hopes for this any more.
@Integrity you ain't wrong
It's always better they delay a game if it needs it. If it is in a dev hole they will need to considerer the high value of the property. It can take years to recover good will and with HP if they burnt the current market it would need to hold off for a generation. It's not like this was going to be the only thing out there to play
For any dev reading this: please always prioritise quality over speed of release. There is no shortage of games to play. I couldn’t care less if Hogwarts Legacy is released in ‘22, ‘23 or ‘24. Whenever it arrives, if it is good, it’ll be a day 1 for me, plus dlcs. If it is bad, I simply won’t touch it.
I literally jinxed this and @get2sammyb called me out in a previous article. Doh!
@itsfoz Curse you!
Just such a negative, controversial air around this franchise these days for a handful of reasons. I feel bad for the fans. That being said, I hope the devs aren’t going to get the shaft as a result. When games enter into uncertain development waters, I immediately think of the people working hard to bring compelling software to life. Here is hoping they are taken care of well before WB, JKR, etc.
Why couldn't this news had been about ANY other big game this year besides this one. Its literally the only game I was looking forward this year. If this gets cancelled I'd be hella pissed!
I guess we'll see. Colin Moriarty is known to say whatever random thought enters his head.
Oh no. Oh no. Oh no no no no.
Which episode of Sacred Symbols was this discussed on? I can't find the episode and time code. Just finished listening to the one posted on the 17th and it wasn't on there.
Shame, looked like it could be fun
@PlayNation5 I don’t understand what could cause that game to be delayed 😭😭
Development hell seems to be the norm these days.
@Mauzuri You still think GOW is this year? I am thinking that game is going to be delayed more than the year people were thought was happening. Now from the original announced 2021 to sometime 2023. Hope I am wrong but Sony not even saying 2022 at this point, which would be a year delay, leads me to believe it is a Spring 2023 game.
Please let this be false, I truly wish to play as a wizard in the Wizarding World!
Imagine after all this hype and waiting the game isn't good. The last game the studio worked on is Cars 3: Driven to Win. Let that sink in...
It would be nice to see this studio get the project back on track, JKR has done notable damage to the franchise with her idiotic blathering.
@BoldAndBrash > doesn't like Mordor
> doesn't like Horizon
> doesn't like Spider-Man
Boy, you're just full of impeccable taste, huh?
@guntam
Shadow of War is an improvement and I loved Horizon and Spider-Man. I only criticize some aspects of them, but that's obvious when you actually read my comments
Maybe Avalanche is waiting for Microsoft acquisition...
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