Today, PlayStation decided to host an entire State of Play (the platform’s traditional game event) dedicated to Hogwarts Legacy, one of 2022’s most anticipated titles set to be released later this year. In the Harry Potter RPG, players will be able to create their own avatars and navigate through an open-world and ambitious setting that will finally make every Potterhead dream come true: the chance to be a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
In the story, you'll start out as a fifth-year student who has to catch up with his fellow housemates after being sorted into Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, or Ravenclaw. You'll be able to develop ties to friends and have them join you on missions across school grounds, Hogsmeade village and other locations. You'll also be able to visit places never fully explored in movies or other Harry Potter games such as the Hogwarts kitchen with a horde of domestic elves and the Prefects' bathroom.
Through the course of the game, you'll encounter all sorts of mystical beasts and try to uncover the secrets and reasons why a Goblin rebellion is mounting up, and why Dark wizards are teaming up with those creatures. In battles, you'll be able to mix and match familiar and new spells, try your hand at making potions, and figure out how to use plants to your advantage in combats and outside them. You'll also be able to use the Room of Requirement as your "quiet place", where you can practice everything you learn and study up on the subjects you learn.
Hogwarts Legacy comes to video game platforms amid a series of controversies. The game’s release has been pushed back a couple of times since it was announced by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Avalanche Software. It was initially attached to a 2021 release, but fans took a hit when production got delayed for a year. On top of that, the whole Potterverse is shaken due to continuous transphobic comments made by franchise creator J.K. Rowling, which prompted Warner Bros. to state the author had no direct involvement in the making of the upcoming game, and also transgender characters will be featured in the roster of options during character creation.
Set in the late 1800s, Hogwarts Legacy predates the original Harry Potter saga with Daniel Radcliffe and even the new franchise Fantastic Beasts with Eddie Redmayne. However, given that some characters in the Wizarding World are quite old, fans anticipate the appearance of some familiar faces like Albus Dumbledore as a student at Hogwarts, Nicolas Flamel (who lived for over 600 years in the story), and ancestors of characters that are known to franchise fans. During the event, it was revealed that we can at least hope to recognize Hogwarts' ghosts like Nearly Headless Nick (played by John Cleese in the movies), and... was that History of Magic Professor Binns?
Hogwarts Legacy is slated for a PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X release on a "Holiday," but the PlayStation event didn't specify which one. While this is a bit frustrating, at least now we have confirmation that the highly anticipated game is still coming this year — probably in the last quarter.
You can watch the full presentation below: